


Retrieval Mission

by Killyouwithmybrain



Series: Don't Look Back [3]
Category: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (TV), The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: F/M, M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-10-17
Updated: 2017-07-18
Packaged: 2018-04-26 17:28:56
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 99
Words: 418,603
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5013571
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Killyouwithmybrain/pseuds/Killyouwithmybrain
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>After losing Skye, the teams mourns and tries to move on by adopting a new member to their team. The new addition has information that will prove helpful to locating the scientists responsible for Project Centipede.</p><p>Part 3 of Don't Look Back</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. You're Needed at Headquarters

 

_End of Part 2: Memorial_

_“She wouldn't have wanted a funeral.” Jack told Tony again, sounding frustrated. Steve finished pulling on his clean shirt and stepped into the room._

_“Tony, listen to him.” Steve murmured, quickly gathering what the issue was._

_“We don't have anyone. No one would come.” Jack told Tony again, shaking his head quickly. “Besides, she wouldn't want that much attention. No funeral.”_

_“Well, we have to do something. I'm doing something.” Tony said firmly, crossing his arms defiantly._

_“We have your blanket, from the park.” Steve offered to Jack. “We forgot about it in the chaos of you two leaving. It's still in interrogation.”_

_“We could have lunch in the park.” Jack nodded. “She would like that. She loved that park.”_

_“Then it's settled.” Steve announced, cutting off Tony's retort with a firm look. Tony sighed and tossed his hands up._

_“Fine.”_

_“Can I go get the blanket?” Jack asked. Steve nodded and he headed for the elevator._

_“Tony, I know this isn't what you want...but it's not about you.” Steve told Tony._

_“She should have the best.” Tony growled, taking a long swig of bourbon. “I want her to have the best.”_

_“Well, for Skye – simple is best. Jack was right – she loved that park. It would be a fitting memorial.”_

_“Do you think they Erased her?” Tony asked, quickly wiping his cheeks. “Tasha said the Eraser was too hot to get into. The scientist ordered the guards to do it.”_

_“I don't know Tony. You have the hard drive. Follow her a little further.” Steve shrugged, swallowing back his own tears._

_“I don't think I can do that.” Tony frowned. “Not right now, at least. Maybe tomorrow.”_

_“Well, tomorrow then.” Steve replied, working to make his voice kinder. Everyone had their masks on and it was resulting in some pretty harsh sounding conversations._

_“It was bad, though. Right?” Tony asked, pulling at his hair. “Bad enough that she broke out to erase it. Bad enough that she didn't want us to see.”_

_“I'm going to go help Jack,” Steve growled, turning and walking from the room before he lashed out at Tony. He wanted to bury those images. He wanted them out of his head. But Tony kept bringing it back up and he was dangerously close to losing his cool. His imagination was good enough at conjuring images of what she could have erased; he didn't need Tony's speculation to add to it._

_0-0-0-0-0_

_“I brought another blanket,” Clint said softly, joining the team in the park. Jack had picked a spot against a tree. Steve seemed to understand the significance, but it was lost on everyone else. He tossed the blanket out, spreading it on the grass._

_“I got coffee,” Tasha offered, smirking slightly at Steve. He chuckled lightly, recognizing the logo on the cup. Tasha sat next to Jack, throwing her arm around his shoulder. “First time I saw Skye, you were getting coffee with her.”_

_“Coffee you had to buy her cause you couldn't convince me to go on a date with you,” Steve added, smiling fondly._

_“I still hold that it was a good choice,” Jack grumbled. He tried for a smile, but failed._

_“Some...what did she call him? A pansy? Some pansy said something to you and she knocked him out.” Tasha smirked, nudging Jack. Tony laughed lightly._

_“I didn't know that.”_

_“I told her to stop punching everyone who was unkind.” Jack laughed wetly. “She just snorted and told me that he needed to learn to take a punch.”_

_“Knowing what I know about Skye, I don't really think that was a fair expectation.” Clint chuckled, flopping back on the blanket. “My first impression of Skye was over the intercom. I was listening in to your elevator conversation.”_

_“Oh God. The elevator conversation.” Steve groaned, rubbing his hands over his face._

_“First thing I heard her say was something about boo boos.” Clint chuckled. He pointed a finger at Steve. “Said you had to kiss them all better.”_

_“He was grumpy.” Tasha nodded. “His crush was a baddie. Skye suggested I put him in a better mood. It was the suggestive eyebrow waggle that almost did me in.”_

_“Oh, God. She would.” Jack chortled. He had gotten a jumbled version of the story from Skye over the last few months, but it was an unspoken rule that he wasn't allowed to ask Skye about Steve. It made her sad to talk about him._

_“That's when the internet theories made their appearance.” Clint laughed, throwing his head back. “Nat had to bail. She couldn't keep a straight face.”_

_“You were crying in the back room,” Tasha shot back._

_“Steve's face...” Clint giggled. “I thought his ears were going to melt off his head.”_

_“She had a fantastic sense of humor.” Tony smiled. The group fell silent, staring up into the clouds instead of looking at each other. It seemed colossally unfair that the day was so nice. Warm, but not hot. A slight breeze to keep the bugs away. The sun out, but not glaring down on them. It would have been Skye's perfect day at the park. Tony cleared his throat loudly. “My first impression of her was a mix of being impressed by her skills and her concern for you.”_

_“When she found out we had you, the first thing she said was that she would come fix it. We just needed to let you go.” Steve nodded._

_“In the interrogation room, she brought herself, essentially, but the first thing she asked when she saw you was if you were alright. Then she broke you out of your handcuffs.” Tony nodded. “She didn't take any shit from us. She wasn't afraid to call us on our shit – nobody does that. She smacked Clint within minutes of meeting him...”_

_“...bumped hips with me when Steve wouldn't let her properly introduce herself...” Tasha added._

_“Called me out about my behavior towards you.” Steve muttered, ducking his head._

_“And she surely wasn't afraid to throw in my face just how much power she had over me and my system.” Tony nodded._

_“She doesn't...didn't,” Jack corrected himself and swallowed hard, “She didn't take shit from anyone.”_

_“My second impression was that she was a firecracker.” Tony grinned. “Her easy humor. God, the way she laughed at our theme music.”_

_“You had to turn away,” Jack laughed lightly. “We saw you trying to wipe the smile off your face.”_

_“She just got me.” Tony shrugged. “Our sense of humor is the same. Maybe that's why I was so taken with her so quickly.”_

_“The first time I met her, I didn't realize she was the girl from the park. I didn't realize she was with you.” Steve admitted, ducking his head. “Never got a good look at her with you. I was being dumb, mocking that I could lap her during my morning run. I was disappointed when she didn't seem frustrated...so I tried harder.”_

_“You winked at her.” Jack chuckled._

_“I winked at her.” Steve nodded. “Stupidest thing I've done in a while. The next time I lapped her, she stuck her foot out and tripped me. I had to tuck and roll to avoid face planting into the concrete.”_

_“Ah, Face Plant.” Clint smirked. He liked that Skye picked him a nickname that reminded Steve of his stupidity. There weren't very many people who could put him in his place._

_“She apologized for tripping me, even though I was being a jerk.” Steve smirked. “Then she went on to say she was glad I wasn't injured because she didn't want to have to explain to the Avengers how she hurt their Grandpa.”_

_“New job title,” Tony chuckled, pointing a finger at Steve. “Avenger Team Captain and Resident Grandpa.”_

_“The first time I remember seeing Skye,” Jack said softly. “She was sneaking into our room after a test. We thought she was a scientist, but she knew the language. It's hard to learn our language. The words are language specific; it sounds like jibberish, but we would have known. We would have known she wasn't one of us. She calmed us right down, then fixed us up. She was our angel.”_

_“How old were you?” Tony asked, flipping over to play with a few blades of grass._

_“I don't know.” Jack shrugged. “Young.”_

_“You were ten when she broke you out,” Steve mused. “How many times did she visit?”_

_“I don't know. A lot. Sometimes we were too fucked to even notice she was there. But then we'd wake in the morning and be healed...and we just knew she had been looking out for us. She was always looking out for us.”_

_“You heard what she said,” Steve said quietly. “It was worth every second for her. She loved you. She died thinking of you.”_

_“Just ignore the bad stuff and remember that,” Clint nodded. “Remember how much she loved you.”_

_“Do you guys mind if I stay a little longer?” Jack whispered. “Alone?”_

_“Anything you need.” Tasha nodded, getting up off the blanket. She pulled Clint up, giving Steve and Tony a look that suggested they start moving._

_“We'll see you back at the Tower?” Tony asked, picking up the extra blanket._

_“Yeah.” Jack nodded. He saw Steve's disbelief and smiled sadly. “I don't really have other options right now, Steve. You even have our van. I promise, I'll be back. I just need a little time.”_

_“Okay,” Steve nodded, trusting his word. Clint waited until they were a good distance from Jack, checking over his shoulder that he wasn't listening._

_“I'll hang out. Somewhere high. Keep an eye on him.” He offered. “I know he wants to be alone, but we promised to keep him safe.”_

_“Keep him safe,” Steve nodded. “We'll see you back at the Tower.”_

_“Gotcha.” Clint replied, then headed off in a different direction._

_“Hey, don't forget, she cared about you too.” Tasha said softly, bumping her hip into Steve's side. Steve just hung his head, unsure what to say in response to that. Tony hummed his agreement with her words, which only worked to stoke the red hot coals of Steve's anger. They were laying in wait, simmering beneath his calm demeanor. He would use that anger to get whatever answers he could get. He felt detached pity for what he was going to do to the scientists when they found them._

_“She didn't care enough to let me protect her.” Steve muttered, then stormed off before he took his frustrations out on his teammates. They didn't deserve it._

_“The kid's got a damn hero complex,” Tony muttered._

_“Kid.” Tasha snorted. “He's easily twice your age.”_

_“You know what I mean.”_

_“I also know what he means.” Tasha said sadly. “She should have taken us up on our offer.”_

 

 

 

 

 

“Agent Rogers, you're needed at headquarters.” An agent that Steve didn't know informed him, calling him through the Tower phone.

“I'm taking a sick day.” Steve replied, clutching Jack. They were bundled under a blanket, watching the flash drive Tony had made of Skye and Jack at the bunker. They were taking some time alone to try and replace their last memory of Skye with a happy one. Jack had come back from the park visibly distraught. Clint had returned shortly before the man, shaking his head silently. Tasha grabbed him and dragged him to their floor. Already, Tony was having his own private time with Pepper. Steve had someone for him this time – someone who needed him just as much as Steve needed him. Steve couldn't help but wish it was Skye bundled up with him, though.

He had an awful feeling that he would always crave her attention. How was he supposed to use his computer without thinking of her lessons? How was he supposed to make any jokes, without thinking of their pranking? How was he supposed to sit in the common area and look at the heating and cooling system, the community table, or the massive entertainment system? How was he supposed to look at Jack and not feel instantly protective, just like she had been? She had ruined him. He was a ruined man. Again.

Heartbreak hurt just as much in this new century.

“Sir, you're needed.” The agent repeated.

“I'm not coming in.” Steve growled. He felt bad (just the tiniest bit) for being so forceful with the agent, but his point wasn't getting across. He wanted to be left alone to grieve. There was literally nothing that could make him go into headquarters right now. No mission was that important. He clicked the call off, then powered it down so no more calls could come through. They could call someone else to save the world today. He was off duty.

 

0-0-0-0-0

 

“I know you're mad at her. At Skye.” Jack stated lightly. He was fiddling with Steve's tablet nervously.

“I'm not mad at her.” Steve sighed. And he wasn't. Sure, she had made some ridiculously stupid choices because of her stupid pride, but he was regretful – if anything. He regretted not being able to convince her to come back. To stay. To be safe. He was mad, but not at her. Never at her.

“You are.” Jack rebutted. “You're mad cause she hid us in that bunker for months instead of coming back to the Tower and asking for help.”

“I'm not mad.” Steve repeated, though the stern tone of his voice did little to convince Jack.

“Can I explain? Why she wouldn't come back?” Jack asked softly. He was afraid of angering his comfort source. His person. His _new_ person...

Was he that pathetic that he always needed someone looking out for him?

Simply put, yes. He was self-aware enough to realize his support systems were vital to his well-being.

“Please.” Steve whispered. Maybe some logic behind her choices would ease the twisting knife in his gut; the terrible ache in his chest. Jack smiled softly and handed Steve the tablet. His hand shook as he went to swipe across the screen. He had never shown this to anyone.

“Um...so, this is me.” Jack said softly, showing Steve baby pictures of himself. His parents were in many of the pictures, smiling proudly as they held him. He was their first born. Their miracle baby. They had spent a good deal of time and money trying to get pregnant. After five years, they had finally succeeded. Jack kept swiping across the screen, showing Steve his childhood. Jack progressively got older, until he was five. He was normal. He was happy.

Then he swiped to the article of his parent's plane crash. The small plane was wrecked across two fields; the article showed the wreckage in the picture. Another smaller article showed a picture of Jack, at five years old, crying his eyes out in the back of an ambulance. He was clutching a metallic silver blanket.

The next article described the early evidence of tampering with the small plane's engine. The next three articles detailed how the engine had been tampered with, the landing gear disabled, the stuck throttle. Someone had forced that plane to crash. Each article reiterated how lucky the boy was to survive; how no one could figure out  _how_ he had survived. Jack swallowed hard and swiped again.

The next screen was an entry form, filled out by the responding officers, to foster care. Just until family could be located for him to live with. The forms filled out by his aunt and uncle, releasing him into their custody. The forms for missed well-being check ins. The forms for retraction of care. The article of their deaths. Two adults and a small child were found in their home; the bodies were too decomposed for proper identification.

“It wasn't you.” Steve whispered, pointing to the gruesome picture Skye must have gotten from the State Medical Examiner.

“No. That's when they took me. No one looked because they thought I was dead.” Jack whispered back. Whispering seemed appropriate for this conversation.

“Are you sure these are your...”

“Yes.” Jack whispered, swallowing hard. “I remember...I remember the door bell ringing. I remember my aunt getting tea. I stayed upstairs; I was still grieving my parents – I didn't care about visitors. Then they were shouting and glass was breaking and...”

“It's okay,” Steve interrupted, pulling Jack into a tight embrace. “You don't have to tell me all the details.”

“I saw them...on the way out.” Jack whispered. He pulled up other files, this time of children Steve recognized from the van. “Each of us were taken with no regard for the people around us. They kill without mercy, without discrimination. This girl, Lucy, lost a baby brother. We don't know why they took her and not him. Nick's dad was a Marine. Not an easy target. The icing on the cake was Nicole. Her foster dad was a cop. They took her during a police function. They took her from over fifty armed police officers.”

“We're a little better than regular police officers,” Steve commented, though he could see where Jack was going with this. Jack actually chuckled at that.

“That's true. But there are only six of you. Dr. Banner doesn't like Hulking out, so you guys tend to leave him towards the back. Even if all six of you were present, which you _never_ are, you would be over powered. They would be prepared for you. They know everything about you and you know nothing about them.”

“Stop being so...reasonable.” Steve sighed, rubbing his eyes.

“See why she wouldn't stay?” Jack whispered. “Even with your offers...she wouldn't risk you. She never thought very much of herself. She wouldn't risk your safety for her happiness.”

“My safety wasn't her call to make!” Steve ground out, trying to stop his hot tears from escaping.

“Yeah, well...she never was much good at listening to other people's logic when she was sure she was right.” Jack replied. His lip quirked up slightly, before falling into a frown. Soon, his tears joined Steve's.

“Can we watch the movie again?” Steve whispered. Jack didn't reply, just grabbed the remote and started the slide show over.

 

0-0-0-0-0

 

“You think ignoring your phone is going to make them go away?” Coulson asked, getting off the elevator on Steve's floor. Steve groaned loudly.

“Go away, Coulson. I'm taking a sick day.”

“Is that her?” Coulson asked. Of course, he already knew it was her. He had seen the picture on the mission board. But this was different. Jack shifted on Steve's shoulder; he had cried himself to sleep an hour earlier.

Steve just nodded. His throat felt like it was swollen shut. He was sure he had never cried so much in his life. He hadn't even cried this much over Bucky. They were at war – to some extent he was aware Bucky could get hurt, could be killed. It felt different with Skye. He wasn't prepared. Somehow her paranoia never infected him; she was just running from some vague _someone_. He had never contemplated her getting hurt or... She was too good to get caught. (But _they_ were better).

Coulson sat next to Steve and watched some of the flash drive, chuckling at the prank Skye pulled on Jack. He had walked out of the shower with purple hair. Skye's laughter filled the room. “Now I understand why Stark is so taken with her.”

“Coulson, please.” Steve begged. He was going to break down again and he didn't want to do it in front of Coulson.

“You have a kid that is throwing a temper tantrum, trying to get your attention.” Coulson commented, frowning like he was disappointed. “You don't get sick days when kids are involved.”

“Which?” Steve asked, cocking his head.

“I don't know. Fury didn't say. Wash up, I'll drive.” Coulson countered. He smirked slightly. “We can take Lola.”

 

 

 


	2. Psycho Kid

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just a few author's notes:  
> 1) I will be updating weekly for now (probably on Saturdays), because as hard as I tried, this story still isn't finished. As I start to wrap it up, the updates should come more frequently.  
> 2) I'm very pleased and super embarrassed at the enthusiasm for this series. You guys are the best - for serious. I blushed reading some of the excited comments after the first chapter. Thank you so much for your support!

 

 

“Thank God you're here,” An agent sighed, escorting Steve down the hall. “That psycho kid has been going fucking crazy.”

“Which one?"

"I don't know. The boy." The guard shrugged. "I don't know his number."

"What's he doing?” Steve asked, stonily following the agent down the hall. Steve had spent a considerable amount of time with the kids and he was positive  _psycho_ was not the word to describe any of them. The fact that the agent was using it on the boy made Steve clench his jaw. His barely contained anger sprang up again.

Today was  _not_ the day to test his patience.

“They're calling it a temper tantrum...but that seems like an understatement.” The agent replied.

“Very helpful.” Steve retorted. He really wasn't in the mood for this. The children were important to him, and the way the agent was talking about them made his blood boil. The agent was in very real danger of getting punched in the face. “What did he do?”

“We tried sedating him, but the kid is like a ninja on crack. Three agents are in sick bay, getting patched up.”

“No one tried to talk to him?”

“We're here.” The agent replied, not answering Steve's question. Steve frowned and looked the man over, unhappy with his handling of the situation. This was a child. A gifted child, but a child none the less. He didn't deserve treatment like this.

The agent stepped back, clearly not about to go into the room. Steve could hear the screaming already. The agent raised an eyebrow and gave him a pointed look that made Steve pinch his eyebrows together in annoyance. Steve opened the door quietly, slipping in without drawing attention to himself.

The room was a disaster. Bunks were flipped, chairs were sticking in the walls where the legs had gotten stuck in the drywall, mattress covers and clothes were strewn around the room – and in the middle of it all, Steven was having a meltdown. He was crying and screaming for Steve at the top of his lungs. The other children must have been removed from the room, because he was alone.

The part that angered Steve the most were the four agents standing in each corner of the room. They were in full tacticle gear – their weapons pointed at the boy. Steve's jaw smashed together so hard that he was afraid of breaking teeth. He snarled silently, jerking a thumb towards the door. The agents exchanged a look, but hastily exited the room. Steve took a second to compose himself before speaking to the boy. He was sure the anger was still sketched on his face.

“Whatcha doing, kid?” Steve asked. It wasn't his job to be babysitter, but there was obviously something very wrong with the boy.

“Steve!” He cried, running for him. Steven launched himself around Steve's torso, latching on and sobbing into his shoulder. Steve wrapped his arms around the shaking boy, frowning.

“What happened?”

“I didn't think you were coming,” Steven cried, gripping Steve's shirt. “They said you weren't coming, ever.”

“I was on a mission.” Steve replied. It wasn't entirely a lie. He could have come sooner. Then again, if he knew it was his namesake that needed him he might have come in when asked. “You didn't answer me though. What happened?”

“I got mad...” Steven admitted, picking his head up to look around the room. Tears were still streaming down his cheeks and his nose was running. He wiped his nose with the back of his hand and looked back at Steve, wincing. Steve chuckled slightly.

“I think that's an understatement.” Steve pointed out. Steven nodded, seeming relieved that Steve wasn't mad at him. “How about we bust this joint? We can get you some ice cream and you can tell me all about...this.” Steve waved his hand vaguely towards the destroyed room. Steven nodded his agreement, looking Steve over.

“What's wrong, Steve?” The boy asked softly, cupping Steve's face in his hands. “You look sad.”

“I am sad.” Steve replied, smiling softly. “It's okay though. Let's take care of you, alright?”

Steven nodded and put his head back down on Steve's shoulder. The agent outside the door looked relieved that the boy wasn't screaming any more.

“Thanks for taking care of this...situation.” The agent sighed.

“He's not a situation.” Steve said testily. “He's a child.”

“Sorry, sir. Couldn't help but overhear your conversation in there.” The agent continued brazenly. “You shouldn't reward his behavior with ice cream.”

“I'm taking him with me.” Steve called over his shoulder, deliberately walking too quickly for the agent to keep up. If they stayed in the presence of that stupid agent one more second, Steve was sure he was going to make a very bad decision.

Steven buried his face in Steve's neck, blocking out the looks the pair were receiving. Every agent that Steve passed did a double take when they saw the super soldier carrying the trouble maker down the hall. He ignored all the looks and whispers, stopping only at the front desk to officially check the boy out. Based on the disgusted looks they received, he got the impression no one would miss the boy, but he would do this correctly. By the time all the paperwork was filled out, Clint had found him.

“I hear you really needed Steve,” Clint teased lightly, bopping Steven on the nose. Steven nodded his agreement, but didn't smile at the teasing.

“We're going to get ice cream and he's going to tell me all about it.” Steve explained. “Care to join us?”

“Hell yes, I will.” Clint grinned. It was a bit over the top, so Steve suspected this was Clint's kid friendly version of a specialist mask. Steve followed Clint out to his vehicle once they realized Steve had no way of getting anywhere. Coulson had disappeared after dropping Steve off.

“We don't need to get ice cream,” Steven said softly, buckling himself into the backseat of Clint's SUV. “I don't need it.”

“I need ice cream,” Clint replied easily. “Oh, or we could do fro-yo. Have you had fro-yo?”

“I don't know what that is,” Steve and Steven replied at the same time. Steven chuckled a little bit. Clint smiled at Steve, glad to have gotten a chuckle from the boy.

“Fro-yo is frozen yogurt. You get to pick the flavor, then whatever toppings you want on top.”

“Yogurt?” Steve asked.

“Sounds too healthy.” Steven groaned. Clint laughed out loud.

“It's so far from healthy, but I guess it's slightly healthier than ice cream. But it's delicious, I promise. Let's try it. If you hate it, I'll eat yours.”

“I don't want to see you on that much sugar,” Steve told Clint firmly.

“Chill, Grandpa. He'll eat all of his.”

“Don't call him that.” Steven informed Clint, frowning.

“Sorry, kid.” Clint grinned.

“Fro-yo it is.” Steve agreed, indicating Clint should get driving.

 

0-0-0-0-0

 

“Okay, you were right.” Steven moaned, shoving his fro-yo in his mouth. Clint winked at Steve, who he had bullied into getting his own serving of fro-yo. Of course, Steve made it as healthy as possible, getting one of the sugar free options and putting only fruit on top.

“Clint said he wanted to play with you later,” Steve told the boy, smirking at Clint. “You just wait til all of this sugar hits him.”

“Whoa!” Steven grinned. “Really? Will you teach me to shoot? I heard you're the best.”

“Well, I try.” Clint replied modestly. Steve snorted and shook his head. “Does that mean he's coming back to the Tower?”

“For a little while at least,” Steve nodded.

“Aw, look at you being all paternal...” Clint cooed. Steve smacked the back of his head, making Steven giggle. “But really, what brought this on?”

“I don't like how they were treating him.” Steve replied shortly. He hurried to change the subject. “So, you promised to tell me about what happened.”

“I needed to talk to you. They wouldn't call you. They said...they said that I was just a stupid boy and I couldn't help. They said you were too important to care about somebody like me...” Steven paused, swallowing hard. Clint and Steve exchanged an angry look before Steve pulled the boy into his lap.

“Of course I care.” Steve told the boy firmly. He wanted there to be no doubt in the boy's mind. “The mission was...hard...and I needed a minute to get myself together.”

“You tried to find Jack's friend, huh?”

“How did you know?” Steve frowned.

“Clint taught me how to climb through the vents.” Steven admitted, glancing over to the man. Clint puffed out his chest and grinned proudly. Steven smiled a little at that.

“So you escaped?” Steve asked, chuckling. “No wonder they were mad. What'd you do after that?”

“Someone left their computer unlocked. I looked...” Steven admitted softly.

“Well, that was stupid.” Clint huffed. Who knew what the boy saw?

“They caught me. They were mad.” Steven confessed, cowering.

“What did they do?” Steve asked, stiffening up. He could see the fear in the boy's face.

“I'm okay.” The boy whispered.

“What did they do?” Clint repeated.

“I just wanted to help.” Steven dodged, glancing up at Steve. “I think I know where they took your friend.”

“Wait, what?” Steve backtracked. The distraction was effective.

“You asked about where we were taken, before the program started. So I talked with the others.” Steven explained, absentmindedly doodling on the back of Steve's hand. “I can't really tell you. I don't know how. But the computer guy...the one with the movies? If I can talk to him, we can find it. I think.”

“You're sure about this?” Steve asked, surprised.

“Well, I mean, I don't know if he's there. But the scientists probably are. You didn't find any at the other place, did you?”

“No, just guards and a few low level employees.” Clint replied.

“Our friend won't be there, but we can get the scientists.” Steve informed the little boy, before looking up at Clint with vengeance in his expression. “We can get the scientists.”

“I just really want to help.” Steven told Steve, frowning at the man's stiff posture. “You're not mad, are you?”

“No, buddy. I'm not mad.” Steve replied sincerely. “I promise, I'm not mad. In fact, I think you're going to be a big help.”

“Good.” Steven smiled softly. “I want to help. I don't like it when you're sad.”

“Sweet Jesus,” Clint muttered softly, discretely wiping the corner of his eye while the boy hugged Steve. Steve hugged the boy back tightly, loosening his hold when the boy hissed in pain.

“Finish your ice cream so we can go,” Steve said softly, pulling his bowl closer to he could eat it from Steve's lap.

“It's fro-yo,” Steven replied just as softly, but with a touch of sass. Clint pressed his lips together tightly, trying not to grin. “And I think I'm full.”

“Okay,” Clint replied easily, grabbing all three bowls to toss in the garbage. Steve grabbed one of the wipes from the napkin tray, unfolding the damp toilette to wipe down the boy's face.

“Did they hurt you?” Steve asked softly, wiping the sticky residue from the boy's hands.

“I'm okay,” he replied, keeping his eyes down.

“You're not going back there, okay?” Steve replied.

“It's okay, you don't have to do that for me.” He replied. “I'll be okay.”

“You're not going back.” Steve repeated. “And I'm going to make sure there is different staff for the other kids until we can figure out a better long term solution.”

“I get to stay with you?” He asked, looking up shyly.

“Do you want to? You don't have to. I can find you a different...”

“No! I want to.” Steven interrupted, throwing his arms around Steve. “I want to.”

“Well, okay then.” Steve said softly, smiling.

He carried the boy to the car, ignoring the look Clint was giving him. Neither men were surprised when the boy fell asleep in the car; after the temper tantrum, it wasn't surprising that he was exhausted.

“Does Tony know you're bringing a kid home?” Clint smirked.

“Nope.” Steve replied, smiling back.

“Wanna take bets on his reaction?” Clint chuckled.

“If he really can help us find another facility, I don't think Tony will have a problem with it.” Steve shrugged.

“Like you would let Tony send him back anyway,” Clint grinned, glancing back at the boy. He had a dribble of chocolate ice cream down the front of his standard issue Shield shirt. His hair was growing out, so his scars were hidden. With a change of clothes, a few hearty meals, and the love he knew Steve would give the boy, Steven was going to be a very different boy.

“I'm going to have to learn that mash-up language,” Steve sighed. “Watch Jack and him team up on me.”

“That boy loves you.”

“Yeah, well...the honey moon period won't last forever.” Steve shrugged. “And Jack can be a ridiculously bad influence.”

“Cause he's the only bad influence in the Tower.” Clint smirked.

“Well, at least the air ducts are already clean from you sneaking around. I don't have to worry about him getting too dirty.” Steve sighed. Clint laughed out loud. Life at the Tower was about to get interesting.

 

0-0-0-0-0

 

“Stay in the car with him?” Steve asked, sliding out of the passenger seat.

“Why are we back at Headquarters?” Clint frowned.

“I need to have words with the team in charge of the kids.”

“Words or fists?” Clint asked softly.

“Depends on them.” Steve grunted. He was pissed they thought it was okay to treat the kids like that.

“Maybe you should just go have words with Fury. Get him to change the detail.”

“I'll see if he'll see me.” Steve agreed. His temper, which was usually completely under his control, was completely out of his control right now. Going head to head with the agents he was pissed at would probably be a bad idea.

 

0-0-0-0-0

 

“Agent Rogers, what can I do for you?” Fury asked, crossing his fingers in front of him at his desk.

“You need to reassign the agents on the children's detail.” Steve told him, his shaking hands locked firmly behind his back. It wasn't fear – it was anger. Fury's secretary had made an unkind remark about the children on his way past her.

“And why do I need to do that?” Fury asked.

“Because they aren't treating the children well.” Steve informed him. His tone was short and pinched with the effort of trying to be polite.

“I see.” Fury nodded. “And how are they treating them?”

“They were holding four assault rifles on a boy this morning. He is injured from his treatment from them.”

“The same boy that broke out of his containment area and hacked one of our secure computers?” Fury asked, frowning. “The same boy that put three of my agents in sick bay?”

“He needed me. He's helping us on a project. Your agents had no reason to treat him like that. He's seven.”

“He may be seven but he's got abilities beyond his years.”

“He's a boy. He may be able to do things a seven year old can't do, but he's a seven year old boy. A scared seven year old boy.” Steve growled through his locked jaw.

“He's unsafe.”

“Remove those agents from the children's detail, or I'll do something about it.” Steve told Fury, his usual do-whatever-you-ask soldier facade long gone.

“You're going to _do something about it_?” Fury asked incredulously. “You're an agent. I'm the boss. I decide where my agents go, what my agents do. _You_ don't tell _me_ what to do.”

“I'll do what's right, even if you don't agree. Get someone to treat those children better.” Steve growled and spun to leave the room, not bothering to wait for Fury's dismissal.

“Captain.” Fury called angrily. “I understand your friend is dead and you're upset about it, but that doesn't excuse you from following Shield protocol.”

“This isn't about Skye.” Steve told Fury from the doorway. “This is about those children. They're innocents. They were helpless. They are victims. Shield protocol places them pretty high on the list of people to protect. Maybe you forgot that. _Sir._ ”

 

 


	3. Why is there a kid?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Steve and Clint bring Steven back to the Tower.

 

 

“Is that a kid?” Tony asked, watching Clint and Steve step off the elevator. Steven was still asleep, so Steve had carried him in from the car. “Why is there a kid?”

“His name is Steven,” Clint told Tony. “He's from Chi. He is going to be your favorite.” Clint winced, hating that he accidentally brought Skye up. It was too soon.

“Hmm, and why is that?” Tony asked, reclining on the couch. He neatly avoided thinking about what Clint accidentally brought up.

“He has a good idea where another facility is. Not the experimental facility. He said it's where some of the kids were taken before the program started. He thinks we'll find the scientists there.” Steve explained.

“Whoa, what?” Tony asked, springing from the couch. “Wake him up. We have work to do.”

“Yes, you do.” Steve nodded. “But you're going to have to be patient. He said he doesn't know how to tell you.”

“Patient.” Tony scoffed. “I can be patient.”

“He said _the computer guy with the movies_ ,” Clint grinned, “Could help him find the building.”

“Computer guy?” Tony huffed. “That's all I am? Not a genius, billionaire, playboy, philanthropist?”

“Make him the top of the list,” Steve sighed, giving Clint a pointed look.

“Aw, man. I wanted to be the top.” Clint laughed loudly. “I'll have to work my way back up to the top.”

“Inside voice,” Steven mumbled, adjusting sleepily against Steve's shoulder. Steve grinned, wondering how many times the boy had heard that line.

“Hey, buddy.” Steve said softly, stroking the boy's back. “You wanna talk to the computer guy now?”

“Are we there?” Steven yawned, struggling to open his eyes.

“Computer guy?” Tony asked indignantly. “Computer guy?!”

“Oh, hi, computer guy.” Steven said shyly, waving a hand tiredly at him. Tony crossed his arms with a silent huff, sending the boy a death glare.

“Steven, this is Tony Stark. You can call him Tony, if you want.” Steve explained, smirking at Tony.

“Please, no more Computer Guy stuff,” Tony told the boy seriously, watching Steve's interaction with the boy.

“Sorry, Tony.” The boy apologized, clinging to Steve's shirt.

“So, I hear you and I are going to be working on a project together.” Tony grinned, clapping his hands together.

“Maybe you could give him a minute to wake up,” Steve told him pointedly.

“The paternal look is cute on him, isn't it?” Clint grinned.

“Shut up, Clint.”

“He is awfully paternal.” Tony agreed, narrowing his eyes at Steve. “Why is that?”

“Steven's going to stay with me.” Steve told Tony, silently warning him to save his words for a time when the kid wasn't around. Tony's jaw dropped.

“You're doing what now?”

“I'm not taking him back to Shield.” Steve repeated, his tone daring Tony to argue with him.

“Can I ask why?” Tony asked, looking more surprised than angry. This was not at all what he was expecting. Everyone handled grief differently, but stealing a kid? That was a new one.

“They don't treat him well,” Steve replied, angry heat flushing his core. Tony saw the anger on his features and softened.

“Maybe we should have Bruce look him over before we start any project. Those scientists will still be there in an hour.”

“That actually sounds like a great idea,” Steve agreed, thinking about the hiss of pain.

“Aw, no doctors.” Steven said, shaking his head. He climbed up Steve, wrapping his arms and legs around him. “I don't want to. Please, I'll be good.”

“Oh, no. No, no. You're not in trouble.” Steve told the boy, walking away from the other two men to talk to Steven in private. He winced and pulled the boy's grip loose from his neck. Steven was strong; he had a hard time breathing. “Bruce is a friend. He's not like a doctor doctor, but he looks after the Avengers if we get hurt. He's super nice. I promise, I just want to make sure you're okay. You're important to me. I need to make sure you're not hurt.”

“I'm not important,” The boy sniffed.

“You're important to me.” Steve repeated, running his hand gently down the boy's back to calm him.

“You're important to me too.” Steven admitted, loosening his hold around Steve.

“Bruce won't hurt you.” Steve murmured, not knowing how to respond to the boy's affection. What was he thinking? He didn't know anything about children. “Can we go get you checked out?”

“Only if you promise.” Steven said softly, pulling back so he could look at Steve.

“I promise, Bruce won't hurt you.” Steve agreed.

“No, promise you won't be mad.”

“What would I be mad at?” Steve asked.

“The Shield people.”

“Well, I can't make that promise. I don't make promises I can't keep. I'll promise not to be mad at you though.” Steve told the boy, feeling dread build in his gut. What had those agents done to the boy? Shield was supposed to be the good guys. Steven winced, but nodded, accepting Steve's promise.

“All ready?” Tony asked when they walked back into the room.

“All ready.” Steve confirmed. Tony's demeanor was different. Clint must have told him what happened at headquarters.

“Steven, have you met Jarvis yet?” Tony asked, smirking. The boy shook his head, frowning slightly. “Jarvis, introduce yourself.”

“Hello, Mr. Steven. I am Jarvis, Sir's AI.” Jarvis informed the boy. Steven's eyes got large and he glanced up.

“No. Way.” Steven grinned, looking over at Tony. “You built a robot?”

“Oh, buddy. You haven't even seen my robots.” Tony smirked. He brushed some imaginary dust from his shoulder and smirked at Clint. “I'm so going to be his favorite uncle.”

“Jarvis doesn't have a body.” Steve explained to the boy. “He lives in the Tower. He'll help you with anything you need.”

“Does he have to call me mister?” Steven asked, rolling his eyes at Tony.

“I don't know. Why don't you ask him?” Tony replied.

“Jarvis?” Steven asked hesitantly.

“Yes, Mr. Steven?”

“Do you have to call me mister?”

“What would you like me to call you?” Jarvis replied.

“Anything?” Steven asked Steve. Steve nodded, sharing a smile with Tony. “Can I change my mind later?”

“As many times as you want.” Steve laughed.

“Jarvis, just call me Steven please.”

“Yes, Steven.”

“This is so cool,” Steven grinned, squirming from Steve's grip. He rushed over and gave Tony a hug around the waist. Tony awkwardly hugged the boy back, sobering slightly. The three men watched the boy with soft smiles, all thinking about how much Skye would have enjoyed the little trouble maker. Tony pulled away from Steven and steered him towards the elevator.

“Tell Jarvis where you would like to go.” Tony told Steven.

“Where I want to go, or where you want me to go?” Steven asked, sassing just a little. Tony smirked.

“Where I want you to go.”

“Fine.” The boy sighed dramatically. Then he grinned and looked up at the ceiling. “Jarvis, can we go to...”

“Bruce.” Steve supplied softly.

“...Bruce's office?”

“Yes, Steven.” Jarvis replied, sending the elevator. Steven grinned broadly and bounced up and down. “So cool!”

“Hmm, look at all that sugar kicking in.” Steve muttered dryly, giving Clint a look.

“Archery practice after your computer project?” Clint offered to Steven.

“We can do that here?” Steven asked, cocking his head. “Or do we have to go to your house?”

“Oh, buddy. Sorry, I never explained.” Steve stepped in, kneeling down so he was at face level with the boy. “We all live here. It's Tony's Tower, but he built floors for each of us.”

“So we're gonna live here?” Steven beamed.

“Is that okay?” Steve smirked.

“I guess,” Steven shrugged, feigning indifference. Tony laughed as the elevator stopped at Bruce's lab.

“I have a feeling we're gonna get along just fine.”

“Oh, no. What's happening?” Bruce asked, taking his glasses off and stepping away from his microscope. “Did one of your long, lost kids finally turn up?”

“This one is Steve's actually.” Tony retorted, pretending to be hurt. Bruce raised his eyebrow at that. He glanced between Steve and Steven, obviously taking in their differences. Steve was blonde and had a fairly light complexion; Steven had dark brown hair and a dark enough complexion to not be confused with Steve's – more like Jack's than Steve's.

“Steve's?”

“I'm going to stay with Steve from now on.” Steven informed him, grabbing Steve's hand to reinforce his point.

“Well, all right then. I'm Bruce Banner. You can just call me Bruce.”

“I'm Steven.”

“Did you name him?” Bruce grinned, glancing up at Steve.

“I told him he had to pick a name. I was tired of calling him 1027.” Steve shrugged.

“Wait, he's one of...”

“I'm Group Chi.” Steven interrupted. He winced. “Sorry.”

“So he picked Steven?” Bruce laughed, waving off the apology.

“I wanted Steve, but he said I couldn't.” Steven huffed theatrically. He added in a little foot stomp, grinning proudly when that got a chuckle from the adults.

“It was taken.” Steve agreed, smiling down at the boy.

“If this gets any more cute, I'm going to puke rainbows and lollipops.” Tasha informed the boys.

“Hi, Tasha,” Steven greeted, abandoning Steve to give Tasha a hug.

“You had to pick a boy, didn't you? Isn't there enough testosterone in this Tower already?” Tasha groaned loudly, squeezing Steven tightly. The boy hissed and backed away.

“Which brings us to the reason we're here.” Steve informed Bruce. “Could you look him over? Maybe give his ribs a once over?”

“What happened?” Bruce asked, trying to mask his horrified look.

“Steven knows where another facility is. He's going to help Tony find it on a map.” Clint explained. Tasha gasped at that revelation. Clint nodded his agreement with her reaction.

“But Shield wouldn't get me so he could tell me about it.” Steve nodded. “Steven escaped the room and happened across a computer someone didn't lock.”

“Stupid.” Tasha muttered. Clint nodded again.

“They weren't happy when they caught him. He won't say what happened.” Steve finished.

“All right, well – shoo.” Bruce nodded, waving the extra people away. He could tell from the boy's expression that he wouldn't be comfortable showing him what was wrong with all these people around.

“Can Steve stay?” Steven asked, hurrying over to grab Steve's hand again.

“Of course, I'll stay.” Steve nodded.

“Steve'll stay, you others – shoo.” Bruce repeated. Steven smiled when Bruce kicked Tony's behind for straggling.

“See, not a doctor doctor.” Steve grinned, bending over to whisper to him.

“All right, Mr. Escapee.” Bruce smiled, putting a pillow on the metal table. “Up you go.”

“Escapee.” Steven snorted, lifting his arms to signal to Steve he wanted to be lifted. Steve rolled his eyes but lifted him onto the table.

“I've seen you in action.” Steve told the boy dryly, tapping his nose. “I know you could have managed that.”

“I'm hurt, Steve!” He exclaimed loudly. “I might need ice cream to make me feel better.”

“We can definitely get some ice cream after the exam.” Bruce agreed.

“We just had ice cream.” Steve told Bruce.

“Nuh uh.” Steven denied, shaking his head. “We had fro-yo. And it was healthy.”

“It was not.” Steve argued. “Chocolate fro-yo with Oreos, fudge, and marshmallow sauce does not count as healthy.”

“Yeah, but it was yogurt...so...”

“Good luck with this one,” Bruce grinned, rolling a stool over to Steven's side. “Wanna pull your giant shirt off for me?”

“We'll go clothes shopping.” Steve agreed.

“Remember, you promised.” Steven reminded Steve, looking at him uncertainly.

“I didn't forget.”

“Okay. Just remember, I'm okay.”

“Take the shirt off, Steven.” Steve said firmly, suddenly anxious at the extent of his injuries. The boy licked his dry lips and reached back to pull his shirt off. “Damn.”

“I'm okay.” Steven repeated. His torso was bruised, front and back. There was also a distinctly hand shaped bruise around his upper arm. His elbows are bruised and covered in needle marks.

“This didn't just happen today, did it?” Bruce asked softly, lifting the boy's arm to look at the bruising along his ribs. Steven glanced at Steve.

“Tell him the truth.” Steve told him. “No lying here, okay?”

“Most of it happened today.” Steven told Bruce. “But not all of it.”

“What happened with the other bruises?” Bruce asked, running his fingertips along the boy's ribs. Steven hissed and squirmed away from the touch. “Hmm, bruised.”

“We can't do anything for that, can we?” Steve confirmed.

“Tylenol, ice packs, and lots of ice cream should help.” Bruce replied, smiling at Steven with the last part.

“You hear that Steve?” Steven asked, looking over at Steve. “Doctors orders.”

“Well, we can't ignore those, now can we?” Steve laughed. “What else hurts?”

“Nothing, really.” Steven shrugged. “I have a bruise on my shin, but that's because I hit it with a chair when I was throwing it.”

“You did what now?” Bruce asked, raising an eyebrow.

“I'll have Tony hack Shield's servers. I kind of want to see his temper tantrum too.” Steve smirked.

“It's a good idea to know what you're getting into.” Bruce laughed. “I'll contact Coulson and see if I can borrow Simmons. I still want her to look at that blood and we can do a full workup on this guy.”

“No needles.” Steven asked softly.

“I'll see what I can do,” Bruce replied. Steven frowned at that. Bruce sighed. “I want to make sure you're healthy. You're joining this family; it's important to us that you're well taken care of.”

“I'm just staying with Steve.” The boy replied shyly.

“Yeah, well...you've got a whole tower of aunts and uncles that are your family too, now. You think you're just going to live with Steve? You're stuck with all of us.” Bruce smiled kindly. Steven slid from the table and gave Bruce a shy hug.

“I never had a family before.” He said softly.

“Welcome to our crazy family,” Bruce laughed, hugging the boy back carefully.

“Okay, Steve. I did the doctor part, can I go work with Tony now?” Steven asked, smiling.

“Go on. Just ask Jarvis to take you to Tony. I'm going to talk to Bruce for a second.” Steve laughed. Steven grinned and ran for the elevator.

“Jarvis? Can you take me to Tony please?”

“Yes, Steven.” Jarvis replied. Steve caught a glimpse of the giant grin on the boy's face as the elevator doors closed.

“He's really okay?” Steve asked, turning to Bruce.

“The bruising will go away in a few days. The rib will take a little longer to heal, but it's nothing major. Other than that, he seems fine. Needs a little meat on his bones, maybe.” Bruce smiled. “Simmons is just a precaution. I'm sure Shield gave him a full workup, but...”

“But Shield is also the one that put those bruises on him.” Steve finished. Bruce nodded and scratched his head.

“You know, adopting a kid isn't going to fill the hole Skye left.” Bruce said hesitantly. Steve ducked his head, feeling like he was being reprimanded. He respected Bruce and his opinion.

“I know. I'm not trying to do that. I didn't go into headquarters intending to take him with me, but when I saw how they were treating him...I couldn't just leave him. You should see the looks they gave that kid when we walked out. I mean, he's high energy, I'll give you that. But he's a good kid. He doesn't deserve that treatment.”

“You could find him a foster home, until Shield figures this all out.” Bruce suggested.

“Shield's idea of taking care of this is putting them in the system. I talked with Skye about it very, very briefly. She hated that idea. They tried it in the sixties and it failed. I'm not letting him end up stuck in the system because no regular family will tolerate his energy level. I'm better equipped for weird. I'm better equipped for his energy. I'm better for him. And...he's better for me. I need someone, Bruce.”

“Welcome to fatherhood,” Bruce smiled softly, pulling Steve into a hug. “For the record, I think you're going to do a fantastic job. I just wanted to make sure you weren't rushing into things without thinking about it.”

“Well, it's definitely rushed.” Steve laughed. “I made this decision like two hours ago.”

“I'll let you know if I can swing Simmons around. I would like to take a peek at his serum port.” Bruce grinned. “Now, go check on your boy before Tony gets him into trouble.”

 

0-0-0-0-0

 

Steve was bored.

He had been watching Tony and Steven mess around on the computer doing...something...for the last three hours. Tony had explained it to him, of course. But that meant about three words stuck. They were doing some sort of search for topographical landmarks, using Steven's knowledge as a basis for the search.

At first, it was interesting watching them work. Steven picked up quickly what Tony threw at him, understanding far more of it than Steve did. The boy was delighted with the technology at his finger tips. But soon the glamor wore off and Steve wandered away, dragging a chair into the lab so he could watch comfortably. He had read an entire book and taken a very short nap, but they were still working.

“I'm going to go check on Jack.” Steve groaned finally. “You going to be okay here with Tony?”

“Yeah, yeah.” Steven nodded, waving Steve off without looking up from the computer screen. Tony looked up with a sad grin. The boy's excitement over what they were doing had won him a spot in Tony's heart. Maybe, like Bruce suspected of Steve, he was using the boy to fill a hole. Steve shook his head at Tony's amusement and wandered off towards the elevator.

“Jarvis, is Jack still on my floor?”

“Yes, Mr. Rogers.”

“Take me there, please.”

“I hear you stole a kid.” Jack said the instant Steve stepped off the elevator. He was sitting backwards on the couch, watching Steve with his head propped up on the back of it.

“I didn't steal him.” Steve replied, coming to sit by Jack on the couch.

“Are you taking him back?” Jack asked.

“No. I'm keeping him.”

“Then you stole him.” Jack retorted loftily. Steve smiled softly.

“I checked him out of the front desk?” He offered. That made Jack laugh. It was weak, but it was a laugh.

“Tasha and I went clothes shopping for him.” Jack admitted. Steve peered around Jack and saw the pile of clothes in the doorway of one of Steve's spare rooms. “I also claimed him a room.”

“Did you leave any clothes on the rack?” Steve sighed, rubbing his face. Jack laughed softly. “Really though, you just did this?”

“You were up there a while. Tasha came down after you had Bruce check the kid out. Speaking of which, which kid is it?” Jack smiled.

“1027. The youngest of Chi.”

“Ah. Your mini-me. I should have known.” Jack nodded. “You trying to get rid of me?”

“Would it be that easy?” Steve joked. He pulled Jack in for a hug. “Promise, not getting rid of you. I wouldn't want to, even if I could. You're part of this family now. Just...eventually you're going to have to get out of my bed.”

“Aw!” Jack laughed, hugging Steve back. Steve felt some moisture soak through his shirt and realized Jack was crying.

“Hey, you know I would never get rid of you right?” Steve asked. “I'm not replacing you. Steven wasn't being treated right at Shield. I couldn't leave him. Besides, I'm kind of attached to him.”

“Skye was right. You've gone all paternal.” Jack laughed wetly. Steve nodded against his head, holding back his own tears. “I think it's going to be good for you. You need someone.”

“Thanks, Jack.” Steve replied softly. “What do you think Skye would say if she saw us like this?”

“She wouldn't believe it.” Jack giggled, a tear dropping down his cheek. “You were so afraid of me.”

“I wasn't afraid.” Steve scoffed.

“You were so afraid.”

“I just didn't know how to handle you.” Steve laughed.

“You still don't.”

“You toned yourself down.” Steve agreed. “Poor Ward.”

“Hmm, hot Ward.” Jack hummed appreciatively. They both laughed softly. “So what's your kid doing?”

“Oh, God. How could I forget?” Steve exclaimed, sitting up. “Steven thinks he knows where another facility is. He said he was at another building when he was first taken, before he started in the program. He's helping Tony find the building now. He is pretty confident the scientists are there.”

“Good. I hope they are. I'm going to kick their asses.” Jack growled. “Can we go check on them?”

“Ugh, I was just up there. It's boring.” Steve moaned. He let Jack pull him off the couch though.

 

 

 


	4. It's not a lab!

 

 

“This isn't going to be as easy as I initially thought it would be,” Tony confessed, running his fingers through his hair in frustration.

“Computer guy can't figure it out?” Clint teased lightly. Jack stared Clint down, throwing daggers at him with his eyes. Clint shrugged lightly. They all wanted the facility to be found. Skye might be lost, but they could still take vengeance on the scientists that took her.

“We're going to have to write our own program.” Tony shrugged. “The information Steven has isn't compatible with the technology that I have.”

“You can't find it.” Steve frowned.

“Oh, we'll find it.” Tony argued. “We will. It just won't happen as quickly as I had hoped. It's going to take a few days, at least, to write up this program.”

“We'll find it, Steve.” Steven agreed, looking down cast. “I'm sorry we can't find it now.”

“Oh, buddy.” Steve sighed, suddenly realizing how he was coming across to the boy. “I know you'll find it. It's okay, I promise. And even if you can't find it, even if this doesn't work, it's not your fault.”

“But...it would be my fault.” Steven shrugged. “It would be my fault that you're still sad.”

“I'm not sad because of that.” Steve whispered, pulling the boy over to the couch.

“You're sad cause you couldn't find your friend?” Steven guessed, clambering onto Steve's lap. Clint, Tony, and Jack grabbed chairs and settled in to explain this to the boy.

“We found her.” Steve frowned. Steven looked around, confused.

“But if you found your friend, why are you sad?”

“Cause we were too late.” Jack whispered.

“Your friend is dead?” Steven gasped, horror flashing across his face.

“Skye was erased.” Tony informed him. Clint and Steve's heads whipped over to his. “I watched the rest of the drive.”

“You're sure?” Jack whispered.

“I'm sure.” Tony nodded. “They brought her into the room. They left, she didn't. Then they turned the Eraser on. Nothing else came out of, or into the room until Clint and Tasha found it.”

“Shit.” Clint sighed, rubbing his eyes. “Does someone else want to tell Tasha that? I would love to not be the one to break her heart.”

“Oh, sissy.” Jack sighed, throwing his head back and covering his face.

“Skye was your sister?” Steven asked softly, scrambling from Steve's lap. He hurried over and planted himself on Jack. Jack hesitated, casting a slightly panicked look towards Steve, before finally wrapping his arm around the boy.

“Yeah, Skye was my sister.”

“Your for real sister?”

“No, not for real.” Jack whispered.

“Just because someone isn't related to you by blood, it doesn't mean your relationship is any more or less real.” Clint interjected. “Skye wasn't related by blood, but she was his for real sister.”

“You came from the facility, though, right?” Steven asked.

“Yeah, I came from the facility.” Jack nodded, tapping his covered wrist. Steven nodded, remembering when Jack had pulled his watch off to show them all the tattoo that confirmed his identity.

“I'm sorry we can't get your sister back.” Steven frowned, his chin trembling.

“It's okay,” Jack whispered, awkwardly patting the boy's back as he clung to him.

“How about we take a break and shoot some arrows?” Clint offered, peeling the boy off the noticeably uncomfortable Jack. Steven hiccuped loudly, shaking his head. He squirmed loose from Clint's arms and ran back to Steve, burying his face in his neck to hide his tears.

“We can go find a movie to watch,” Steve offered quietly, rubbing circles on the boy's back.

“I need to help Tony,” Steven replied, hiccuping again. “We need to find them.”

“We can't find them today,” Tony replied, looking uncomfortable with all the emotions in the room. “Let's take a break. We'll be more productive when we come back to this.”

“We need to find them. We need to find the scientists.” Steven growled angrily, though he didn't lift his face from Steve's neck.

“We'll find them, buddy.” Steve comforted him, standing. “Arrows or a movie?”

“Oh, or both.” Clint grinned, bopping in place. One glance at him let Steve know this was his mask, but someone needed to break the mood in this room. Steve was grateful to Clint for being the one to do it. “We can shoot some arrows and then watch a movie. Maybe an archer movie? Robin Hood?”

“Do you have that movie?” Steven asked softly, peering up at Tony and Clint.

“Oh, buddy.” Steve laughed lightly. “That's the wrong question to ask.”

“What's the right question?” Steven whispered.

“What movie _don't_ we have.” Tony smirked. “The answer? None. We have them all. Or, we can very easily and very quickly get them all.”

“Cause of Jarvis?” Steven asked softly.

“Cause I get everything I want.” Tony retorted. Steve and Clint laughed at him, drawing Steven even further away from Steve's neck.

“Why are you laughing?”

“Because Tony is rich.” Clint replied easily. “So if he wants something, anything, he gets it.”

“Did you buy your robots?” Steven asked, curiosity peaked.

“Did I _buy_ my robots?” Tony repeated, looking incredulous. Steve laughed at his expression, coaxing a small smile from the boy as well. “I _made_ my robots, thank you very much.”

“You're welcome?” Steven replied, shrugging. Clint snorted and shoved Tony lightly.

“You're welcome.”

“I'll prove it. Come to my lab and I'll show you.” Tony replied, crossing his arms.

“Nuh uh!” Clint whined. “Arrows. I get to show him _my_ lab first.”

“It's not a lab.” Tony retorted.

“To me it is.” Clint argued.

“It's an archery range.” Tony sniffed. “All you do is shoot arrows. How boring is that?”

“Are they always like this?” Steven whispered to Steve, watching the other two men argue.

“Surprisingly, no.” Steve smiled. “Tony and I argue more than them.”

“Tony is fun to pick on.” Jack agreed, sitting down next to Steve. “He's the only one that really gets worked up.”

“I don't think I want Clint to shoot arrows if he's mad.” Steven admitted, watching Clint's face get red as Tony continued to pick on his hobby.

“Should we save him?” Steve asked, smirking.

“That's probably for the best.” Steven agreed. Steve chuckled and pulled the boy loose from his neck.

“Hey Clint, think fast.” Steve called, then tossed the boy at him. Steven yelped midair, afraid of being dropped. Clint laughed as the boy crashed into his arms and instantly scrambled to get a hold of him.

“Hi, Clint.” He grinned.

“Hey, you.” Clint laughed. “Let's go shoot some arrows?”

“How about you shoot some arrows and I watch?” Steven countered.

“I can blow some stuff up.” Clint offered, smirking broadly.

“You have got a deal.” Steven grinned, shaking hands with him.

“Tony, we're going _to my lab_ if you'd like to join.” Clint tossed over his shoulder as the rest of the room headed for the elevator.

“It's not a lab!” Tony huffed, following along anyway.

 

0-0-0-0-0

 

“Can we do that again sometime?” Steven grinned, jumping up and down in place. “Cause that was awesome. That jug just _exploded_. It. Was. Awesome.”

“So you liked it?” Clint smirked. In response, Steven let out a little half yell and launched himself at the wall. He kicked off, doing a neat little flip before landing back on his feet.

“My favorite part was when Tony wasn't paying attention and then the arrow almostgothimandwhatifhisbeardgotburned? He would look silly with only half a beard but maybe he should try that look out sometime because it's okay to be silly and...” Steven all but shouted, speaking so quickly that his words were starting to run together. Steve smirked and shot a look of exasperation at Clint.

“I warned you about the sugar high.” Steve said simply, smirking at the look of exhaustion on Clint's face.

“Maybe we should do something to burn some of that energy?” Clint sighed. “I don't think a movie is going to do the trick.”

“...check out your vents?” Steven finished, looking expectantly at Clint and Steve. Jack had bailed when the boy got touchy. Tony was trying, but his mood left something to be desired, so he excused himself after almost getting shot by Clint's arrow. To be fair to Clint, Tony had stepped into the line of fire at a bad time.

“Say that again?” Steve asked, looking down at the boy. Steven launched himself at Steve, climbing his body quickly.

“Can I check out the vents?” He asked peering at Steve from over the top of his head. “Clint taught me how at the Shield place but they didn't like it there. Am I allowed to do it here? If I'm allowed to do it here, I would like to check them out. Can I?”

“Clint?” Steve shrugged. It was his domain, after all.

“I'll go with you.” Clint nodded. “Just this first time. There are a few places I need to point out.”

“Unsafe places?”

“Eh, they're not unsafe.” Clint shrugged. “But I would feel better if I explained them to you.”

“Then I can go in later by myself?” Steven grinned, wiggling on Steve's shoulders. Steve winced and dug the boy's knee from his collar bone.

“Sure.” Clint agreed.

“And not get in trouble?” Steven clarified, his face clouding just the tiniest bit.

“And not get in trouble.” Clint nodded.

“No matter what, though, you won't get hurt here.” Steve added. “It's okay to make mistakes. This is a safe zone. We won't always like the choices you make, but that's how you learn. We'll never hit you.”

“Promise?”

“I promise.” Steve nodded, looking up at the boy so he knew how serious he was. “And if anyone ever hurts you again you just come find me and I'll take care of it.”

“Take care of it?” Steven asked, cocking his head.

“Do you think Steve is going to let anyone hurt you?” Clint laughed, tugging the boy down from Steve's head. “He checked you out of a top secret military base because he didn't like how you were being treated.”

“It's not really a base,” Steve sighed.

“That's not the point,” Clint laughed. “If someone hurts you, Steve will kick their asses.”

“Clinton...” Steve muttered warningly. Clint and Steven exchanged a grin.

“To the vents?” Clint laughed.

“To the vents!” Steven agreed.

 

 

 


	5. What are you wearing?

 

 

 

“So...what's going on with you?” Steve asked after silently observing Jack pout. They had retreated back to Steve's floor after Clint and Steven disappeared into the vents.

“What are you talking about?” Jack sighed, removing his arm from his face.

“You were weird with Steven. You've always been okay with the kids...but you were weird today.” Steve pointed out.

“I wasn't weird.”

“You were weird.” Steve countered, giving Jack a dry look when he huffed. “Look, it's not a big deal. I was just curious why a roomful of them is okay for you, but one little boy can make you that uncomfortable.”

There was a long silence between the two men. Just when Steve was sure Jack was going to ignore him, the man sighed loudly and adjusted to look at Steve directly.

“Look, I'm not good with kids.” Jack said pointedly. “When I was with the kids in the room, it was for a purpose. A very specific purpose. I never just went and hung out with them. I don't know how. I don't know how to deal with his...feelings. I didn't know how to make him feel better when he was crying, because I wanted to lose it myself. I was always the kid. Skye always took care of me. I don't know how to play her role.”

“You don't need to be her.” Steve whispered, joining Jack on the couch. “You don't need to play her role. You just need to be you. He doesn't know any better than you do. Hell, we're all playing on a steep learning curve here. None of us have any kids, or really interact with any – aside from brief moments during a mission.”

“But Skye would know what to do. Skye would be so perfect with him...”

“I bet she wasn't perfect when she first broke you out. 14 kids for one care giver? That's a lot for anyone.” Steve said softly.

“That's true.” Jack nodded. “But we didn't stay at 14 for very long.”

“All that I ask of you...all he's going to care about...is that you try. And if that's too much right now, that's okay too. Steven knows how much you've lost. He's never met her and he's sad about it.”

“He's only sad because he thinks she's 47.” Jack chuckled humorlessly. “He's sad because he thinks _they_ got what they wanted.”

“You don't know him. Hell, I don't know him that well.” Steve shrugged. “Let's hold off judgments until we get to know him a little better. Okay?”

“Sure thing, boss.” Jack sighed, giving him a fake salute.

“I'm not your boss,” Steve retorted. “You're not an Avenger.”

“But I would be so good.” Jack smirked. “The Avenger that can't protect himself, has no life skills, and can't interact with children. Go me.”

“I'm leaving this pity party.” Steve said, getting up from the couch. “Let me know when you're done.”

“Yes, Mom.”

“Told you, I prefer Dad.” Steve replied, stepping back onto the elevator.

 

0-0-0-0-0

 

“Where'd you lose the kid?” Tony asked, kicking his feet up on the coffee table. He had downloaded _Robin Hood_ and had it all queued up.

“He's with Clint. Exploring the vents.” Steve smiled, dropping down next to Tony.

“And the other one?”

“Pouting on my couch.”

“Oh good, you noticed it too.” Tony sighed. “Why was he all...”

“He said he didn't know how to be Skye?” Steve offered, making it sound more like a question than a statement. “She always took care of him and he feels like he doesn't know how to take care of other people.”

“He shouldn't compare himself to her.” Tony said softly. “He should set his bar lower. I mean, at least at first.”

“Thanks for the vote of confidence, guys.” Jack frowned, joining them on the couch.

“What?” Tony shrugged. “Skye sets the bar high. No wonder you're feeling intimidated. Don't try to be her. Just, do you.”

“Me sucks.”

“You don't suck.” Tony said forcefully. “Skye had years of practice. Just do your best. That's all we expect out of you.”

“You two suck.” Jack huffed, crossing his arms.

“Why?” Tony asked.

“That's pretty much exactly what I told him.” Steve replied, smirking.

“No wonder he's pouting.” Tony snorted.

“Well, I called it a pity party...” Steve replied. Jack groaned loudly and threw his head back against the couch.

“I'm going back to my floor.” Jack announced, getting up from the couch.

“Don't think 'what would Skye do',” Tony said softly, knowing he was pushing too many buttons, too soon.

“Think 'how would Skye want me to be'.” Steve added, just as softly.

“You don't fucking know what Skye would do, or what she would want me to be!” Jack yelled angrily. “You met her twice!” He pointed at Steve, his finger shaking with anger. “You met her once.” His finger shifted to Tony. “You think that a handful of emails and one video chat makes you an expert on her?”

“Jack...” Steve said softly, his hands out in a placating gesture.

“No, Steve. You don't know her. You know what she would do if she was in my position?” Jack shouted, his face contorting in anger. “She would fucking run. She would run so far and so fast that no one could ever catch up. Because she was strong enough to be her own person. Because she was strong enough to be on her own. But also because she was scared. She was so fucking scared, all of the time. If she taught me anything, it was to run before shit got bad. So this is me, being absolutely terrified of this fucking situation, but trying my best not to run. And I'm sorry if I'm not meeting your expectations...but right now, this is the best I've got.”

Jack turned and disappeared into the stairwell before Steve or Tony figured out how to breathe again.

“Shit.” Tony muttered finally.

“I don't know whether to give him some space or go talk to him.” Steve admitted softly.

“Can I go talk to him?” A soft voice asked from overhead. Steven's face was barely visible through the slots in the vent access.

“I don't know that that would be the best idea right now.” Steve admitted, getting up to help the boy down from the vents.

“But he's feeling bad,” Steven said softly, hanging his head. “It's my fault. I need to go fix it.”

“It's not your fault.” Steve said firmly. “If anything, it's my fault. I pushed too hard, too soon.”

“How much did you hear?” Tony asked softly.

“All of it.” Clint grunted, lowering himself from the vent. “He raises some good points.”

“Please, Steve. Can I go talk to him?” Steven begged, his eyes wide in a way that reminded him of Skye. Steve set the boy on his feet.

“You can go try.” Steve agreed hesitantly. “But don't be offended if he's angry. It's not your fault.”

Steven didn't say anything in return, just scurried out of the room, asking Jarvis where he could find Jack.

“He caught on to the system quickly.” Tony commented. He twisted his mouth in indecision. “Jarvis, let us know if we need to separate them?”

“Of course, Sir.”

“I'm not sure this is a good idea.” Steve admitted.

“No, it's probably not.” Tony agreed. “But they need to get to know each other.”

“But, when he's that mad?”

“The kid can hold his own.”

“That's true.”

 

 

0-0-0-0-0

 

“Jack?” Steven asked softly, pushing open a half closed door. Jarvis had directed him back to Steve's floor, then to one of the bedrooms. Jack was on the bed, looking at pictures that he had spread out over the comforter. Jack didn't look up at the boy, just twisted his metallic scarf between his hands. “Jack? Can I come in?”

“Are you going to do it anyway?” Jack huffed, still angry.

“Not if you don't want me to.” Steven replied. Jack took a few pictures out of a small box and added them to his spread. Steven hesitated, waiting for a signal from Jack.

“You can come in.” Jack said finally, casting his eyes upwards. He did a double take, becoming aware of how scared the boy looked. Steven was scared of  _him_. That wasn't what he wanted. He felt the anger drain from his system. Suddenly, he was tired. Just, exhausted. “Steven, I'm sorry. I don't know how much you heard...”

“Don't apologize.” Steven interrupted, climbing up to sit on the end of the bed. “It's not your fault.”

“It's not your fault either.” Jack retorted. They eyed each other, both frowning as they disagreed with each other's words. Finally the boy cracked a smile.

“If I let you win, will you not be so angry with me?”

“Let me win?” Jack retorted, his own smile escaping his stern expression. For a brief second, Jack was hit with the staggering realization that Steven sounded surprisingly like Skye. The boy shrugged and smiled a little more. “For the record, I'm not mad at you. I just don't know what to do with you.”

“You don't have to do anything with me.” Steven replied. “I can take care of myself.”

“How old are you?” Jack grinned, raising his eyebrow.

“Seven?”

“And you don't need any help?”

“Okay, fine.” Steven huffed, throwing his hands up dramatically. “I can't reach the stuff on the top shelves.”

“I'll move the good stuff down for you.” Jack snorted, finally gracing the boy with a sincere smile. He could be Skye's mini-me...and that won him more points in Jack's book than he cared to admit. His anger was ebbing. At least, towards the boy it was.

Jack wondered idly what Skye was like as a child. She had never mentioned it. Never talked about it, aside from a random comment here or there about an orphanage. Jack swallowed hard; now he would never get the chance to find out about her.

“I can always get a chair.” Steven smiled back. He glanced down at the pictures, frowning slightly.

“This is Delta.” Jack offered, picking up a group picture when he saw what caught Steven's interest. It was just weeks after they escaped so everyone looked a little dirty and frazzled, but everyone was smiling. It was the only picture Jack had of the entire group. The retrieval team had caught up to them a few days afterwards and their numbers had dropped by two.

“Which one is your Skye?” Steven asked softly, easily picking Jack out from the group.

“The big one.” Jack replied, leaning forward to point her out. His ten year old self was clutching Skye's hand, terrified of being separated from her. Skye looked younger in this picture; a cap on her head and a blue hoodie that looked brand new. The full weight of her responsibility hadn't settled on her yet. Jack missed that Skye. He wondered, not for the first time, what Skye would have done with her life if not for them.

“I thought you were all Delta?” Steven asked, cocking his head as he considered the picture. “Skye is too old to be part of this group.”

“Skye wasn't from the facility.” Jack said softly, knowing he was going to break the boy's heart. Steven's face did drop a little, but not like Jack was expecting.

“I don't understand.” He admitted softly.

“I was Delta.” Jack explained, pulling his watch off to expose the tattoo. Steven nodded. “It was bad. They were still tinkering with the serum. They still are...but it was worse for us. Skye would come in after the tests and give us blood. 47's blood.”

“But if Skye wasn't from the facility...” Steven interrupted.

“She was from the outside.” Jack interrupted back. “47 had gotten out, I guess. Skye knew 47. His blood was special. The serum worked for him when it didn't work for anyone else. It made his blood  _magic_.” Jack scoffed slightly. “It's not magic. But it does heal. Skye was our angel, bringing us magic blood to make the side effects of the tests go away. But we could only take so much, and Skye was much too kind to let us stay. She came and broke us out.”

“You guys trashed the labs.” Steven grinned. He knew this part of the story.

“We thought that if we destroyed everything, they would stop. We thought we would be the last kids they got to experiment on. So we destroyed everything and ran. We were ten. Well, I was ten. I was the youngest of Delta.”

“Being the youngest sucks.” Steven stated bluntly.

“Yeah, buddy.” Jack nodded. “Skye was older. She was 18. She took care of us.”

“All of you?” Steven asked, his eyes raised. “Only one person?”

“Yeah. She had to be pretty strict, because we were kind of naughty...but she was also the kindest person we had ever met. She didn't care that we didn't understand much about the outside. She didn't care when we got angry and took it out on her. She was our rock. Steady in the face of any storm. She did everything a parent would normally do: fed us, clothed us, kept us safe when the retrieval team came to take us back.”

“The team caught up to you?” Steven asked, fear skittering across his features.

“Many times.” Jack nodded. “My point is, she always took care of us. But she never needed taken care of. She was strong. So strong. The strongest person I know...and I know superheroes.” Jack admitted, his voice cracking even as he tried to joke. Steven pulled his legs up and wrapped his arms around them, wanting to comfort the man across from him; but he had seen how uncomfortable Jack had gotten the last time he crawled onto him. Jack cleared his throat and continued. “I never took care of her. Never took care of anyone. We were always on the move, avoiding making attachments, avoiding the retrieval team.”

“You don't know how to take care of me.” Steven said softly, catching on quickly.

“I have no idea what to do with you.” Jack admitted, a tear breaking free. “I'm an emotional mess. My sister just died. I've gone from living with one person to living with a team of superheroes. I have a permanent residence...Shit, I'm just flat overwhelmed. I can't handle my own emotions...so when you came at me with your own emotions I just...”

“You don't need to take care of me.” Steven told Jack. “We're part of a family now. That's weird for both of us. But if we're assigning roles, Steve is my dad. Tony and Clint are competing for favorite uncle. I don't know what that makes Tasha, but Tasha's got to be more responsible than Tony or Clint. Clint almost blew up Tony's face today.”

“Blew up his face?” Jack chuckled, wiping tears from his cheeks.

“Yeah. Tony walked in front of Clint's fire arrow. It almost got his face.” Steven grinned. “But that means I'm all covered for responsible adults.”

“You're using responsible very loosely here.”

“I don't need more.” Steven laughed. “You can just be my cool older brother. You know, you do something stupid and blame it on me. I make a mess and blame it on you. We team up against Steve when he's being too responsible...”

“You just became my favorite person in the Tower.” Jack laughed.

“And I'll try to keep my emotions away from you and not be too touchy.” Steven added.

“You don't have to change who you are.” Jack replied firmly, doing a double take as the boy's expression turned serious. “I'm touchy too. So touchy. It drives Steve a little crazy.”

“Cause he's your boyfriend?” Steven asked, knowing it would make Jack laugh. He grinned when he was successful.

“Yes, cause he's my boyfriend.” Jack agreed. “We should go find him and see what he has to say about that.”

“The Shield people like to talk about it.” Steven commented. “They come in to check on us and talk like we're not there. Like we're cattle. Like...because we've got this extra piece we're no longer people...”

“Extra piece?”

“My spine.” Steven nodded, turning to show Jack his serum port. Jack reached forward and traced a finger down the port where it joined his spine, low on his back.

“I don't have one of these.” Jack said softly.

“I know.” Steven nodded. “They didn't start with them until years after you left.”

“We blew up their serum...” Jack gaped, connecting the pieces in his head. It was his fault this boy had this tech attached permanently to his body.

“It's not your fault.” Steven whispered, seeing the horror on Jack's face. “You may have blown up the serum, but they were the ones that made it. They were the ones that stole us. They were the ones that put this on me. The blame is all theirs. Please, don't blame yourself.”

“I'll make you a deal,” Jack said, wetting his dry lips. “You don't feel bad about having emotions and I won't feel bad about the port.”

“Um...does pretending count?” Steven asked, pulling his giant shirt back down.

“We can fake it until we make it.” Jack nodded.

“Then you have a deal.” Steven grinned, extending his hand to shake on it.

“Let's get you into different clothes.” Jack snorted, watching Steven tug the giant shirt so it would hang properly on his body.

“This is what I have.” Steven shrugged. There was no pity there. Just a blunt statement of fact.

“Tasha and I bought out a few stores.” Jack admitted sheepishly. “We can go pick you out something awful and see what Steve says.”

“You just became my favorite person in the Tower.” Steven giggled. “Just, please don't tell Tony or Clint that.”

“Deal.” Jack laughed, pushing his pictures into a pile so he could put them back in their box. He left one picture out. The one of him and Skye. Skye had just pulled one of his teeth and he was proudly showing off his new gap. He stuck that picture on the headboard and scrambled off the bed with Steven.

“Where are we going?” Steven grinned, happy that Jack wasn't angry any more.

“Your room.” Jack replied, heading two doors down. He waved to a closed door, “This one is mine. Well, supposed to be mine.”

“Supposed to be?” Steven frowned.

“I've been staying in Steve's room.” Jack muttered, forking his thumb back towards the room they had just left. “He's going to be your Skye.”

“He won't mind if I go in there?” Steven asked softly.

“Hell no.” Jack said firmly. He opened a few bags, throwing some of the more outrageous outfits on the bed for Steven to pick from. They may have gone a bit overboard clothes shopping. Not that Jack would ever admit that.

“Are all of my clothes like this?” Steven asked, trying to hide the worry in his tone. Jack laughed and shook his head.

“No. Tasha and I just like messing with Steve.”

“Okay. Then let's do that shirt and...”

“...these pants?”

“This is awful.” Steven sighed, accepting the clothes.

“These are supposed to be.” Jack grinned, helping Steven strip the too large shirt off his body. He saw the bruises covering his torso and upper arms and inhaled sharply.

“It's okay.” Steven said softly, slipping the bedazzled red shirt on to hide the bruises again. “I'm okay.”

“Steve said you weren't being treated right...”

“It's why he took me away.” Steven said softly. He forced a grin onto his face. “Stop being all serious. We need to plan here.”

“Oh yeah?” Jack laughed, watching the boy struggle into artificial leather pants.

“Yeah. Like how I'm going to get out of these.” Steven hissed, jumping up and down to pull the pants on the rest of the way.

“They look fantastic.” Jack grinned, pressing his lips together to keep from laughing out loud.

“Can I call you dad?” Steven asked, buttoning the pants. “If you and Steve are boyfriends...can I ask Steve if you're going to be my other dad?”

“Oh, God.” Jack gasped, collapsing on the floor. “You're brilliant and amazing and this is perfect.”

“Is that a yes?” Steven inquired. “Not too much emotion?”

“Never.” Jack laughed. “Here, wear this too and we're ready to go.”

“Can I never wear this again?” Steven asked softly, taking in his appearance in the mirror. Between the skin tight pants, the bedazzled shirt, and the sequined beret, Steven's outfit was... He didn't know what it was. But he didn't like it.

“We can have Clint shoot it with one of his fire arrows.” Jack offered.

“Okay.” Steven grinned. “Let's go. We're going to watch the  _Robin Hood_  movie.”

“Can you keep a straight face?”

“Psh, the question is – can  _you_  keep a straight face?” Steven snorted.

“No promises.” Jack laughed. “Jarvis, to the common area.”

“Please.” Steven added.

“I hear we're watching  _Robin Hood_ ,” Jack called as soon as the elevator door pinged open. The three men were still sitting on the couch, arguing about something. Clint looked up first, and his jaw dropped. He saw the twinkle in Jack's eye and bit back a grin into his fist. He could instantly see what they were doing. He approved.

“It's all ready to go,” Tony agreed, turning with Steve.

“What are you wearing?” They asked at the same time. At least Steve tried to hide the horror in his tone.

“My Shield shirt was too big...” Steven shrugged, self-consciously. “Jack said he got me some new clothes.”

“Jack!” Steve sighed, smashing his palm against his face. “Are all of his clothes like that?” His words were muttered through his hand, making them hard to understand.

“Don't you like this?” Steven asked innocently, avoiding eye contact with Clint. He had figured it out and was trying to restrain his laughter. If he looked at Clint, he would break too. “Jack said I could pick out whatever I liked.”

“And this is what you chose?” Tony whispered, his face frozen in a horrified expression.

“You don't like it.” Steven said softly, his face dropping. Steve's face fell too.

“Oh, buddy. We didn't mean to hurt your feelings.” Steve said softly. “If this is what you like, that's what you can wear.”

“I'm not going out with him looking like that.” Tony inserted firmly, crossing his arms and shaking his head aggressively.

“Ignore your least favorite uncle.” Jack said pointedly. “You look fabulous. Clint, doesn't he look fabulous?”

“You look so fabulous.” Clint agreed, toning down his full blown grin into a small smile before Steve could turn and see it.

“Would you go out with me like this?” Steven asked, milking his moment for all it was worth.

“Right now?” Clint asked, biting his cheek to keep his laughter in.

“Dr. Banner did say I was supposed to eat ice cream to make me feel better.” Steven nodded.

“We just got you down from that sugar high!” Steve pointed out.

“We're going to watch that movie, remember?” Jack said softly, guiding the boy to the couch. Steven sat next to Steve; Jack claiming the boy's other side.

“Robin Hood!” Steven nodded, getting as comfortable as he could in the tight pants. He winced and adjusted, which had both Clint and Jack covering their grins.

“Robin Hood.” Tony agreed, reaching for the remote.

“Hey, Steve...can I ask you a question?” Steven asked, turning to him with a serious expression.

“Sure, buddy. Anything.”

“At Shield, they always talk about you and Jack...and how you're boyfriends. If you're kinda like my dad now, does that mean Jack is going to be my other dad?”

There was a full minute of silence in the living room, the only sound coming from the previews of the movie. Steve had frozen, contemplating how to explain this to the boy. He started a few times, then reconsidered his phrasing and stopped. As a result, his mouth resembled a fish gasping for oxygen. Steven could feel Jack shaking against his back and could see Clint shoving his fist into his mouth to muffle his laughter and broke. As the boy's laughter sprang free, so did Clint and Jack's. After a beat, Tony joined in as well.

“Oh, thank God.” Steve gasped, clutching his chest. “I think I just had a heart attack.”

“Too early for that conversation?” Clint laughed.

“Much too early.” Steve agreed, finally laughing at the situation. He eyed the boy warily, then carefully asked, “Is the outfit part of the joke? Or...is that what you picked out?”

“You don't like it?” Steven asked, plucking at the shirt.

“Do you like it?” Steve hedged.

“I asked you first.”

“Nuh uh. I did. Just tell me.” Steve frowned.

“Tell me first.” Steven smirked. Steve's confidence grew. “It's the most awful thing I've ever seen.”

“Ever?” Steven grinned, confirming Steve's suspicion.

“Ever.” Steve agreed.

“It's not that bad.” Steven shrugged.

“Oh, yeah?” Steve laughed. “I bet you can't sit through the whole movie in those pants.”

“Please don't make me do that.” Steven begged, giving the whole thing up. “Jack promised Clint could shoot the whole outfit with one of his fire arrows.”

“I would love to do that for you, kid.” Clint agreed, grinning widely.

“Can we watch the movie now?” Steven asked, pulling garments from his body. Steve had to grab the bottom of his pants and help pull them from his small frame. Jack handed him a plain blue shirt and a pair of shorts, which he pulled on gratefully. He was uncomfortable with the angry looks he received while his bruises were exposed. He could do better. He  _would_  do better, so they had no reason to put any more bruises on him. So they had no more reason to look at him like that.

 

0-0-0-0-0

 

“He warmed up to him quickly,” Clint said softly, nodding towards Jack and Steven. They had both fallen asleep during the movie; Steven was resting against Jack's side.

“I think he just overwhelmed Jack.” Steve replied back, just as softly.

“Jack has been through a lot lately. More than I took into consideration. It's more than just losing his sister. It's his whole life.” Clint said softly, stacking the empty bowls that littered the room. They had eaten their dinner while watching the movie.

“Are you okay?” Steve asked, getting up to help Clint. They moved to the kitchen, loading the dishes into the dishwasher and washing the pot they used for dinner. “I mean, I know everything isn't okay...but, you've had that mask on for a while now.”

“What mask?” Clint laughed, tugging on his cheeks like he could remove the pretend mask.

“Your assassin mask. Kid-friendly assassin mask.” Steve replied pointedly, ignoring his joking manner. Clint took one look at Steve's serious face and sighed. The figurative mask fell, showing his exhaustion and grief.

“It's hard.” Clint shrugged. “But Jack is right...we barely knew her. I mean really, what do we know about her? Not much. Only what she wanted us to know. She broke Delta out. She knows 47. She's older than she looks. I mean, what else do we know?”

“Not much.” Steve agreed. He could add a few more things to that list. She was from an orphanage. She liked the color blue. French fries and ice cream were her favorite foods. She had a weird passion for bad movies. She was a prankster at heart. She stayed up late and ran to make herself tired enough to sleep. Inconsequential things, really. “But I could say the same about Tasha. I know you know more about her...but I don't. I have a handful of tidbits that she's dropped about herself over the years. Really, you reveal more about her than she does. I don't think it matters how much you know about a person. You can't equate caring to knowledge.”

“Steve?” A quiet voice asked sleepily. Steve smiled softly at Clint, excusing himself wordlessly.

“Let's get you to bed, huh?” Steve whispered, picking Steven up from the couch. The boy nodded and quickly fell back asleep on Steve's shoulder. “Night, Clint.”

“Night, Cap.”

 

 


	6. I should have saved her...

 

 

“Tasha?” Clint called out, looking around his quiet floor. She wasn't anywhere to be seen. Clint frowned and tried to think back to when he had seen her last. She had been in the lab when Steven went to get checked out, and Jack had mentioned going clothes shopping with her. Beyond that, Clint wasn't sure he had seen her. “Jarvis? Is Tasha in the building?”

“No, Mr. Barton. Ms. Romanov left the Tower at 2:23pm.”

“Where is she going?”

“I believe Ms. Romanov left a note for you.”

“Great, thanks.” Clint muttered. He wandered into the small kitchenette, which was where Tasha always left her notes. She was terrible with goodbyes, so she avoided them. He wasn't sure why he was surprised she had gone without telling him, but right now he could really use her. She should know that. Clint sighed and picked up the note.

_Until I see differently, Skye's not dead. You can't convince me otherwise. The man that took the hit on Skye just popped up on my radar. Need to deal with this my own way._

_N_

Clint's chest tightened, making him clutch himself tightly. She always was better at expressing herself when she wasn't face to face with somebody. He crumpled and let the rest of his mask fall, showing his utter devastation. Reason it away all you wanted, Skye was still gone and it still pierced him like a knife.

And tonight...he had to come to terms with that. Alone.

 

0-0-0-0-0

 

Steven shot up in bed, looking around panicked. He took in the room slowly, trying to bring his breathing under control and stop the tears that were pouring down his face. He wasn't successful. The dream was much too real, even now.

He had been strapped down to a metal table. He could still feel the cool metal pressing along his back. Similar metal straps held his wrists and ankles to the table, effectively pinning him in place. No matter how hard he pulled, he couldn't get out. The overwhelming feeling of wrongness pressed against his chest, forcing the air from his lungs until he was gasping for breath. He shouldn't be here.

He was cold, so cold – and the metal table only leeched what little heat he had left. His vision was blurry and people were talking around him, but he couldn't understand what they were saying.

Unable to suppress the panic flooding his little body, the boy scrambled from his own giant bed and scurried to Steve's door. It was halfway closed, so Steven hesitated at the frame. Giving in to his weakness with a little sob of frustration, Steven pushed himself into the room. There were two lumps in the bed, close enough for comfort but not actually touching. When he saw they were both dead asleep, he hurried from the room, pressing his palm into his mouth to muffle himself.

He needed to be strong. He had promised not to be emotional with Jack. He couldn't risk giving Steve a reason to send him back.

He crawled back into his room, cowering beneath his heavy comforter. He forced himself between the pillows, propping himself up for the night. He didn't dare fall back asleep. He couldn't risk the nightmare returning.

 

0-0-0-0-0

 

“Tony, come back to bed.” Pepper whispered, tugging on his wrist. He was sitting on the edge of the bed, pulling on sweat pants.

“I need to find them.” Tony argued. He was exhausted – he knew it and Pepper knew it – but he never ranked his own well being very high on his to-do list.

“The boy's asleep. You need to sleep too.” Pepper argued, sitting up to wrap herself around Tony's back so he couldn't get out of bed. “You'll work better rested.”

“I can't sleep.” Tony confessed.

“You need to try.”

“I've been trying!” Tony growled. It was three in the morning and he had only just given up trying to sleep. He thought that was an admirable attempt. He didn't need to tell Pepper that every time he closed his eyes, he saw Skye being dragged through the hallway of that facility. He didn't need to explain how he felt about watching her die, even as indirectly as he had. He couldn't, even if he tried, put into words how he felt about her final moments.

“...Tony.” Pepper exhaled, unsure what to say. She had never met the girl, had been kept out of the loop of trying to find her, mostly because of her incredible time commitment that was Stark Industries, but that didn't mean she didn't see how important she was to the team. Their frustration over the last week, their grief over the last day, was as plain as the nose on her face.

“Look,” Tony sighed, pulling at his hair. “I know it's stupid. Jack pointed it out earlier. We barely knew her. I met her a grand total of one time. All that I have from her is a fantastic bit of coding that nearly killed me and a stupid theme song. That and her brother...who honestly? Is probably more trouble than he's worth. I know what you're going to say...but, it still hurts Pepper. It hurts that she's gone. It hurts that we couldn't find her...that _I_ couldn't find her. I should have found her in time... I should have saved her...We only needed _hours_...”

Tony broke down crying, dropping his face into his hands and letting his body wracking sobs shake his body. Pepper didn't know what to say; she didn't know how to comfort him when he was like this. Instead, she wrapped her arms around him and pulled him back down into bed, cradling his body against hers. She just held him, knowing full well that sometimes just crying was enough to ease an emotional burden.

 

0-0-0-0-0

 

“You're up early,” Steve commented, walking into the kitchen. Clint was already halfway through the pot of coffee and it was only 5:30.

“Yep.” Clint nodded. He wasn't in the mood. He was so far gone that he didn't even want to pretend to be in the mood. His child friendly assassin mask, as Steve referred to it, would be harder to place today. Good thing the boy was no where to be seen.

“I'm going for a run.” Steve sighed, bending over to slip his tennis shoes on. “Steven and Jack are still sleeping.”

“Everything go alright last night?” Clint asked. He might not be in the mood, but he cared about the boy.

“Yeah.” Steve replied, his own mood just as black as Clint's. He headed for the elevator, nodding to Clint as a goodbye.

 

 

 


	7. Controlled, little, baby explosions

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I got a few remarks about the chapter being shorter than usual, so I double checked what I uploaded...and I missed like half the chapter. Whoops. I've added what was missed to the next chapter and I'm posting early to make up for it. Sorry!
> 
> Also: When they're not speaking in English, I've bracketed their speech. It will either be clear from the context, or I will say which language they're speaking in. It seemed easier than trying to google translate everything when it's usually wrong anyway.

 

 

 

“Where is everyone?” Tony asked, grabbing for the empty coffee pot. He sighed and put it back, then gathered up the stuff to make another batch.

“Gym.” Clint replied, tracing his finger along the top of his coffee mug. Tony shot him a look at his monosyllabic response, but didn't have the energy for snark. Not quite yet. With the coffee set to brew, Tony sat down next to Clint.

“Everything okay?”

“Just fucking peachy.” Clint growled. He wanted to take his coffee and retreat back to his room, but he couldn't do that. He would break down again, and one night of it was enough. So, despite his dark mood, he stayed. The promise of fresh coffee was a definite motivating factor as well.

“You sleep at all?”

“Did you?”

“Little bit. Did you?”

“No.”

“Haven't seen Tasha around.”

“She went after the hit man.”

“Without you?”

“She needed time to process this...her own way.” Clint growled.

“Is she bringing him back here?”

“I honestly have no idea.”

“Huh.” Tony commented. He wasn't sure what to do with this side of Clint. Despite everything they had been through, he had never seen this side. Clint always went out of his way to be the chipper one – even if it was all a facade. Tony's natural inclination towards snark probably wouldn't be appreciated right now. The coffee bubbled and hissed, indicating the end of its cycle. Tony got up and helped himself to a mug full. “I'll be in my lab.”

Tony stalked off and Clint was left alone to his thoughts. Again.

 

0-0-0-0-0

 

“Mr. Barton, Ms. Romanov is requesting your presence in the interrogation room.” Jarvis chimed in, some time later. Steve and Steven were still in the gym. Doing what, Clint didn't know. Tony had reemerged from his lab long enough to grab a banana and more coffee, then disappeared again. Jack hadn't left Steve's floor. At the very least, he hadn't come into the kitchen.

“Of course she is.” Clint muttered, refilling his coffee cup. He had lost track of how many times he had refilled. The barely contained shaking of his hands told him he had had too much, but he didn't care. He couldn't bring himself to care about much of anything. He stepped onto the elevator and let Jarvis zoom him down to the interrogation room.

Of course, he couldn't help but think of the last time he was on that floor. She had been in this elevator, teasing Steve mercilessly. She had even broken through Nat's hard outer shell - within twenty minutes of meeting her. It was a record, to be sure.

Clint cleared his throat and forced himself to think about Steve's embarrassed face. Forced himself to think about a seventy year old wad of cum. Anything other than the missing piece.

“I found him.” Tasha announced. Clint closed the door behind himself softly.

“Is he alive?” He asked sarcastically.

“Well, yeah. I wouldn't have brought back a corpse.” Tasha retorted, then looked at Clint harder, looking past whatever semblance of a mask he had on. “What's wrong?”

“What'd you find out from him?” Clint asked, dodging the question.

“Not much. Centipede was good at covering their tracks.” Tasha admitted softly. “He was tracking them for months. He was bought out for the hit before the one that drove them to the bunker.”

“So he wasn't the one that took the last hit?”

“No. They were in Kansas before New York. He found them there and followed them to New York. Lost them while they were here, but then as soon as Jack popped up on our monitors he was back in business. I laughed at her, Clint, when she said that if we knew where they were, that Centipede would know. But she was right. He tried following Jack from the city, but lost him when he activated the cloaking. He managed to shoot a tracer at the van, but it was damaged and would only ping occasionally – that's why it took him so long to find them again.”

“But he's got nothing on Centipede?”

“They paid him $1,250,000 up front, cash. Unmarked, non-sequential bills.” Tasha shrugged. “No face to face contact. They talked through the dark web, once. He hasn't received his final payment yet - $2,750,000.”

“We could try to trace it when it comes in.” Clint muttered, knowing it probably wouldn't do much good.

“If they pay him.” Tasha nodded. “Are you going to tell me what's wrong now?”

“I'm just...sad?” Clint said softly, not looking at her. He couldn't look at her and break her heart.

“She's not gone.” Tasha said softly. “She's not. I know it looks like that...but they have that stupid serum and...We can still find her. Until there's a body, I'm looking for her.”

“Nat...there won't be a body.” Clint said softly. She made a small sound, disbelief and shock in a single sound. Clint's mask dropped completely. She took one look at him and pulled him into her arms. “Tony followed the feed a little further. After the scientist left.” Clint stopped, trying to hide the shaking in his voice. He couldn't stop the tears, but Nat couldn't see them – not with his face in her shoulder. “The reason the Eraser was too hot to go in was because she was in there.”

“Clint...I don't believe...”

“They dropped her off, they left, and they started the machine. No one else touched that room until we showed up on the feed. She's gone.”

“She can't be...” Nat whispered. Clint felt her knee buckle and tightened his grip on her, keeping her on her feet.

“She's gone.” Clint repeated. “She's gone.”

Nat clutched at Clint, a single sob breaking free from her chest. Hearing her grief brought his own back to the surface, and the two assassins fell to the floor still holding each other.

 

0-0-0-0-0

 

“Is everything okay?” Steven asked as Steve tucked him into bed for the night.

“Why do you ask that?” Steve hedged, smoothing the comforter over the boy's slight frame.

“Everyone was...different today. I don't think Tony came out of his lab, but he didn't want help.”

“He's just not ready for your help yet,” Steve whispered. He smiled slightly, “He needs to write the program first, then you can help him tweak it.”

“Clint was a zombie. Until Tasha got back, at least. Then they went to their floor and I didn't see them again.”

“Me either,” Steve shrugged, unable to explain that one away.

“And you and Jack were... Well, Jack locked himself in that blue van downstairs. I think he's still there. You tried, but...” Steven twisted his sheets between his fingers as he spoke. Steve stilled the nervous action and brushed the boy's hair back. It was just long enough to not stand straight up.

“It's not you. I promise, it's not you. You didn't do anything wrong.”

“But, they were okay yesterday.” Steven whispered, his voice cracking.

“To some extend, we're all spies. We're pretty good at hiding our feelings in front of strangers.” Steve explained, feeling uncomfortable. “Honestly, you should feel honored. You're part of the family already. You got to see behind the mask.”

“Is it cause of Skye?” Steven asked. “Cause Skye's dead?”

“Yeah, buddy.” Steve whispered, clearing his throat. “We thought we could save her, but we couldn't. It's hard to let go of someone that is important to you.”

“But you've seen lots of people die.” Steven pointed out. “It's your job.”

“That doesn't make it easier.” Steve replied, running his hand down the boy's hair. It was still damp from his bath. “Go to sleep. I'll see you in the morning.”

 

0-0-0-0-0

 

“Okay, we're doing something fun today.” Clint announced loudly over breakfast. Steven glanced up at Steve with a nervous smile. Steve snorted into his coffee and sloshed it over his hand. He hissed and shook the hot coffee from his skin.

“I'm not.” Tony said instantly, shaking his head to reaffirm his words. “I need to finish that program.”

“You don't want a break?” Steven said softly. “Or help?”

“I'll need your help,” Tony told the boy, mustering up a smile. “But not yet. I need to build the base of the program first.”

“Your turn will come, young Padawan.” Steve told the boy solemnly.

“What?” Steven frowned. Steve looked up proudly, beaming to the whole kitchen.

“I got a reference that he didn't!”

“He's seven.” Tasha informed Steve, shaking her head lightly.

“Yeah, but I got it.” Steve repeated, nudging Clint. He needed some response. Those were six movies off his list. Six.

“We're so proud of you, Grandpa.” Clint smirked. “What can we do that's fun?”

“What do you want to do, Steven?” Tasha asked, pulling the little boy into her side for a hug. He grinned up at her, wrapping his arms around her to give her a proper hug. She softened, extending the hug.

“I just want to spent time with you guys. Anything is fine.”

“Hmm, we can go to a park? Or a pool?”

“Have you seen the ocean yet?” Jack asked, sipping his coffee.

“The ocean?” Steven frowned, shaking his head.

“How much schooling did you get in there?” Steve asked. The boy's face dropped.

“Um, none? Nothing with books at least.” He peered at the adults clustered casually around them, trying to read their expressions. “I'm not dumb though. I can learn. I promise, I'll learn.”

“Oh, buddy.” Steve sighed, watching the boy's nervous movements. “We're not saying you're dumb. We just want to know where you're at so we can help fill in some gaps.”

“Besides, I'm sure you've done more than you realize.” Clint added, smiling at the boy. “Just more practical, hands on stuff and less book stuff.”

“{And hey, you've got a great start in world languages.}” Jack said in the mash-up, making the boy laugh out loud.

“That's true.” He grinned, shoveling more cereal into his mouth. It was getting soggy while they talked.

“We can pick a language to single out,” Jack smiled, switching back to English. “Make you fluent in a language someone else has a chance of knowing too.”

“But you know the language.” Steven smirked. “{My cool older brother knows my language.}”

“{Your cool older brother knows other languages too.}” Jack snorted. “{Skye was very strict about my learning. I won't be so hard on you.}”

“{Which language did Skye teach you first?}”

“{Mandarin.}”

“{Then let's start with that.}”

“Anyone else feel left out?” Clint asked, shooting the boy puppy dog eyes. Steven laughed and reached out to bop his nose.

“Jack's going to teach me Mandarin.”

“Aw, not Russian?” Tasha sighed dramatically. “Russian is the best language.”

“ _You_ can teach me Russian,” Steven smiled.

“Let's not overwhelm you,” Steve said. “You don't need to learn everything all at once. You're seven after all.”

“Remember though, the kids from the experiments were higher functioning.” Tony interjected. Jack pointed a finger towards Tony, nodding his agreement. His mouth was full of toast and he couldn't vocalize his agreement. “You'll need to keep him busy or he'll be bored. Bored boys get into trouble.”

“Would you know anything about that, Tony?” Steve smirked. Tony shrugged and nodded, silently saying _of course_.

“Okay, so we've got language covered,” Steve laughed. “I'll get you a tutor for now. We can think about enrolling you in a proper school later, after we've gotten things cleaned up.”

“After Tony and I find the scientists?” Steven guessed.

“That would be a good start.” Steve agreed.

“We don't have to get a tutor.” Clint shrugged. “Lord knows Tony won't let just anyone into his Tower, and frankly, I'd rather not have strangers around right now. Between us, we've all got subjects we're good at. We can take up subjects.”

“We'll be in and out on missions.” Tasha pointed out.

“So? He's already getting a unique schooling experience. He doesn't need to have one of those rigid school schedules.”

“I'll teach him about computers. That's a good skill to have.” Tony offered. Steven grinned at Steve, bouncing in his seat with excitement.

“Computer guy is going to teach me computers.” He whispered loudly. Tasha laughed out loud at the nickname and Tony's corresponding expression.

“I thought we agreed to drop that,” Tony muttered.

“You don't get to pick your nicknames.” Steve said pointedly. “I wouldn't be Capsicle if you could.”

“He makes a good point, Computer Guy.” Jack laughed. Tony sighed loudly, resigning himself.

“I can do math,” Clint offered. “Maybe with a side of practical physics? Someone else will have to take over eventually.”

“Practical physics?” Steven asked, pushing his empty cereal bowl away from himself.

“Tony will want to teach you all about theoretical stuff or space stuff...and frankly, who's going to use that?” Clint smirked, glancing at Tony as he ribbed him. “My physics are more real world. Trajectory and drag, for example.”

“Oh, cause you're good with arrows?” Steven asked innocently.

“Good with arrows?” Clint face palmed.

“Um...great with arrows?” Steven tried to correct. Tasha laughed loudly, making the boy feel better about hurting Clint's feelings.

“We can mess around with some mechanics.” Jack offered, taking the attention off Clint. “Maybe we can work with Tony, too. Get some chemistry in there?”

“No blowing stuff up.” Steve inserted quickly.

“Aw!” All three groaned. Steve and Tasha smiled at each other at their theatrics.

“What about little ones?” Tony asked. “Controlled, little, baby explosions. For chemistry. For science. For learning!”

“Please, Stevie?” Jack asked, pushing his bottom lip out. Steven looked over at Jack and mimicked his expression.

“Please, Stevie?” He asked, working his puppy dog eyes.

“Oh, you're fucked.” Tasha snorted.

“Tasha!” Clint hissed, clamping his hands around Steven's ears. “There are little ears around!”

“I've heard worse,” Steven said loudly.

“That doesn't make it okay.” Clint told the boy.

“I can't hear you!” Steven shouted. Clint sighed and removed his hands from Steven's ears.

“That doesn't make it okay.” Clint repeated.

“So, what are we doing today?” Tasha asked, bringing the subject back around. “Clint and I took a sick day, so no missions for us. Pretty sure Shield won't call Steve, not with how he handled the last call they placed. We've got all day.”

“We can do some sight seeing.” Jack offered. “He's never seen the ocean. He's never seen New York.”

“No offense, but aren't you guys a little too...obvious?” Steven asked, crinkling his forehead.

“We'll be undercover.” Steve grinned.

“Nat does a great undercover.” Clint agreed.

“I can't wait to see this.” Steven beamed, bouncing in place again.

“Okay, well, let's go get dressed.” Steve said slowly. “Let's see if Jack and Tasha picked you some normal clothes too.”

“He's such a whiner.” Tasha sighed, smirking at Clint.

“You should have seen what Jack dressed him in that first night. It was horrendous.”

“I've got pictures.” Tony agreed, swiveling his tablet to show Tasha images from Jarvis' memory bank. The one he chose showed Clint with his hand in his mouth, Steve and Tony with their mouths open in horror, and Steven and Jack standing just outside the elevator. Tasha took one look and burst out laughing.

“We can find you something just as fabulous for today.” Tasha offered.

“Please, no.” Steve and Steven said at the same time.

“We're trying to be discrete today.” Jack laughed.

“Okay, you go get dressed. We'll come back up here when we're all ready?” Clint chuckled.

“Deal.”

 

0-0-0-0-0

 

“Tasha?” Steven gasped, looking at the blonde stranger standing next to Clint.

“Hey, kiddo.” Tasha smirked.

“Whoa. You're good.” Steven gasped, walking around her in a circle. Clint was less recognizable than Tasha, especially with his arms covered and his bow put away, so he settled for some artificial facial hair. It did the job.

“We all ready?” Steve asked, tugging his hat lower on his face.

“Will someone tell him that a popped collar and a baseball cap doesn't make for a good cover?” Jack sighed, walking into the room. He was dressed normally, if a bit toned down. No one knew him, so he didn't need a cover.

“We've tried.” Clint sighed right back. “He's stubborn.”

“And I've never gotten made, so you both can eat it.” Steve replied, smirking.

“To the ocean!” Steven grinned, bouncing in place.

“First, to the secret escape tunnel.” Tony replied.

“You have a secret tunnel?” Steven asked, his eyes wide.

“Well, yeah. Covers don't do much if you walk out of Stark Tower. People will still know who you are.” Tony shrugged. “The tunnel will get you away from the Tower.”

“You're so smart.” Steven gushed.

“I think that was part of Pepper's design plan, right Tony?” Tasha interjected, smirking.

“Shush, crazy blonde lady,” Tony dismissed, waving a hand at her. Steven laughed and skipped to Steve's side, taking his hand to indicate he was ready.

 

0-0-0-0-0

 

“Think he had fun?” Steve asked, carrying the boy back to the Tower. He was passed out cold on Steve's shoulder.

“Well, _I_ had fun, so I'm sure he had fun.” Jack grinned.

“You've been locked in a bunker.” Clint snorted.

“He was locked in the facility and then in at Headquarters.” Tasha remarked, taking the lead on getting them all back to the entrance of the secret tunnel. As soon as the door closed behind them, Tasha pulled the wig off and shoved it in her bag. She moaned her appreciation when she should run her fingers through her hair and over her scalp.

“I'm sure he had fun, Steve.” Clint grinned, getting around to answering the question.

“Yeah?”

“Yeah. Stop worrying.”

“He was worried yesterday.” Steve admitted.

“Yeah...” Clint sighed, rubbing his face. His mustache was now in his hand. “I didn't handle yesterday well.”

“I don't think any of us did.” Steve nodded.

“How'd he sleep?” Tasha asked, nodding towards the boy.

“I didn't hear him at all, but he asked about having nightmares.” Steve replied. “Jack didn't wake either.”

“Jack was in your room?” Tasha smirked.

“I've been staying in his room.” Jack shrugged, unashamed. “I'm not used to sleeping alone.”

“Yeah, but you and Skye had separate beds.” Clint pointed out, grinning.

“Yeah...but I tend to be more...” Jack paused, struggling to find the right word.

“Tactile?” Steve offered, shooting him a smirk of his own.

“I tend to be more _tactile_ when I'm emotional.” Jack finished. “I think it's fair to say, I've been emotional lately.”

“Definitely fair.” Tasha agreed quietly. Clint opened the door to the Tower and ushered everyone in.

“It's good to have you back in the Tower.” Jarvis greeted.

“Where is everyone?” Steve asked, mentally trying to place everyone's location in the Tower. He liked having an idea of where everyone was.

“Sir is still in his lab. Ms. Potts is at Stark Industries.”

“Has he slept at all?” Steve asked, stepping into the elevator. Jarvis zoomed them to Steve's floor first.

“Sir has had four REM cycles in the past 72 hours.”

“Guys, wanna head to Bruce's lab?” Steve asked, shifting the boy in his arms. “I'll drop Steven off then meet you there?”

“We're gonna force some sleep on Tony?” Clint asked.

“He's our best chance at finding those scientists, but he can't do that with no sleep.” Steve replied.

“He needs it.” Tasha nodded.

Steve stepped off the elevator, letting Jarvis take the others to the lab. He settled Steven on his bed to remove his shoes and jacket. He stacked the items neatly by the side of the bed and tucked the boy in, pressing a kiss to his forehead without thinking about it.

“How are we going to do this?” Clint asked as Steve joined them in the lab. Bruce was shaking his head in the background.

“Don't get me involved in this. You know how mad he was last time.”

“Yeah, but Clint was not at all discrete.” Tasha pointed out.

“Yeah. He just pinched Tony's nose closed and made him swallow it.” Steve agreed.

“What! It worked, didn't it?” Clint grinned, toying with a small vial of blue liquid.

“We could put it into a drink?” Steve mused.

“It would have to be something he would actually drink, though.” Clint sighed. “So, no, Bruce. Tea is out.”

“He drinks it sometimes...” Bruce grumbled. Steve grinned and shook his head.

“Liquor it is. Who can deliver it the most convincingly?”

“Bruce.” Tasha and Clint responded immediately, pointing towards Bruce.

“Guys!”

“Bruce!” Clint replied back in the same exasperated tone. Bruce cracked a small smile and sighed.

“Fine. But I'm pleading the fifth if he's mad.”

“Done.” Tasha laughed.

 

Bruce walked back into the lab a few minutes later, scowling. The reason behind the scowl was apparent: his lab jacket and face was dripping the liquor he had tried to offer Tony.

“You guys suck.” Bruce informed them, then got right back on the elevator to take a shower.

 

 

 


	8. I'm sorry you can't hear well

 

 

“All right, Pip Squeak,” Tony called tiredly, “Come tweak with me.”

“Are you okay?” Steven asked, offering Tony a hug around the middle. Like Skye, he seemed immune from Tony's no touching rule.

“Just tired.” Tony replied, hugging him back.

“Wanna take a nap?” Steven offered. “I can do this until you get up.”

“Nah.” Tony huffed, crossing his arms with a smirk. “Sleep is over rated.”

“I think Skye would have wanted you to take care of yourself.” Steven said softly, unsure if he was crossing any lines. Tony's mouth dropped open and the air in his lungs huffed out, but he didn't say anything so Steven pressed on. “I mean, if Skye cared about you even a tiny bit as much as you care about...”

“I'll go take a nap,” Tony interrupted, leaving the room abruptly.

“Did I say something bad?” Steven asked Tasha. She was still labeling cards for him.

“Sometimes the truth is hard to hear.” Tasha mumbled, not looking up from her task.

“Should I...”

“No, just give him a bit. Hopefully he'll actually sleep.”

“More than we could do...” Clint muttered, nursing a cup of coffee, even though it was nearly lunch time.

“You don't do much, though.” Tasha smirked.

“Hey! I trained...yesterday? Nope, that was Ocean Day. The day before? Nope. Um...Damn.”

“Go.” Tasha laughed, pointing towards the door. “And check on the interrogation room while you're at it.”

“I'm learning here!” Clint argued.

“Clint, I know your hearing aids are charging and Tony has your backups in for a tune up. You're not learning shit.” Tasha muttered.

“Wait, hearing aids?” Steven asked, glancing up from his note cards.

“Clint can't hear well.” Tasha explained.

“Oh.” Steven nodded, then looked over at Clint and said very slowly and very loudly. “I'm sorry you can't hear well.”

“Jarvis, you recorded that, right?” Steve laughed, walking into the room. He had just finished his own training and was still slick with sweat. He headed straight for the fridge and grabbed a bottle of water.

“Yes, I recorded that.” Jarvis replied.

“I don't hear _well_.” Clint told the boy with a smirk. “Not, I don't hear _at all_.”

“You're basically deaf.” Tasha argued.

“I am not!”

“You slept through the fire alarm that cleared the building when Tony blew up one of his labs.”

“I was _sleeping_. It was _important_.”

“You nearly died on that 0-8-4 mission in the Amazon.” Steve added. “Cause the moisture messed up your hearing aids and you didn't hear the gun cocking at your head.”

“I was testing your super hearing.” Clint retorted, waving his hands at them in a bring it on gesture. Tasha and Steve grinned at each other and fired back at Clint.

“What about when you were trying to hide the fact that you forgot your hearing aids and jumped out of the plane too early?” Steve asked, smirking.

“Easy. I knew where I was _supposed to go_. Your plans were off, a bit.”

“You were 75 miles from where you were supposed to be.” Steve laughed.

“What about when I called out about the last doughnut and you didn't hear me.”

“Aw, doughnut.” Clint sighed. He knew Tasha had him.

“I remember him crying over missing out on the last one.” Steve told Tasha, making a mock serious face.

“You remember correctly, Grandpa.” Tasha smirked back.

“How can you know what we're saying if you can't hear well?” Steven asked, frowning with confusion.

“I can read lips.” Clint shrugged.

“But what if I'm not looking at you?”

“Why wouldn't you be looking at me?” Clint preened. “I'm gorgeous.”

“Yes, he's being mostly serious.” Steve grinned, watching the interaction. “Where's Tony? I thought he was going to come grab you for some...computering...”

“Computering?” Tasha laughed, throwing her head back.

“He's sleeping.” Steven replied, flipping through to another pile of note cards. “Or, at least, he said he was going to. I hope he is.”

“Jarvis?”

“Sir's breathing patterns indicate he is asleep.”

“So, you can't hear Jarvis?” Steven asked Clint.

“No, I can't hear Jarvis right now.”

“So you don't know if Tony is asleep or not?”

“Steve and Tasha both visibly relaxed. Tony is sleeping.”

“Hmm, you're good.”

“I know.” Clint agreed, wiggling his eyebrows. “I'm going to go train before Tasha kicks my butt.”

“It's been days, Clint.” Tasha pointed out.

“Yeah, well, sometimes a break is better for you than constant training. Take Tony for example. He's taking a break.”

“Yeah, but he was working before that.”

“Just. No.” Clint replied, flapping his hand lazily at her. He got up and walked away, shouting, “I can't hear you. Look at me not watching your lips move. I win because you  _ can't _ get in the last word.”

“He's such a child.” Tasha sighed, handing Steven the last of her cards. “There you go kiddo. This should be a good start.”

“What are you guys doing?” Steve asked, sitting down beside the boy.

“Tasha's teaching me Russian.” Steven told Steve, grinning proudly. He waved a thick stack of cards at Steve. “But I need to build my vocabulary before we can start learning practical stuff.”

“Hey, when  _ is _ Tony's birthday?” Jack asked, walking in. “You just said in a couple days.”

“Crap. It's today...isn't it?” Tasha asked, looking at Steve.

“It is...” Steve nodded, frowning. It was a testament to how fucked up the last few days were; Steve normally remembered the details.

“Okay, well Tony is sleeping, so we have time to set something up.” Tasha nodded, quickly reorganizing her day to include a birthday party.

“He probably won't sleep for very long.” Steve muttered.

“We can go work on the program when he wakes up.” Steven supplied. “I can make sure he stays in the lab.”

“Boom!” Jack agreed, snapping his fingers at the boy. “Steve, we can go get some party stuff.”

“Party stuff?”

“Uh, yeah. We need cake.” Jack sighed, like Steve was stupid. Tasha and Steven swiveled their heads towards Steve, grinning at Jack's tone.

“Cake it is.” Steve agreed. “Are we buying one or making one?”

“Can anyone cook here?” Jack asked, throwing his hands up in a defeated gesture. “Cause I would ruin a cake.”

“Buying one it is.” Steve laughed.

 

0-0-0-0-0

 

“Where's Steven?” Steve asked, walking in on Tasha and Clint. He set the cake on the counter and glanced at the balloons and streamers that were adorning the room.

“Computering.” Tasha grinned. She was sitting on Clint's shoulders, pinning the last clump of balloons onto the wall.

“Jack, package came for you.” Clint told Jack, bending over to let Tasha climb down from his shoulders.

“Package?” Jack asked, frowning.

“You didn't order anything?” Clint asked, his own frown forming.

“No.”

“Let's go have Bruce scan it.” Clint said immediately, pulling Jack with him to the elevator. Jack barely retained his grip on the small box.

“Who is it from?” Steve asked, sliding into the elevator just as the doors shut.

“Doesn't say.” Clint replied. Jack was staring at the box, holding it firmly between his two shaking hands.

“Jack?” Steve asked softly. “Do you know what it is?”

“Not for sure...” Jack whispered. A tear slipped free, sliding haphazardly down one cheek.

“What do you think it is?”

“Skye has...protocols...” Jack whispered.

“Protocols?” Clint asked.

“So we were taken care of.” Jack's voice was just barely audible. Steve pulled Jack into his side, tugging him from the elevator.

“Bruce, can you scan this package before we open it?” Clint asked, prying the box from Jack's grip.

“Who is it from?” Bruce asked, taking the package anyway.

“Not sure.” Clint shrugged.

“It came for Jack?” Bruce asked, setting it on the table. He pulled out a piece of machinery and passed it over the top a few times. Clint nodded.

“It's nothing explosive.” Bruce told them. “Appears to be biological?”

“So we can open it?”

“Should be safe.”

“Jack?”

“You can do it.”

“Do you really think it's from her?” Steve asked softly.

“Indirectly.” Jack mumbled. “She didn't mail this. Like I said...she has... _ had _ protocols.”

“It's...blood?” Clint said, his tone questioning, even as he pulled what was clearly a bag of blood from the box. “It's cool.”

“It's not fucking cool,” Jack growled.

“Not cool, like...cool.” Clint sighed. “Temperature wise. It's temperature cool.”

“So someone just mailed this.” Steve nodded, catching on.

“The box is well insulated.” Bruce agreed, inspecting the packaging. “It would have kept it at a good temperature for a while.”

“There isn't a note or anything?” Steve asked, pulling Jack tighter to his side. Jack twisted, pulling himself into Steve's chest for a proper hug. “There was a note with Tony's birthday present.”

“She sent the birthday present.” Jack mumbled, his words almost incoherent because of how tightly pressed against Steve he was. “She didn't send this.”

“I don't understand.” Clint sighed, rubbing his face. “Explain this whole protocol thing.”

“It's pretty fucking self explanatory.” Jack grumbled. “She has protocols, on a timer. Every week, she would reset them. If everything was okay, we didn't need what the protocols provided. If it wasn't okay, the protocols would fill the gap – the need. She's probably disabled the other ones...we each had one...”

“Each kid from Delta?” Steve asked softly.

“Yeah.” Jack nodded against Steve's shoulder. “I'll probably be getting another box soon, with my meds. I'm almost out.”

“Why wouldn't you tell us that?” Clint sighed, resisting the urge to smack the man.

“Because then I have to admit that she's gone...” Jack whispered. His breath hitched in his chest and suddenly he was sobbing. “No fucking blood is going to fill her gap.”

“But we could have gotten you more medication.” Bruce said softly. Steve winced when the sobbing intensified. He waved the others back, leading Jack to the elevator. Jack let Steve lead him, trusting him to get him somewhere private.

“Wanna go back to our floor or the van?” Steve asked softly.

“Van.”

“Van it is.” Steve agreed, letting Jarvis take them there. “Wanna show me some more pictures?”

“What do you want to see?” Jack asked, pulling away from Steve when he slid the van door open.

“Anything. Something that makes you happy.”

“That'll be hard.”

“You know what I meant,” Steve scolded softly.

“I know. I'm sorry.” Jack whispered, dragging himself into the van. Steve followed suit and closed the door behind them. “Hit the cloaking button? I just want some privacy.”

“You got it.”

“So, what did you want to see?” Jack asked, pulling Steve back so he could boot up Skye's system inside the van.

“How did you guys celebrate birthdays?” Steve asked, shrugging.

“Can I show you my favorite pictures?” Jack asked, sniffling around a small smile.

“I would love to see those.” Steve nodded, smiling.

“For my birthday this year, we were on the run. Skye knew we were going to have to move soon...She never told me. I never handled it well. You would think you would get used to it... Anyway, she surprised me before my actual birthday.” Jack pulled up pictures, making Steve laugh. “We went to a thrift shop and picked out outfits for each other. I think I definitely won.”

“It's awful.” Steve agreed, chortling. Skye was wearing brown plaid bell bottoms, platform shoes with fake goldfish in the bottom, and a skin tight white shirt that said  _ I know I'm cute _ . Her hair was done up in tight curls with a flower headband woven between the locks. Jack was in drag, wearing a red ballroom gown with a slit up his thigh. He was wearing a blonde wig and extremely long fake eyelashes. “How did you walk in those shoes!”

“I think I lost them by the second bar.” Jack admitted. “I almost broke my ankle.”

“You went bar hopping like that?” Steve grinned.

“Had a contest, to see who could get guys to buy them the most drinks.”

“Oh man.” Steve sighed, reclining back slightly as Jack clicked through the pictures. There were a lot of pictures with men that Steve didn't recognize, though most of the pictures were with Jack.

“We had to get a picture to prove we got the drink,” Jack explained, answering Steve's unspoken question.

“Who won?” Steve asked, trying to ignore the tingles of jealousy that were racing down his spine. In one picture, Skye was looking decidedly annoyed. She was clutching the hand of the man next to her, pinching his fingers in a way that looked uncomfortable. Steve could only imagine what the man had done to deserve that. If he had been at the bar with her, she wouldn't have had to deal with any of that crap.

“I did, of course.” Jack scoffed. “Skye was never really into the whole bar scene. But I got super confident and asked lots of guys for lots of drinks.”

“I bet you did.” Steve smirked. “How drunk did you guys get?”

“You mean how drunk did I get?” Jack laughed. It sounded fake, forced...but he was trying. “I don't remember most of these pictures. Skye kicked off her goldfish shoes and tossed me over her shoulder. I was too drunk to walk back to the van.”

“Skye didn't let her guard down enough to enjoy a few birthday drinks with you?”

“Skye can't get drunk.” Jack retorted.

“Like Tasha can't get drunk or like I can't get drunk?” Steve asked.

“I don't understand the question.”

“Did she have a high tolerance?”

“Oh. No. She never drank. Okay, not  _ never _ . She rarely drank. So I'm assuming it's not a tolerance thing.”

“So it's like the medication never working right on her?” Steve guessed.

“I guess.” Jack shrugged. “I never really thought about it. I slept through my hangover and Skye drove us to our new location. It was very low stress for me. Skye was always good at that. Making things low stress for me.”

“Give me some time to figure you all out and I'll make things as low stress as possible for you, too.” Steve said softly, then laughed at the picture on the screen. Jack was passed out on the floor of the van; the wig was half off, one fake eyelash had been lost, and someone (Skye, probably) had drawn a mustache on his face in black marker. “This is my favorite picture so far.”

“It would be, you big jerk.” Jack teased, huffing lightly.

“Show me some more from when you were younger.” Steve asked. “I've seen the stuff from the bunker and from the last year, but I want to see more of you as a kid.”

“I was different as a kid.” Jack warned, opening another file on the screen.

“Better different or worse different?”

“Hmm, both?”

“How so?”

“Things are worse for the youngest.” Jack whispered, like it explained things. And it did. It was a phrase that kept being repeated. It was worse for the youngest; it was a fact, even if he wasn't exactly sure how. He was afraid to ask. Jack continued after a beat, when Steve didn't press further. “I was a clingy kid. You're not going to find a picture where I'm not right next to Skye.”

“Somehow that doesn't surprise me.” Steve said softly.

“Stevie!” Jack whined, pouting.

“What!” Steve chuckled. “You're clingy now.”

“Not as bad.” Jack chuckled, pointing to a picture on screen like it would prove his point. Steve suppressed a sigh. It totally proved his point. The little Jack on the screen was clinging to Skye, wrapped around her like a monkey. Skye was smirking at the camera, her hip jutted out to hold the boy more easily.

“How old did you say you were here?” Steve asked, trying to hide his smile.

“Hmm, ten and a half?”

“So...a little big to be sitting on her hip.”

“A lot big to be sitting on her hip.” Jack agreed. He blushed and looked down, then admitted softly. “I called her Mom, once.”

“How'd she take that?”

“She ran away.” Jack admitted. “Everyone was pissed at me, because they thought she left for good. We had done plenty of terrible things, things we were sure would get her to abandon us, but she never did. They were sure that was the straw that broke the camel's back.”

“She came back though.”

“Yeah, twenty minutes later. She apologized like crazy, for scaring us. She just needed some space, but she could see that we thought she was gone. She made me feel better, comforted me when I was the one that scared her. I never called her Mom again.”

“Did you think of her as your mom?” Steve asked, cocking his head towards Jack.

“When I was little.” Jack nodded. “Hell, I think I still do. That's why I call her sissy so much. To remind myself.”

“Did she know that?”

“Uh, no.” Jack grinned, smacking Steve's shoulder.

“You don't think she would take that well?”

“Steve, she freaked out.”

“She was 18.”

“It's just...I was never good at showing her how much I cared about her. So I just became better at doing what I was told. That's how I showed her. I showed her by not pushing. And now, I have nothing to show for it.”

“I wouldn't say nothing.”

“I know nothing about her childhood. I mean, she mentioned the orphanage once or twice over the years, but I don't know anything else about it. I don't know how she met 47, or why he was so inclined to trust her with us. I don't know why she decided to break us all out and take on that much responsibility.”

“She likes her privacy,” Steve agreed.

“I think all that power went to her head,” Jack snorted, his tone half joking. “She was so good at being in charge that she didn't realize we grew up.”

“It's hard to let go,” Steve muttered, shrugging. He wasn't sure how to respond to Jack. He didn't give off the vibe of being a responsible adult, though he was definitely old enough to qualify. He could see why Skye might not trust him with much.

“What are we doing for Tony's birthday?” Jack asked after a long silence.

“Something quiet. He's not in the mood for his typical drunken birthday bash. We can throw him a proper party later.” Steve shrugged.

“I was thinking about wrapping up Skye's hacking hoodie, to give to him...for his birthday.” Jack admitted, reaching to grab a dark blue hoodie from beneath Skye's computer system. “Do you think that's a good idea?”

“I think he would love it.” Steve nodded, fingering the fabric. She must have worn it often; the fabric was soft and pliable. Steve brought it to his face, rubbing the fabric on his face. It still smelled like her. His jaw clenched, fighting to regain control of his emotions. There was a giant hole missing from his chest. A Skye sized hole.

“Unless you would rather have it?” Jack said softly.

“I wouldn't fit in it.” Steve snorted, trying to plaster an amused smirk on his face. “Besides, Tony would get the significance better. Hacking Hoodie.”

“I remember when she bought it.” Jack smiled, pulling the hoodie from Steve's grip. “It was the first thing she bought for herself after getting us out. She said she was cold. She had always worn long sleeves around us, so it wasn't a surprise. She cut the cuffs, so her thumbs could poke through.” He pulled his arms into the sleeves, wiggling his thumbs through the holes. “This was her first attempt at sewing.”

“I see she hasn't gotten any better.” Steve smiled, eyeing the crooked criss-crosses holding the seams together.

“At least she didn't bleed all over this one.” Jack chuckled. “This way she could type and stay warm at the same time.”

“We can go wrap it up.” Steve nodded.

 

 

 


	9. It's my birthday and I say...

 

 

“I don't want to.” Tony groaned as Pepper pulled him from his lab. He put down his heels but he had socks on and Pepper had no problem dragging him all the way to the elevator. “I should get to decide if I celebrate at all!”

“Told you he would whine about it,” Clint whispered loudly. Pepper and Tony both looked up at the voice, frowning. Their frowns deepened when they heard the small giggle that followed.

“Are you two on top of a moving elevator?” Pepper asked, her voice fierce.

“Yes, ma'am!” Clint replied enthusiastically.

“Does Steve know you have his mini-me on top of a moving elevator?” Tony sighed. There was no response. Tony grumbled to Pepper, “Watch me get blamed for this.”

“Tooony, you worry too much.” Steven dismissed.

“Oh, God.” Pepper sighed. “You two are rubbing off on him already.”

“You say that like it's a bad thing!” Tony and Clint huffed at the same time. Steven was giggling when the elevator stopped at the common area. Clint removed the grate and passed Steven down to Tony, then dropped down into the elevator.

“Were you on top of the elevator!?” Steve all but shouted, his eyes wide.

“No?” Clint denied, pulling an overly innocent face and shaking his head.

“We're not allowed to lie here,” Steven informed Clint. Tony grinned and watched the scene play out, still holding the boy.

“We were on top of the elevator.” Clint sighed.

“While it was moving?!”

“Uh huh.”

“Remember what I said would happen if anyone ever hurts Steven again?” Steve asked, narrowing his eyes at his friend. Clint winced, but Steven was more than happy to help him out. His hand shot into the air and he squirmed in Tony's grip excitedly.

“I TELL YOU AND THEN YOU TAKE CARE OF IT!” He shouted, punching the air with his fists.

“Inside voice,” Clint grumbled, crossing his arms.

“Oh, that's rich.” Tony laughed. “This is the best birthday present ever.”

A screen descended from the ceiling, making everyone swivel to watch it.

“What did you guys do?” Tony asked, frowning. They weren't allowed to tamper with his electronics. Hell, they didn't know _how_ to tamper...

There was only one person that knew how to mess with his stuff.

“ _Hmm...Hmm...” Jack hummed on the screen, thumping his chest. He adjusted his pitch and hummed again._

“Jack?” Tony frowned.

“Just watch.” Jack replied, smiling softly.

“ _You good yet?” Skye giggled from off screen._

“ _Will you shush! We're recording already!”_

“ _Then why are you doing your vocal check now?”_

“ _Shhhh!” Jack frowned, swatting off to his left. Another hand swatted back and Skye giggled. “Okay, I'm ready.”_

“ _Can I come on now?” Skye asked._

“ _Are you going to keep a straight face?”_

“ _Probably not, but we can edit it back out later.”_

“ _Skylar Elizabeth! Get out here so we can sing the old guy his birthday song!”_

_Skye threw herself across Jack's lap, making him groan loudly. For a second, all that they could see of Skye was her hair and shoulder as she struggled to move herself on Jack's lap. He grumbled about bruising, but by then she had situated herself and grinned at the camera._

“ _Happy Birthday to you...”_

“You never mentioned this,” Tony whispered, turning to look at Jack as the song wrapped up. Jack just shook his head and kept watching the screen. Steve noted absently that she was wearing the blue hoodie that Jack had just finished wrapping for Tony.

“ _Happy Birthday, Dad!” Skye grinned, waving at the camera. “If you don't have fun tonight, you're going to be in big trouble mister!”_

“ _But not too much fun!” Jack added in, shaking a stern finger at the camera. He turned to look at Skye and added, “He can be your dad, but he's not mine.”_

“ _Fine.” Skye shrugged. “But you're not a very good brother if we don't have the same dad.”_

“ _He abducted me, Skye! ABDUCTED me!”_

“ _You hacked him.”_

“You _hacked him.”_

“ _You placed my unfinished program.” Skye sighed. “Now shut up and say bye.”_

“ _Bye!” They both shouted, grinning and waving._

The screen retracted into it's usual position, and the room was quiet.

“That was Skye, huh?” Steven asked finally, breaking the uncomfortable silence that had fallen. He was still smiling at the screen. Skye seemed like fun. Now he could understand why everyone was so upset.

“Yeah. That's my Skye.” Jack replied, trying for a smile. His throat was pinching tightly and he wasn't sure he could talk any more without crying. Steven rested his head on Tony's shoulder, tightening his grip around his neck. He had gone stiff when the video started.

“Skye seems nice. And funny.” Steven commented. There were nods from all around. “Tony, are you really Skye's dad?”

“No,” Tony replied, forcing himself to laugh. He kind of felt like crying. She looked so happy.

“It was a joke,” Clint supplied. “Tony was being all...worried...and Skye called him out on it. I think it was an accident, the first time she called him it.”

“You're not old enough to be Skye's dad.” Steven agreed softly, stroking a small hand down Tony's cheek.

“You never mentioned this.” Steve said.

“I didn't know if she finished uploading it. I didn't want to say something in case it didn't happen.” Jack shrugged. He held out his present to Tony, shrugging. “I guess this is as good of time as any.”

“I don't need presents.” Tony dismissed.

“Open it.” Jack frowned, wiggling it insistently.

“Open it,” Steve agreed, taking Steven from him.

Tony sighed and took the package. More than anything, he wanted to retreat to his lab so he could be alone. So he could rewatch the video on his own. Everyone in the room was watching him though, and he didn't want to be the one to disappoint their new addition. The boy was standing directly between Steve and Jack, clinging to their hands, probably seeing how much they needed it right then. Steve had his other arm wrapped around Jack's shoulder – the trio looking like a weird family photo. Steven _could_ be the child of Steve and Jack. The boy's complexion was just lighter than Jack's, and his hair was more brown than Jack's black hair. Steve's light complexion and hair could have evened that out.

Tony shook his head, dismissing that strange line of thinking and finally opened his present. His first thought, being the ass that he never denied he could be, was that his gift was used. Why had Jack given him a used present? Tony frowned and looked up at Jack, but his head was on Steve's shoulder and Tony couldn't catch his eye. He pulled it fully from the wrapping paper, realizing it was a jacket. A hoodie? A definitely used hoodie.

“Thanks?” Tony told Jack, forcing a smile. Jack and Steve both laughed at that.

“You didn't pay attention very closely to the video.” Steve smiled. Tony thought the clue over, replaying the video in his head. He had been watching Skye too closely and had obviously missed something...oh. She had been wearing a blue hoodie.

“This is hers?”

“Her _hacking hoodie_.” Jack smiled. “Sorry for it being so well loved.”

“Hacking hoodie?” Tony asked, looking dumbfounded.

“She gets...shit. She _got_ cold, but she needed her fingers free for typing...for hacking. This was her solution. She always wore it when she was hacking.” Jack told him. He shrugged, “I thought you might like it.”

“You don't want it?”

“A. I don't hack. B. That is _so_ not my style.” Jack dismissed, his face contorting in mock disgust. Tony laughed and pulled the hoodie on over his Black Sabbath shirt.

“Is it my style?”

“It's so you.” Jack grinned, walking over to fix the hood so it laid flat between Tony's shoulder blades. It was one of his pet peeves. He stood in front of Tony and braced himself. “So, I know you don't do the whole touching thing...but Skye would give you a hug if she was here...so, just suck it up. Okay?”

Jack pulled Tony into a hug a little more forcefully than necessary. He patted his back roughly, making Tony grunt at the impact. Steven giggled lightly, looking at the awkward hug.

“I've never seen a hug like that.” Steven told Steve softly, peering up at him. Jack and Tony started laughing, allowing Tony to push Jack away.

“Hopefully you never have to see that again, Pip Squeak.”

“Can I give you my present now?” Steven asked, grinning.

“When did you get a present?” Steve asked.

“Tasha helped me.” Steven shrugged. “Can I?”

“Go get it,” Steve smiled. Steven hurried off, plunging the room back into awkward silence.

“This is ridiculous,” Pepper sighed finally. “Tony, go get a drink.”

“Oh, thank God.” Tony chuckled, glad to be given an out. Tasha followed him, slamming back a shot of Russian vodka. They both came back with alcohol in hand. Tony passed some wine off to Pepper just as Steven came running back into the room with a small package. Tony handed off his glass and took the package with a smile.

“You know you didn't have to get me anything, right?” Tony asked, opening the present anyway.

“I didn't get it. I made it. Mostly.” Steven retorted, wriggling with excitement. Clint and Steve exchanged a look and shook their heads at his energy level.

“You're going to give him cake?” Clint whispered.

“Absolutely not.” Steve replied just as quietly.

“Computer guy?” Tony sighed, holding up a white muscle shirt. Steven had written 'Computer Guy' on the front in messy, seven year old print. A badly drawn computer and two people were under the letters. Steven grinned and nodded.

“In case you forget, cause you're so old now.” Steven told him, then looked back at Tasha to confirm that he had said it correctly. Tasha winked and gave him a thumbs up. Steven beamed widely at her approval.

“Turn it over. I added my gift to the back.” Clint grinned, cracking open a bottle of beer. Tony did as he was bid and instantly frowned.

“I am not.” Tony retorted.

“What does it say?” Steve asked, smiling. Tony just shook his head and held the shirt up. The back said 'Steven's least favorite uncle' in Clint's messy sprawl. Steve couldn't help but laugh, even though it earned him a dirty look from Tony. “Hey! You haven't even shown him the robots yet. How are you supposed to be his favorite?”

“Robots. Now.” Tony replied, hauling Steven over his shoulder. Pepper laughed and ushered him away from the elevator.

“You can do that tomorrow. We're doing a birthday party tonight.”

“Or you can do robot stuff and I can drink your other present.” Tasha shrugged, holding out a bottle of scotch with a bow around the top.

“Uh, no!” Tony whined again, looking back and forth between the elevator and the scotch.

“We have longer if we do it tomorrow,” Steven told Tony's back. “Also, there's a lot of blood in my head right now.”

“Put him down,” Steve chuckled. “We ordered in your favorite dinner food and got you a cake. Suck it up. We're doing a birthday party.”

“This is not a party. This is a sausage fest.”

“Do you want to go out to a club?” Steve shot back, not missing a beat.

“Not in the slightest.” Tony admitted. “Fine. Let's do this.”

“Cake first?” Steven giggled.

“NO!” Clint and Steve said emphatically. Tony chuckled and tossed the boy onto the couch.

“It's my birthday and I say you can eat whatever you want.”

“ _I told you he would say it.” Skye whispered from the ceiling. Jack chuckled in the background. Skye's voice was deeper the next time she spoke, “It's my birthday and I say...”_

“ _Well, he is a  pompous  ass.”_

“ _Hey! Don't say that about the super old birthday boy.” Skye reprimanded Jack. “Now do it.”_

“ _I don't wanna.”_

“ _Too bad. Do it.”_

“ _Hi, I'm Tony Stark and I need to tell everyone more than once that it's my birthday!” Jack belted out, making his voice sound like Tony's. “Cause it's my birthday, you have to do as I say.”_

“ _I love when you do that.” Skye giggled._

The room waited for the voices to go on, but they didn't. Tony shot Jack a dirty look, which made him bust into wet laughter.

“I'm sorry!” Jack replied, wiping his eyes. Steven shuffled in place, clutching his hands together.

“He doesn't really think you're an ass.” Steven chimed in helpfully. Steve hung his head at the language, which made everyone else burst into laughter.

“Dinner, then cake!” Tony shouted, ushering people to the table where the food was already waiting.

 

0-0-0-0-0

 

“Okay, so this is obviously because of the sugar, for Steven,” Clint said conversationally, plopping down next to Steve on the couch. “But I don't know what Tony's on.”

They both watched Steven and Tony dancing around the room to music that was blaring loudly. Tony picked Steven up and swung him around, making the boy giggle.

“Well, at least Tony's helping burn off the sugar he let him have.” Steve shrugged. “They both should sleep well.”

“Has he not? Steven, I mean?” Clint asked. Steve quirked an eyebrow. “You keep mentioning his sleep.”

“He hasn't woken me,” Steve shrugged.

“You're sleep deprived too, even for you.” Clint retorted. He twirled a pair of drumsticks, thinking things over. “Maybe you're just not hearing him.”

“I hear Jack every time he rolls over.” Steve replied. “I hear him every time he starts mumbling about Skye and I hear him every time he starts crying because she's gone. I think I would hear an upset seven year old.”

“Then why do you keep mentioning his sleep?” Clint asked.

“I don't know. He seems okay, but he always seems okay.”

“Aside from that meltdown at Headquarters.”

“True.” Steve admitted. “I mean, I see him fall asleep and he's always asleep when I check on him before I go to bed. And he's usually still asleep when I get up in the morning...It's just...”

“Maybe he just needs less sleep than us.” Clint offered. “We're still learning what exactly that serum did to him.”

“Bruce have any luck getting a hold of Coulson's team yet?”

“They're on a mission. They said they would check in when they were finished.”

“Who knows how long that will take?”

“We could motivate them.” Tony grinned, twirling closer with Steven in arm.

“With what?” Steve asked, glad to see some humor in Tony's eyes. Even if it was because of excessive alcohol consumption.

“Twerking man!” Jack giggled, holding tightly to his glass.

“We don't have Twerking Man,” Tony retorted. “I have Humping Man, though. Oh, Clint – didn't you want to send it to headquarters anyway? This would be perfect. Except to their plane. I would send Humping Man to their plane.”

“I have Twerking Man!” Jack laughed. He set his glass down and ran for the elevator. His running was crooked and sloppy, which made Clint snort with amusement.

“He's going to sleep well.” Clint grinned, pointing to Jack's retreating form with his drum sticks.

“He's been holding back on us!” Tony gasped, affronted.

“Tony, I need some water.” Steven announced loudly.

“Let's get some water!” Tony replied, just as loudly. Pepper and Tasha looked up from their spot on the opposite couch, surprised that that line had come out of Tony's mouth. Tony caught their look and grinned. “For the _boy_ ,” He informed them before waltzing off to the kitchen for some water.

“I think I almost had a heart attack.” Pepper commented, clutching her chest dramatically. Tasha giggled beside her.

“That would be the day...” Tasha chuckled, but cut off her sentence when Tony came back with his own glass of water.

“Oh, shit.” Pepper muttered, burying her face in Tasha's shoulder. “I'm too old to learn his new tricks. What is he doing?”

“Either he's lost his mind in his old age, or Steven has figured out how to control him.” Tasha muttered back, wrapping an arm around Pepper's shoulders. She glanced around the room, taking in all the males in attendance. It really was a sausage fest. She was used to being surrounded with men, working with men...but she had become close to Pepper since moving into the Tower. It would have been nice to have another female in the Tower, just to balance out all of the testosterone that could sometimes overwhelm both Pepper and her. She smiled slightly; Skye would have kept the boys in their place.

“It scares me how good he can be with Steven.” Pepper admitted softly. She knew Tasha would never hold her words against her.

“Especially considering he's only known him for a few days _and_ Steven is super touchy.” Tasha agreed.

“What are they doing?” Pepper sighed, watching Jack stumble off the elevator. His wide grin made her concerned.

“Not sure. We could go see?” Tasha shrugged.

“Can we take the blanket?” Pepper whined lightly; it was cold in the Tower. Tasha snorted at the tone. THE Pepper Potts would never let anyone else hear her like this. It meant more than Tasha cared to admit that Pepper let her guard down around her. She didn't have that type of relationship with any other female.

“Stupid question,” Tasha replied, tugging Pepper up and taking the blanket with her. “Scoot,” Tasha told Clint. He and Steve separated, letting the ladies sit between them.

“Oh, God. You're so warm.” Pepper moaned, making Steve blush instantly.

“See!” Jack shouted, raising his hand like he was making a point.

“Shh!” Steve groaned, swatting Jack's hand out of his face. “You're interrupting Tony's work.”

“Oh, this isn't work.” Tony giggled, typing quickly on a laptop. Normally he would have gone down to his lab to do this, but he liked the weird familial atmosphere that had developed in the room. He was going sentimental in his old age – he had never craved this atmosphere before. In fact, he would have gone to great lengths to avoid this very situation. Everyone but Bruce was crammed onto the couch, chatting with each other and enjoying each other's company. He glanced up, getting a look down the couch again, and couldn't help but smile at his family.

“You should let me go,” Steven murmured sleepily against Tony's chest. He was sitting on his lap, watching him type, but he felt in the way. Tony grumbled but let the boy slip from his lap. He clambered over Jack to Steve, accepting some of the blanket from Pepper. He slipped into the small space between her body and Steve's. She wrapped an arm around him, pulling him in for a cuddle. Steve watched on their interaction with affection; he was glad everyone was getting on so well with the boy. Lord knows they weren't equipped for kids.

“What are you sausages doing?” Pepper asked jokingly.

“Messing with Coulson.” Steve smiled.

“Doing what?”

“Remember Twerking Man?” Tony asked. Pepper shook her head. “Hmm, maybe I didn't tell you about him. Did I mention Humping Man?” Pepper shook her head again. “Hmm. You've been out of the loop.”

“It's not my fault you leave me out of things!” Pepper retorted.

“We'll update you on Skye's versions of Iron Man when there is a more appropriate audience.” Tasha grinned, nodding towards Steven. Pepper's mouth quirked up in understanding. “We can show you Twerking Man though.”

“I'm working with him!” Tony argued, shaking his head.

“Well, stop taking so long so we can show Pepper.” Tasha sighed, swirling her drink.

“Coulson's gonna flip.” Clint giggled, draping himself around Tasha. “Can we go to Headquarters tomorrow and see it?”

“We have a mission tomorrow.” Tasha reminded him.

“A short one.” Clint retorted easily. He grinned at Tasha winningly, “Please? Please can we go see Coulson tomorrow?”

“Can I wake you up early so we can get to headquarters before the mission?” Tasha countered.

“How early?”

“We need to leave Headquarters by 8am for the mission. Wake you up at 6 to get you caffeinated, then head in. Should give us about an hour to suit up and see Coulson...if he's back.”

“Deal.”

“6am. Not 6:30, not almost 7.” Tasha clarified. “6.”

“Fiiiiiine,” Clint groaned loudly. Steven grinned sleepily at him.

“I can make sure you're awake,” He offered.

“Deal!” Tasha grinned. “If Clint doesn't get out of bed, you can come jump on him.”

“Done!” Tony smirked, raising his hands from the computer. “Oh, man. I can't wait to see Agent's face.”

“You're going to hack into Shield, aren't you?” Steve asked.

“I already hacked into Shield.”

“You're going to hack into the surveillance feeds, aren't you?” Steve corrected.

“Oh, yeah.” Tony grinned.

“You should find me this one's temper tantrum while you're at it.” Steve smiled, nodding down at Steven. The boy winced and shook his head.

“I'm not sure you want to see that.”

“That's exactly why I do want to see it!” Steve laughed. “I need to know what I'm getting into.”

“What if I promise not to do it ever again?”

“Steven, you can't promise that. You're seven.”

“But...”

“You're not going to get into trouble.” Clint said from the far end of the couch. “We just need to know what to expect if you're ever that angry. We're still not really sure what you're capable of.”

“I won't get into trouble?” Steven clarified, his eyes downcast.

“You won't get in trouble.” Steve and Clint agreed. Steven looked up with a small smile.

“You guys said the same thing.” Steven giggled. He yawned deeply mid-laugh, triggering Pepper's own yawn.

“Bedtime.” Pepper announced. “I'll take Steven down, if you're not ready yet.”

“Steven?” Steve asked.

“Okay,” Steven smiled, hugging Pepper. “Do I still get my good night from you though?”

“You can have one from everyone,” Tasha replied for Steve, stealing him from Pepper. She gave him a hug, being careful with his ribs, and ruffled his hair. “Good night, munchkin.”

“My turn!” Clint grinned, prying him loose from Tasha. He shoved the boy into the corner of the couch and curled up around him. “I'm ready for bed,” Clint announced before dramatically “falling asleep” on Steven.

“Cliiiint,” Steven laughed. “I'm supposed to go to bed.”

“Shh, I'm sleeping.”

“Let the boy go. It's my birthday, I need a hug too.” Tony complained. Jack and Steve glanced towards the ceiling, half expecting Skye's voice to come back on. They both frowned when there was no voice. It seemed they had filled their Skye quota for the day. Jack's face visibly fell.

“Come on, Steven. I'll take you down.” Jack said softly, offering the tired boy his hand.

“I think I'm going to head to bed, too.” Steve sighed, a few minutes later.

“Happy Birthday to me,” Tony shrugged, watching the room clear out. After a minute, he was alone. He needed to finish his drink before heading to bed, so he picked the laptop back up and checked his upload. The laptop flickered and the screen changed. Skye's smiling face filled the screen. Tony nearly spilled his water all over himself at her sudden appearance.

“Hi, Dad.” Skye said softly. She glanced over her shoulder to where he could just barely see Jack's sleeping form. She smiled fondly at her brother and turned back to the front. “You're really hard to get alone! I had to wait all day! Ha, just kidding. This is a recording; I didn't wait at all. Also, while I'm on the topic...I did totally hack your Tower again. I know I promised not to, but... Well, it's your birthday! If you're seeing this that means that we couldn't come. You probably didn't know, but Steve was planning you a dinner party. Said we could pick the place and he would get you there. Obviously, that didn't work out, but you should still give him some credit. He tried really hard to convince us.

“Anyway, this is a big birthday. 45 – you old man. I mailed Steve something that he was supposed to wrap for you. If you didn't get it, you may need to check your mail room. It should have made it past your security, but you never know. People make all sorts of mistakes that computers don't. God, computers are so much better than people, aren't they? I'm getting off topic. I just wanted you to know that I was thinking of you today, even if I couldn't make it in person.

“If I were there, sitting with you right now, I would ask you just one question.” Skye leaned forward, smiling warmly. “What are you going to do with the next year that will make it better than last year? If I were there, I would helpfully supply you with some goals that you could work on.” Skye smiled cheekily, “For example...You could lose five pounds. The tabloids haven't been nice to you. Or...you know, we could team up and kick some scientist booty.” She blinked slowly, her features soft and serious. “That should be a goal, for you, this year. Find all the Centipede scientists and dump them in the deepest, darkest hole you've got. Jack and I will help in any way we can. We destroyed them once, we can damn well destroy them again.” She blinked rapidly, then smiled artificially at the screen. “Or, you know, you could also learn to play the flute or something. It's your year! Make it awesome!

“Don't try to trace this feed, we're relocating soon. Oh, and yes – I'm leaving this on your desktop. If your previous birthdays are anything to go by, you're probably passing out drunk. Anyway. I'm rambling. Have a good birthday. Take care of yourself. Keep your eyes peeled – there are always other occasions that we can sneak in for.” Skye winked at the screen. “Never know when we might pop up. Bye, Dad.”

“Shit,” Tony exhaled, looking at his now black screen. He downed his drink in one swallow, then hurried to catch up to Pepper. He needed to not be alone right now.

 

 0-0-0-0-0

 

 “I'm sorry,” Steven said softly, shifting in place in the elevator with Jack. He was still clutching his hand. Jack frowned and looked down at the boy.

“What are you sorry about?”

“That your sister is gone.” Steven said softly. “I can see you're sad.”

“Of course, I'm sad.” Jack replied, bending over to talk to the boy at his level. “She was important to me and I miss her.”

“I'm sorry,” Steven whispered, reaching out to hug Jack's neck. Instead of recoiling, Jack scooped the boy up, clutching him close to his chest.

“Let's get you to bed, huh?” Jack said softly, carrying the boy off the elevator. Steven nodded his head from where it was laying against Jack's collar bone.

“Do you think Skye's happy now?” Steven asked softly.

“Here's the thing about Skye,” Jack replied, rocking in place. “Skye could always find something to be happy about, no matter how small. But she was also scared all the time; she always had to watch out for us. She always had to look out for the retrieval team. And now she doesn't have to worry about that...so yeah, I think maybe... _hopefully_...she's happy.”

“I hope so, too.” Steven yawned. “Can you stay until I fall asleep?”

“Are you having trouble sleeping?” Jack asked, still rocking in place.

“I don't want to be alone yet,” Steven whispered. Jack nodded and started humming, soft and low.

“I think I miss your sissy too,” Steven muttered, mostly asleep. “Is that stupid? Cause I've never met Skye?”

“No, that's not stupid.” Jack murmured. “It's never stupid to miss someone.”

Jack continued swaying in spot, rubbing circles on Steven's back as he hummed the song again. He continued until Steven was limp against his chest, breathing heavily. He smiled a little and headed for his bedroom. Steve intercepted them, hurrying to open Steven's door ahead of Jack. Jack set him down under the blankets that Steve pulled back. Steven woke slightly, mumbling about being cold, before burrowing into his blankets. Jack smiled and sat down next to the boy. He reached over, rubbing small circles on his back, just how Skye always put him to sleep. He hummed the song once more, extra softly, just to make sure the boy had fallen deep enough asleep to not wake as soon as Jack moved.

“You're good at that,” Steve smiled. Jack quietly closed the door behind himself, then smiled back at Steve.

“Skye always put me to sleep by rubbing my back,” Jack admitted, smiling crookedly. “Please, don't ask me how old I was when I let her stop. I'm drunk enough that I may actually tell you.”

“Yeah, you're a little rough around the edges,” Steve said softly, reaching out to brush away his hair before realizing what an intimate gesture that was.

“Need a haircut, too.” Jack grinned. His eyes went blank for a second and his smile froze on his face. “Gonna have to find someone. Skye always...”

“I know a guy.” Steve told Jack, ushering him to his room. “Lets get you ready for bed.”

“Maybe, if I don't cut it...she'll have to come back and yell at me,” Jack whispered loudly, looking up at Steve with eyes wide and innocent. “You know she got out. Somehow, she got out. Skye's very resourceful like that.”

“Come brush your teeth,” Steve said softly, tugging Jack to the bathroom by the wrist. Jack resisted, even as he was pulled there anyway.

“One night won't kill me.”

“Jack, you're not sleeping in my bed with unbrushed teeth,” Steve told him, handing him his toothbrush.

“Good. Cause I'm not going to bed.” Jack announced, dramatically inserting the toothbrush into his mouth.

“Where are you going then?” Steve smiled. He got his own toothbrush ready and started brushing while he waited on Jack to reply.

“The roof.” Jack replied finally, garbling his words in his attempt at talking around his toothbrush.

“Why the roof?” Steve asked, wincing at himself in the mirror. He was sure he wasn't going to like this.

“Cause Skye hates them. She's afraid of heights, you know.” Jack paused to spit, then rinsed his toothbrush off. “Also, it's cold up there. She wouldn't like me being on the roof because of the danger and since it's cold, I could get sick, you know? If it meant she was coming back... I would be better, for her. I could be more responsible.”

“Jack...” Steve whispered sadly. Jack was very matter of fact about the whole thing, looking at Steve with wide, glossy eyes. “Skye's not hiding from us.”

“I was being an ass you know?” Jack shrugged, pulling off his clothes layer by layer. “We're running because of me. Skye wouldn't be involved in _any_ of this, if it weren't for me. But I was the one complaining when Skye was just trying to keep me safe. I don't blame her for not coming back. But I would do better by her, if she gave me a second chance.” Jack grunted and offered Steve a sock clad foot. “Give a guy a hand?”

“When did we become so comfortable with each other?” Steve sighed, tugging the sock off.

“When the alcohol in my system made me drop all my inhibitions!” Jack giggled, running to the bed in only his boxers. “Hurry up, I want your heat.”

“You get warm, then you get on your side, got it?” Steve asked, sliding in beside Jack.

“I would trade these cuddles with you for fights with Skye, any day.” Jack said in a high pitched voice, then giggled at himself. He tucked up next to Steve, pouting when he realized that he was still fully clothed.

“We're not cuddling.” Steve yawned.

“We're cuddling,” Jack disagreed confidently. “You're being super lazy about it...but we're definitely cuddling.”

“Five minutes.”

“Five minutes?”

“You get five minutes, then I'm banishing you from this half of the bed.” Steve smirked, chuckling lazily.

“What's so funny?” Jack laughed back.

“The day you got brought into the tower for hacking Tony, Skye asked me if I was insecure about my sexuality.”

“She would,” Jack giggled. “Why'd she ask that?”

“Because you hitting on me made me so uncomfortable.” Steve admitted.

“You were so embarrassed.” Jack laughed, slapping Steve's chest lightly.

“Point is, I think my answer to her would be different now.”

“What would it be?”

Steve cleared his throat and announced in a deep voice, “Having cuddled with both male and female counterparts, I feel very secure in my very straight sexuality.”

“Aw, Stevie! You just admitted we're cuddling!” Jack giggled, leaning up on one elbow to hover above Steve. “Are you saying you don't want me?”

“Jack, you've grown on me. Really, you have. And maybe I'm working towards lightly loving you in a completely non-sexual manner...but no. I don't want anything to do with you...and that stuff.”

“ _Lightly_ loving me?” Jack roared, throwing back his head as he laughed.

“Well, I don't _full_ love you. You're kinda strange and I don't really know you that well, yet.”

“Normal's boring, Steve.” Jack said lightly, laying back down on his side of the bed. “Skye loved that. She said it all the time, every time it was made clear that we were totally different from the other kids around us.” Jack cleared his throat and told the ceiling, in Skye's voice, “If I know only three things _for sure_ , Jack Jack, it's 1) You're not normal, 2) You're definitely not boring, and 3) I sure love that about you.”

There was a long beat of silence between the two, as Skye's voice echoed in the air around them. Then Steve adjusted so his back was completely flat on the bed and he, too, was staring at the ceiling.

“Do it again,” Steve asked softly. Jack nodded, even though it was pitch black and there was no way Steve could see him.

“Jack, she's my van and she's beautiful. Don't you _dare_ knock on Gertrude.”

“Gertrude,” Steve chuckled. “Is that really what Skye called her van?”

“Yeah. There was some reasoning behind it...but I couldn't tell you what it was anymore.” Jack replied, shrugging.

“One more?” Steve asked softly.

“Steve and I have teamed up to prank Tony,” Jack announced, his voice and laugh like Skye's. “I've never had so much fun corrupting someone before.”

“She really said that?” Steve asked softly.

“Yeah,” Jack murmured. “She talked about you a lot. You guys keep moaning because you miss her and you only met her once, well, twice in your case. But it was the same for her. Granted, knowing Skye, she did some digging to learn up on you guys...but she still only met you very briefly. I've never seen anyone get to her so fast. _Never_. One time we drove away from a six month stay at a location – which, by the way, is incredibly long for us – and didn't have to say bye to a single person. She is very good at not making connections, or...denying them, if they try to happen anyway.”

“What happened with us?” Steve asked softly. Jack chuckled sleepily.

“I haven't the faintest idea.”

“What were you humming before?” Steve asked sleepily, desperate for sleep but struggling to actually fall into slumber. “To Steven?”

“Our grieving song,” Jack muttered, his good humor suddenly gone. “Skye always sang it when we lost someone. But it was important to us...so sometimes it's a lullaby. Steven doesn't know that, of course, but...”

“Sing it for me?” Steve asked, uncharacteristically needy. Jack's lip twitched up slightly and he nodded into the darkness.

**I know you're gone, I know you're gone  
But I don't feel what I know  
I know you're gone, I know you're gone  
But my mind ain't in control  
Cuz it's my heart that's been missing you  
It's the heart I need to listen to  
And it's been singing songs, pretend to dream  
That once to say it's help us leaving  
One day I will sing those song  
Sing 'em til they sleep  
Just like you sang to me  
Just like you sang, sang to me**

**From the day that I met you I stop feeling a afraid  
In your arms I feel safe, in your arms I feel safe**

**From the day that I met you I stop feeling afraid  
In your arms I feel safe, in your arms**

**Miss you so, I miss you so, and I miss you till I'm old  
I miss you so, I miss you so my fear will fade I know  
Cuz it's my heart that you help to build  
Love it's my complice still yeah  
Love will fill the holes I got  
Cuz you will never hold me but I know that you are with me  
I know that you are at peace  
Cuz you let us sing to sleep  
You let us sing, your heart to sleep**

**And I know that you are with me  
And I know that you are at peace  
Cuz you let us sing, your soul, your mind and heart to sleep**

**From the day that I met you I stop feeling afraid  
In your arms I feel safe, in your arms I feel safe  
In your arms...**

**I miss you so, I miss you so and I'll miss you til I'm old**

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This song is "In Your Arms" by Chef'Special. It doesn't exactly fit with the timeline because the song was only recently released, but we're going to ignore that for this story - because I like it.


	10. What's up with him?

 

 

“Clint, I mean it. I will go get Steven.” Tasha warned. Clint moaned and curled up tighter under the blankets.

“Just five more minutes,” He groaned, burying his head under the pillow. Tasha had yanked the curtains open, drenching the room in an orange pre-dawn glow.

“No. Now, or I'm not making you coffee.”

“Aw, that's so mean!” Clint whined, kicking the blankets off him. “I'm up. I'm up!”

“Get in the shower. I'll go get the coffee.” Tasha smirked, kissing his forehead.

“I love you,” Clint yawned, stretching.

“You love coffee,” Tasha corrected, swatting at him. “Shower. Now.”

“Yes, ma'am.”

 

0-0-0-0-0

 

“Hey, Pip Squeak.” Tony smirked over the top of his coffee. He had already re-watched Skye's video a few times that morning, and was filled with renewed determination. He was going to find those asshole scientists and put them at the bottom of the deepest, darkest hole he could find – for Skye. He hoped Steven was up to doing some serious work, because Tony was determined to finish the program that day.

“Hi.” Steven smiled back, unusually shy. His hair was all over the place and he was still wearing his pajamas.

“You look like you're ready to go back to bed.” Tony commented. Steven shrugged lightly.

“Aw, yeah. Pajama day!” Jack all but shouted, sliding into the kitchen. “Dude! You're wearing pajamas too? Great minds, kid. Great minds.”

“You were asleep five minutes ago,” Steven commented, trying not to yawn.

“You were asleep five minutes ago,” Jack mimicked back.

“You're sassy this morning,” Steven noted.

“Sassy pants!” Jack grinned, jumping up and down in place. Steven turned to look back at Tony, trying to gauge Tony's reaction. His own expression showed just how little he cared for Jack's display.

“You're normally like this,” Tony laughed. “It's a little odd to see it on the other foot.”

“I've got all this energy!” Jack giggled, tossing his hands in the air.

“You know where the gym is.” Steven told him, sliding off the stool. He plopped himself down on the couch and dragged a blanket from the back. “Jarvis, can you find me some cartoons, please?”

“Yes, Steven.”

“What's up with him?” Tony mouthed. Jack shrugged and visibly deflated. Tony nodded slowly. “Well, let's give him some time. Can I show you something?”

“Sure,” Jack agreed.

“Jarvis, to Jack's lab please.” Tony asked, stepping into the elevator. Jack froze just outside the doors.

“My lab?” He asked softly.

“We promised Skye we would take care of you,” Tony admitted softly. “Knowing what I know about you...I figured a lab is part of that.”

“So you just... _made_ me a lab?” Jack asked, shocked.

“Well...yeah.” Tony nodded. Jack did this little move where he ran in place really fast, then tossed his hands in the air with an excited squeal.

“I really want to hug you right now!” Jack announced loudly, letting Tony drag him into the elevator by his wrist.

“I really appreciate your self-restraint.” Tony replied dryly. He looked very pleased with himself. The elevator pinged open and Tony shoved Jack out.

He stood there in silence for almost a full minute, just looking at the lab that Tony had designed for him. Of course, a team had brought in all the equipment and placed everything...but that was beside the fact. Eventually, the silence grew uncomfortable and Tony glanced around Jack's shoulder to gauge his reaction. Jack sobbed and threw himself at Tony, completely ignoring Tony's discomfort.

“Thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you.” Jack cried, clutching at Tony's shoulders. “It's perfect and amazing and you didn't have to and...”

“I mean...I wasn't about to share _my_ lab with you.” Tony shrugged, dismissing his thanks. He smirked condescendingly, “I actually do important work in my lab.”

Jack's sobs turned into laughter as he saw through Tony's mask.

“I still can't believe you made me this,” Jack repeated.

“You can thank me by letting me go,” Tony offered, trying to pry Jack from him.

“Nope. The first hug was from me. This hug is from Skye. She would love you for this. I love you for this. It's so perfect.” Jack said softly, changing the hug into a less restrictive hold. Tony patted Jack's elbow, the only thing he could reach because his arms were pinned to his side. Eventually Tony grew tired of it.

“I think your point is made.” He said firmly, stepping backwards away from him.

“Sorry.” Jack replied, though he was grinning.

“Uh huh.”

“I am.” Jack retorted.

“Uh huh.” Tony snorted. “I'm gonna go see if Grumpy Pants is ready to tweak.”

“Can I stay here?” Jack asked, his eyebrows high. “I wanted to look at the comms that Fitz and I made for Steve. I think with some work, we can make them smaller...”

“Kid, it's your lab. You do whatever you want, whenever you want.” Tony laughed. “Talk to Jarvis about rules. You can control who you want in here...except me. Jarvis will always let me in.”

“This is so cool!” Jack squealed again, running over to look over his equipment more closely.

“Let me know if you need anything,” Tony told him, stepping back into the elevator.

“You may not be Steven's favorite, but you're my favorite!” Jack shouted as the doors closed. Tony crossed his arms over his torso in a rare show of embarrassment.

Damn that kid. He was sneaking past his walls, too. What was it with these kids? Maybe it was the whole...Asian factor. That was something they all had in common. Yeah. They were easy because they were Asian. Tony nodded to himself, acknowledging his line of thought. Now, he just needed to not meet any more Asian people. He didn't have any room for more people in his life. Then, he couldn't help but grin when he thought about what Steve would say about his assessment. He was giggling to himself when he stepped off the elevator.

“What did you do?” Steve asked, leveling a look of exasperation at Tony.

“Showed Jack his new lab.” Tony replied, knowing that wasn't what Steve was asking about.

“What else did you do?” Steve pressed.

“Where'd the kid go?” Tony asked, ignoring the question.

“He said he was going to get dressed.” Steve replied.

“Hmm, thought him and Jack had a pajama day planned.” Tony mused. “Is everything okay with him?”

“I don't know. I think so?” Steve shrugged. He leaned against the counter. “To be honest, I'm still trying to judge his _normal_ , so I'm not sure what is...abnormal?”

“We might want to judge faster.” Tony admitted.

“Why? What'd he say?” Steve asked, instantly concerned.

“Nothing,” Tony admitted. “I don't know. He just wasn't himself this morning. He did come up in pajamas and with bed head, though...so maybe he just woke up wrong?”

“I'll talk to him,” Steve nodded.

“I'm going to see if we can steal Fitz as well as Simmons,” Tony continued. “Jack wants to mess with your comms.”

“Good. It's giant.” Steve smiled.

“Yeah. We need to cover your face back up,” Tony agreed, walking from the kitchen. He grinned to himself when he heard Steve snort.

 

0-0-0-0-0

 

“Robots?” Tony asked, stopping Steven before he got off the elevator.

“No, that's okay. Let's do the tweaking first.” Steven replied, skirting Tony's outstretched hands.

“But, I promised to show you my robots.” Tony pointed out. “I need to prove that I make them.”

“I know you make them.” Steven shrugged. “Clint showed me Dum-E when we were exploring the vents.”

“But that's not what I meant.” Tony sighed, trailing after the boy. Steven smiled at him and boosted himself into the work station Tony had set up for him.

“I think this is more important.” Steven pointed out. “They're not going anywhere.”

“Okay,” Tony frowned. He knew when to admit defeat. He didn't know which card to play next, so for now he was going to let it go. Besides, this meant he had a better chance of finishing the program that day.

 

0-0-0-0-0

 

“Sir, there is an incoming transmission.” Jarvis chimed in.

“From?” Tony asked, not looking up from his computer screen. Steven was a few feet away from him on a stool, frowning while he typed slowly. He was humming a tune that Tony had never heard while absentmindedly pecking at the keys. Tony made a mental note to put a typing lesson at the top of the boy's computer class lesson plans.

“Agent Coulson.” Jarvis replied. Tony pushed his own keyboard back and grinned over at Steven. He looked up briefly, but continued working on his line of code.

“Put it through.” Tony told Jarvis, frowning slightly at the boy's lack of enthusiasm.

“Mr. Stark.” Coulson smiled, though it looked a bit forced.

“Agent!” Tony smirked, tossing his arms wide. “What do I owe the pleasure?”

“You know perfectly well why I'm calling.” Coulson retorted easily.

“I still say Fitz can fix this problem...” A deep voice sounded off screen.

“Agent Ward!” A Scottish accent huffed. “I explained this to you. I'm _hardware_ not _software_. I don't know _how_ to fix this. If the computers were disassembled, I'm your man...”

“Well, then you're a pretty terrible excuse for our computer person.” Ward retorted. Tony couldn't help but grin at Coulson.

“You're the one that can take apart nuclear bombs,” Fitz grumbled. “Maybe you should learn a little about programming.”

“Mr. Stark, remove the Iron Man from our system and I won't have to resort to other measures.”

“Psh, other measures?” Tony snorted.

“Hey, I think it's funny.” Agent Triplett muttered softly in the background. “I bet Mr. Stark doesn't even know _how_ to twerk.”

“Yeah.” Coulson retorted, mimicking Tony's snort. “You think I'm going to let you pick Simmons' brains if you're messing up our ops?”

“Did we mess up your op?” Tony asked, glancing over at Steven again. He was still hard at work; his brow furrowed in concentration. Tony nudged the boy, trying to coax a smile out of him. He was disappointed.

“That's not the point.” Coulson sighed.

“Seems like that was the point you were trying to make.” Tony shrugged.

“Don't interfere with my systems and I won't interfere with Simmons and Dr. Banner working on a project together.” Coulson offered.

“You don't have the authority to deny me.” Tony argued. Coulson actually laughed at that.

“You think you're going to have better luck asking Director Fury?” Coulson asked, still chortling.

“I'll just have Barton and Romanov kidnap her.” Tony shrugged. That made Steven glance his way, his eyebrow arched. _Finally_ , a response.

“Excuse me?” A British voice asked sharply. There was muffled laughing off screen, and Coulson pressed his lips together and stepped to the side. Simmons took his place, shooting a glare Tony's way. She ducked her head while she talked, obviously trying to avoid the dancing Iron Man that was plaguing their plane. “I think you will find that you will have a hard time getting my cooperation if you resort to the black bag method of persuasion.”

“Like you're going to say no.” Tony grinned. “We've got this facinating biological... sample... that we would love you to have a look at. Bruce is thoroughly enthralled with it.”

“Biological sample?” Simmons asked, her interest peaked despite her best efforts.

“Blood.” Tony shrugged. “Very unusual blood. But, I can see why you might not be interested. It's okay. We can call in another biologist.”

“Mr. Stark...now, don't be rash.” Simmons back peddled.

“Oh, come on Jemma!” Fitz groaned. “At least pretend to hold out.”

“Ah, Agent Fitz. It's my understanding that Jack would like to tinker with your comm units. It's okay though. I'm sure he'll be fine tinkering on his own. Never mind he's never had access to the kind of resources at his finger tips. Who knows what he might do with them?” Tony smirked when Fitz yelped and shoved Jemma from the screen.

“Don't you dare let him tinker without me!” Fitz ordered, shoving a finger towards the camera. Tony laughed out loud and clapped his hands.

“I win, Coulson.”

“Remove the Iron Man.” Coulson said firmly, stepping back into frame. He snapped his fingers and added, “And while you're at it, remove the changes your source made to my file!”

“Aw, is Agent having problems with his file?” Tony asked in baby talk. Coulson frowned and worked to retain control of his composure. Steve stepped off the elevator and whistled lightly to Steven, catching his attention. Steven smiled softly and hurried over to the elevator.

“Was that a kid?” Coulson asked.

“Steve, what's going on?” Steven asked softly, looking at Steve's suit and duffle bag.

“I got called into a mission.” Steve told the boy. “It won't take long, but they need me.”

“But I don't want you to get hurt...” Steven frowned.

“I'll try my best not to.” Steve smiled. “It won't take long. A few of our scientists were just taken. The people that took them missed a tracker – so we know exactly where they are. I just need to get them back. It won't be too hard.”

“So I have to stay?”

“You have to stay.” Steve confirmed. “But if you're good, I'll bring you some ice cream back.”

“What if I'm not good?” Steven asked.

“Hmm, then maybe you get less ice cream.” Steve smiled.

“You're coming back?”

“Of course I'm coming back.” Steve scoffed. “You think I'm going to leave you alone with these guys for very long?”

“Hey! I heard that!” Tony yelled. Steve grinned at Tony and waved him off.

“I've got to go now, okay? Find Jack, if you need anything. Use your judgement, okay? If Tony asks you to do something unsafe...just...don't.”

“I can _still_ hear you!” Tony yelled. “Really, I'm not deaf.”

“Bye, Tony.” Steve called back. “Keep an eye on him while I'm gone, yeah?”

“Oh, I'll keep a very close eye on him.” Tony smirked.

“Oh, God.” Steve groaned.

“See you later, Capsicle.”

“Be good.” Steve reiterated to Steven, then pulled him into a hug. “I'll see you in a few hours.”

 

0-0-0-0-0

 

“They're already back!” Clint groaned, tugging Tasha along. “Hurry up!”

“Clint, it was on their plane.” Tasha sighed. “They've already seen it.”

“Damn. Phone.” Clint sighed, dragging to a stop so he could pull his phone free from his bag. “Tony, what do you want? I'm stalking Coulson.”

“I want you to kidnap Simmons.” Tony chortled from the other end of the phone call.

“Kidnap Simmons?” Clint confirmed, grinning at Tasha.

“Why are we kidnapping Simmons?” She asked.

“Calling Coulson's bluff.” Tony retorted.

“Consider it done.” Clint grinned. He couldn't wait to see Coulson's reaction.

“Oh, God.” Tasha groaned, but willingly let Clint drag her towards the hangar.

“You're going to distract Coulson, I'll grab Simmons.” Clint whispered a few minutes later. They were watching Coulson's team unload materials and reload supplies. Tasha smirked and ducked out from behind the crates.

“May!” Tasha called out as she approached the plane. “Can I pick your mind for a minute?”

“That wasn't the plan!” Clint hissed to her.

 

0-0-0-0-0

 

“Oh, you fucked up, Nat. You fucked up big.” Clint huffed, trying to keep the squirming Simmons on his shoulder as they jogged down the hall. Tasha grinned at his dismay.

“Put me down you Neanderthal!” Simmons grunted, smacking Clint's back.

“Wait!” A voice down the hall shouted.

“Fitz!” Simmons yelled. “Help!”

“Wait!” Fitz called again.

“He's gaining!” Clint groaned.

“If you had done your exercising, you would be in better shape and a tiny scientist wouldn't slow you down this much.” Tasha pointed out.

“She's not heavy!” Clint protested. “She's just...squirmy.”

“Take me with you!” Fitz shouted, launching himself at Tasha's back.

“It's a good thing you're so vocal,” Tasha grunted, absorbing his impact.

“You could have died kid.” Clint agreed. Fitz giggled nervously, but didn't release his hold on Tasha. In fact, he wrapped his legs around her, clinging to her back like a monkey.

“You have to take me with you. Jack is going to break our comms unit!” Fitz begged. She sighed and adjusted her hold on him, helping keep him on her back. Fitz whooped and hollered at his success, making Simmons groan.

“You were supposed to come save me!” She complained.

“We need to get to the quinjet before May catches up to us,” Clint grunted, still jogging along.

“She was busy...” Fitz started.

“Don't steal my scientists!” Coulson interrupted, shouting down the long hall. All four swiveled their heads to look at Coulson, then Tasha and Clint put on a burst of speed.

“Sir!” Simmons shouted. “I want it noted in my disciplinary file that I'm resisting this kidnapping!”

“And I want it noted in my file that I heard her argument and ignored it!” Clint shouted, giggling when he saw Coulson running to catch up.

“I'll hold him off,” Tasha grinned, making Fitz slip from her back. “Take the science babies and get the jet started.”

“Fitz, you on board with keeping Simmons on board?” Clint asked, remotely opening the hatch to the jet that was sitting on the roof.

“Whatever you need, Sir.” Fitz nodded seriously.

“Coulson's gonna be so mad,” Clint giggled. “We're corrupting you so bad.”

“You're not corrupting me,” Fitz argued. “You're corrupting Simmons.”

“You just ran away from your supervising officer. Willingly. That's more than Simmons here can say,” Clint retorted, setting her down in a jump seat. “Strap her in. Make sure she doesn't get out.”

“Yes, Sir.”

“And stop calling me sir!” Clint shouted as he headed for the cockpit.

“Yes, Ma'am.” Fitz retorted offhandedly. Tasha snorted behind him, making Fitz whirl around in surprise. “Christ! Make some noise, will ya?”

“I wasn't trying to be sneaky.” Tasha shrugged. “Strap yourself in. Coulson's clear.”

“Is he mad?” Fitz asked softly.

“Nah.” Tasha denied, waving off his concern.

“You're lying.” Simmons interjected, her arms crossed firmly across her chest.

“He's not mad.” Tasha repeated. “He's just a little...”

“Angry?” Simmons interrupted.

“Disappointed.” Tasha smirked. “He hates it when Tony wins.”

“You don't feel like you're being too mean?” Simmons asked softly.

“Oh, he's got worse coming to him.” Tasha replied. “He let us think he was dead.”

“He was dead.”

“But then he wasn't. He should have let us know. Me and Clint, at least.”

“He was your handler, huh?” Fitz asked, holding his straps as Clint got the jet in the air.

“Long time ago, yeah.” Tasha nodded.

“You can't blame him for that...” Simmons murmured.

“Would you let Fitz off the hook so easily?” Tasha asked, quirking an eyebrow. Fitz snorted and then tried to cover it with a very fake cough.

“I expect more out of Fitz than that.”

“Yeah, well we expected more out of Coulson.” Tasha shrugged. “You should be clear to unstrap now. I'm heading up to the cockpit.”

 

0-0-0-0-0

 

“Oh, Skye.” Jack whispered, taking in his new lab in shock. He still hadn't touched anything – he was afraid that it would disappear, like cotton candy on his tongue.

Tony had thought of everything. Shiny tools lined an entire wall, and rows upon rows of drawers filled another. The work space was positively massive. It was probably bigger than any of the places he and Skye had ever stayed. He wandered into a small “living area” that consisted of a half-size fridge, microwave, sink, table and couch. Tony assumed he was going to be spending a lot of time down here. He couldn't help the smug expression on his face; he was going to create something awesome, for Skye.

He just wasn't sure what, yet.

He tentatively reached out to touch a screen, jolting it to life. All the other screens turned on as well, surrounding Jack in a near transparent wall of memories. Tony had pulled images from Skye's system and his own, finding pictures of Jack – with Skye and the team. There was even a picture of Fitz and him, hunched over a table, working to assemble Steve's prototype.

Jack suddenly felt like something was leeching his energy. Shit. He should have known better; he wasn't paying attention to his body. He was suddenly incredibly warm and he struggled to sit. He missed the stool he was aiming for, his hands were shaking uncontrollably and he couldn't keep his legs under him to save his life; the last thing he knew, the floor was rushing up to meet his face.

 

0-0-0-0-0

 

“Hey there.” Bruce greeted, watching Jack come back around. Jack blinked slowly, trying to place himself. “Stay there. You had another episode – Jarvis alerted me.”

“You used the blood?” Jack asked slowly, looking like he was talking around his tongue for the first time.

“I had to.” Bruce admitted. “Your heartbeat was incredibly erratic. I tried shocking it back into rhythm twice, but that didn't work. I tried everything I could think of, before I used it.”

“It's okay,” Jack shrugged. “If Skye's system works the way it should, I should get another bag in a week.”

“You'll receive blood weekly?” Bruce asked, his eyebrows raised.

“Yeah.”

“You'll need blood that often?”

“Well, not usually. But she would err on the side of caution. Especially with me.”

“We need to figure this out, so we can solve it – or at least make a treatment plan that doesn't include receiving a blood transfusion every week.” Bruce mused. “When Simmons gets here, I'll ask for her input – if that's okay with you?”

“Do what you need to do, Doc.” Jack shrugged. He was beyond caring right then. Skye would have been pissed at him – but she wasn't here. She couldn't say anything about his stupidity.

 

0-0-0-0-0

 

Steve sat with his head bowed in thought. All around him, men were getting their gear together and catching up with other specialists. Steve already had his gear, and he didn't have friends among the agents, so he sat off at the side.

His head wasn't in a good place that morning. He couldn't get it on the mission. He couldn't get it off Skye. He had dreamed of her the night before. It had been a good dream, too...until it wasn't.

They were in the 40's – watching a movie from the hood of his car. Skye had been tucked against his side, giggling at the movie. He had glanced over and seen Bucky with his own dame, the next car over. They weren't paying much attention to the movie, so Skye started throwing things at them. Bucky had growled at her, then launched himself at her – getting his revenge with tickles. Skye had giggled and squirmed, begging for his help.

That's when the dream had turned bad. Skye's laughter had turned to crying, her tears turned to blood. She was still begging, though. Begging for his help. Begging him to save her. And he couldn't do anything but stand there and watch her die. Just like he had stood there and watched Bucky die.

Or not die, as it turned out.

That was another thing plaguing him. Skye had made it clear that Bucky wasn't ready yet, but she hadn't said anything about why. Why wasn't he ready to see him? Why was he still alive? _How_ was he still alive? And _why_ did he still look exactly how Steve remembered him – minus the long hair and weird mask. Steve needed to check out that flash drive again. He was a little intimidated by the sheer amount of information on it, but he hadn't taken the time to look at it. Honestly, he was afraid of what it would say. What was wrong with Bucky?

And that lead him to the reason he hadn't taken the time to look at it – Steven. Steve was starting to wonder if he had made a mistake bringing him back to the Tower. Obviously something was wrong with the boy – even Tony had picked up on it – but Steve hadn't the faintest idea what the issue was. The boy hid himself well, which made Steve worry about why he kept hiding behind it. And why didn't he say anything, if there was something wrong? What had he done so wrong that Steven didn't trust him?

“Grab your gear! Load up!”

Steve jerked to attention, scrubbing his face quickly. Right now he needed to put Skye out of mind – he couldn't do anything for her. At best, they could find the scientists, but that was Tony and Steven's job, not his. He needed to put Bucky out of mind – he couldn't do anything for him until he figured out where he was staying. He could set aside time to do that when he got back to the Tower, though. Lastly, he needed to put Steven out of mind – he had no idea what to do with him. That problem would require some thought. Disappointment twisted his gut at the thought of failing with Steven, just like his gut had twisted when he had woken early that morning clutching a pillow instead of Skye.

“All good, Cap?” Agent Tripplet asked, half running to catch up with him. Steve slowed, letting him catch up.

“Agent Tripplet,” Steve greeted, nodding his head towards the man.

“You okay today?” Trip asked, peering at him. “You look like you have the world on your shoulders.”

“Good thing I'm a super soldier then, huh?” Steve replied, trying for a smile.

“Your team driving you crazy?” Trip asked, laughing.

“Nah. Some days I just feel my ninety some years more than others.” Steve dismissed.

“Well, you're going to feel ancient when we get back.” Trip smirked, claiming a jump seat next to Steve.

“Do I want to know?” Steve groaned, rubbing his eyes.

“We just got back from a mission, when I got pulled for this.” Trip told Steve. “By the way, there was a Twerking Iron Man on board with us – did you know that? It was hilarious. Anyway, we'd only been back an hour when Barton and Romanov came and stole Simmons. Then Fitz jumped ship...literally. Coulson said he rode Romanov back to the quinjet they had stashed on the roof.”

“They kidnapped Simmons and Fitz?” Steve groaned, not knowing if he wanted to laugh or cry. He was so tired – physically and emotionally. He didn't need this, not from his team – not now.

“Nah, man. Fitz came willingly.” Trip laughed, shouldering Steve lightly. Steve smiled slightly and shook his head. Trip's easy grin fell. “Seriously, man. Is everything alright?”

“Yeah.” Steve dismissed. “Yeah, of course. I just need to catch up on a little sleep. It was Tony's birthday yesterday, so we had a late night.”

“Alright, well, let me know if you need anything. I still owe you for the baby advice.”

“Thanks, Agent Tripplet.”

“Sleep tight, Cap.”

“Aw, now you went and made it creepy.” Steve groaned, pushing his cap down his face to hide his eyes. He grinned when Trip started laughing, satisfied that he had dispelled his worries.

 

0-0-0-0-0

 

“You are amazing and fantastic and awe-inspiring and...”

“Tony,” Clint interrupted, raising a hand to physically stop the words from leaving Tony's mouth.

“We know how awesome we are already.” Tasha grinned.

“He watched the video of you running away from the bald guy from the plane.” Steven said helpfully, though he barely looked up from his task. Tony nodded enthusiastically. Clint removed his hand and wiped it on his pants.

“That's disgusting, _Stark_.”

“Then don't touch me, _Merida_.” Tony retorted. “Go, distribute the science babies – nice nickname Tasha, I'm stealing that – to the lab.”

“Where's Jack?” Fitz asked.

“Jarvis, where is Jack?” Tony asked.

“Mr. Chang is with Dr. Banner in his lab. He is receiving a blood transfusion.”

“What? Again? Already!” Tony shouted, tossing his hands up.

“Already?” Fitz asked softly, looking concerned.

“Jarvis, take them to Bruce's office. Bruce can explain it better than I can,” Tony offered.

“Yes, Sir.”

“Steven and I have a small kink to work out and then I'll send him down for the check up.” Tony told their backs as they headed for the elevator.

“Ready for this?” Tony asked, turning back to his computer. Steven took another moment to refocus, staring instead at the door. Tony frowned. “Or do you need a break? We can go get some food?”

“No. Let's get this done. We need to find the scientists.” Steven said softly.

“But we can take a break and still do that.” Tony replied.

“No, I'm fine.”

“You don't seem fine.” Tony pressed gently.

“I said, I'm fine.” Steven said just as softly, but a little more firmly than before. “Can we finish this? Please? Steve needs...”

“Steve needs a lot of things,” Tony interrupted. “And yes, finding the scientists is probably one of those needs...but he also needs you to take care of yourself. That means taking breaks.”

“We can take a break when we're done.” Steven shrugged, then turned back to his computer.

“Whatever you say, kid.”

 

0-0-0-0-0

 

“Okay, you _need_ to take a break now.” Tony groaned, looking his program over. Something had gone wrong with the coding, but he wasn't sure what. Every time he tried to fix the problem, it seemed like something else broke. “Bruce and Grumpy will be expecting you.”

“But they haven't been here for more than ten minutes...” Steven argued.

“Nope, go.” Tony interrupted. “Check up, ice cream, and then – and only then – will I consider letting you back in my lab. You need a break. I'm forcing a break on you.”

“But I don't want to...”

“Kid, sometimes you don't want to do things, but you still have to. It's part of growing up. Part of being responsible. Right now, I'm responsible for you.”

“No, Steve said Jack was in charge.”

“Fine.” Tony sighed, tossing his hands up in frustration. “Jarvis, ask Jack if Steven needs to go to his check up with the doctors.”

“Mr. Chang says, 'he absolutely must go to his check up',” Jarvis quoted a second later.

“See?” Tony grinned. “I win. Go.”

“But this is broken, Tony.” Steven pointed out, his bottom lip pushing out in a subtle pout. “It's broken and it needs to be fixed before Steve gets back and...”

“Kid, I know it's broken.” Tony sighed, running his hand through his hair. “I know it is. I'll find the mistake and fix it. Then we can keep working when you get back from your check up. Deal?”

“If it's my mistake, I should fix it.” Steven argued stubbornly. Tony groaned and threw his hands up in frustration.

“Fine! Then I'll find the mistake and you can fix it. Will you please go to your appointment?”

“Fine!” Steven shouted back, throwing his hands up like Tony had done. He stalked out of the lab, his arms crossed angrily across his chest. “Jarvis, take me to the stupid doctors.”

“Yes, Steven.” Jarvis agreed.

“What's up with him?” Tony asked absent-mindedly after the boy left.

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry, It's a little choppy. I hope I added enough humor with the kidnapping of the science babies ;) Bear with me a few more chapters - the action is coming soon.


	11. Steven has a bad day

 

 

 “What the hell is going on?” Clint yelled over the alarms.

“I don't know.” Tony shouted. “That's the perimeter alarm.”

“Think they're coming after Jack?” Clint yelled, running towards the breach with his bow in hand.

“It's not a breach.” Tasha interjected calmly. “No one is breaking in.”

“Red, there is clearly...” Tony sighed.

“No, Tony. No one is breaking _in_.” Tasha repeated.

“Oh. Well, who is breaking out?”

“Oh, now you can ask the smart questions.” Tasha rolled her eyes and took Clint's bow and removed his quiver. “Go into the vents. Get Steven out.”

“It's Steven?” Tony groaned. “Man! I'm going to be in so much trouble.”

“Clint, go.” Tasha sighed, shoving him. Clint nodded and boosted himself into the vents without a second thought. “Tony, we should go check on Bruce.”

“Check on...Oh. The check up. Shit. Did he Hulk out?”

“No,” Tasha sighed. “But it was a close thing. Simmons distracted him enough while Steven made his escape.”

“But what happened?”

“I don't know.”

“What happened?” Tony asked again as they stepped off the elevator. Bruce was looking distinctly ruffled, but Simmons looked like she was in shock.

“Um...he didn't want a check up?” Simmons said softly. The question was clear in her voice.

“I don't know. He was off before the checkup started.” Bruce added.

“Yeah, he wasn't himself upstairs either.” Tony nodded. “What specifically happened?”

Bruce replied instantly, “I'm not honestly sure what _did_ happen.”

“He just...freaked out.” Simmons nodded.

“Jarvis, can you call Jack down to the lab?” Tasha asked. She shrugged to the room. “Maybe he can shed some light.”

“Yes, Ms. Romanov.”

“I knew he didn't like needles, so we were deliberately putting them off.” Bruce explained. “Simmons and I were taking a look at his port and he just...”

“Flew off the handle.” Simmons finished when Bruce hesitated.

“You didn't break out the needles yet?” Tony asked.

“No. They weren't out at all.”

“And you didn't do anything to the port?” Tasha asked.

“No. I mean, we touched it. But no needles or scalpels or anything.” Simmons denied.

“What's going on?” Jack asked, dragging Fitz along behind him.

“Steven lost his shit.” Tony supplied helpfully.

“Lost his shit?” Jack sighed. “Can you be any more specific?”

“Nope, that pretty well sums it up.” Bruce agreed, scratching his head.

“What were you doing when he lost his shit?” Jack asked, frowning at the scientist.

“Looking at his port.”

“Just looking at it?”

“Well, yeah. I mean, we were discussing it...but we didn't do anything to it except feel where it was connected to his spine.”

“Where is he?” Jack sighed. “I'll go talk to him.”

“Clint is trying to find him.” Tasha replied.

“ _Trying_ to find him?” Fitz asked, peeking around Jack's side. “Who did you lose?”

“You didn't tell him?” Tony asked Jack.

“Didn't come up.” Jack shrugged.

“Didn't tell me what?” Fitz asked.

“Steve stole one of the kids. He's living here now.” Jack informed him.

“The one from the lab? He's one of the Shield kids?” Fitz asked, wincing.

“One of the Centipede kids.” Jack corrected. “They're not Shield's.”

“They're not Centipede's either.”

“They're more Centipede's than Shield's.”

“Oh, goodness.” Simmons sighed, rubbing her temples. “I didn't realize he was staying here. I wonder if he's the kid everyone's been looking for. Does anyone from Shield know where he is?”

“Don't worry, Steve checked him out.” Jack grinned.

“Checked him out?” Simmons asked hesitantly.

“From Shield. Filled out all the paperwork.”

“That's true!” Clint agreed from above them. “I was there.”

“Did you find him yet?” Tasha asked.

“Yes...and no.” Clint replied.

“Clint!”

“I know where he is...mostly.” Clint sighed.

“Mostly?” Jack asked.

“He won't let me get close.” Clint told him patiently. “He's really worked up. We need to give him some time to calm down before trying to talk to him.”

“Jack?” Tony asked, deferring to him.

“Why are you looking at me?” Jack frowned. “I don't know what's wrong with him either.”

“But you're from the same place,” Tasha pointed out.

“Yeah. Like 30 years apart.” Jack retorted. “That doesn't make me a freaking mind reader.”

“But you can go talk to him.” Tony deadpanned.

“Yeah, if you want your butt kicked.” Clint snorted.

“I can't.” Jack sighed.

“You can't get your butt kicked?” Clint laughed. “Cause I beg to differ.”

“I can't get hurt.” Jack groaned. “I mean, I _can_. But I shouldn't. It's bad for me.”

“Kid, it's bad for everyone to get hurt.” Tony smirked.

“Yeah, but do you have a clotting disorder that could kill you?”

“And suddenly it all makes sense.” Clint gasped, using his hands to mimic his mind exploding.

“What makes sense?” Fitz laughed.

“Why Skye was so protective of him.” Clint replied. “He's literally like this fragile, little, man-baby.”

“I'm not a man-baby!” Jack huffed, crossing his arms.

“Okay, seriously though. We need a pact of silence... First, I have no idea how to fix Agent's file. I can't alter it – Skye did a real number on it. And we need to get Steven out of the vents before Steve comes back and asks us what happened.” Tony groaned, stepping in front of Jack so he couldn't see Clint.

“What did happen?” Steve asked, stepping off the elevator.

“Welp, that's my cue.” Clint muttered, pushing himself away from the vent opening.

“Tony?” Steve asked, raising an eyebrow.

“You look beat.” Tony grinned, trying to usher Steve back into the elevator. “How about a nice hot shower, maybe a little food in your system?”

“Tony...”

“Steve...”

“That alone worries me.” Steve sighed, running a hand over his face. He looked exhausted.

“Everything is totally fine.” Tony dismissed, waving a hand lazily.

“You're not convincing me,” Steve groaned.

“Go shower. We'll take care of it.” Tasha told Steve, ushering him into the elevator. “Seriously, you look beat."

“Where's Steven?”

“Chilling in the vents.” Jack shrugged. “I think he needed a break from Tony. Don't worry, Clint is keeping him company.”

“Okay,” Steve agreed, stepping onto the elevator. He still looked worried, but he allowed the elevator to take him away.

“Shit. That was close.” Tony sighed.

“Okay, we've bought some time. We still need to fix the problem.” Jack sighed, looking at Fitz like he would have an idea.

“Well...when I was upset, as a kid, I would make monkeys out of pieces of my last project.” Fitz shrugged.

“Oh, Fitz.” Simmons sighed.

“We could have Clint drag him out and then shove ice cream in his face.” Tony suggested. “He does like ice cream.”

“But that doesn't help us long term.” Bruce pointed out, cleaning his glasses off with his shirt.

“Fuck long term.” Tony laughed. “I just want to not get murdered by Steve.”

“He won't murder you, you big baby.” Jack snorted.

“I say we leave him be,” Tasha offered. “When I'm upset, I need space. Anyone stupid enough to not give that to me usually ends up hurt.”

Like that was some sort of cue, there was loud, but muffled, cursing. Clint was scrambling through the vents, making no attempt to silence his movements. Bruce put a chair under the vent and stood on it, opening the vent before Clint got there. Sticking his head in the vent, Bruce bust out laughing.

“Steven might take after Tasha,” Bruce chortled, stepping down from the chair. He turned and opened a drawer, pulling out a handful of gauze that he offered to Clint as soon as he dropped down to the floor.

“You should know better,” Tasha smirked. Clint flipped her off and pressed the gauze to his nose. His face was smeared with blood.

“Sit down, sit down,” Simmons instructed, flapping her hands at the chair. “Let me help.”

“Simmons, it's a bloody nose.” Clint told her. His voice was deeper than usual because his nose was blocked.

“It may be broken!” Simmons objected, swatting his hands out of the way. “Let me look.”

“I don't need...”

“It's definitely broken.” Bruce chuckled. “Put your hands down, let the lady do her work.”

“The lady,” Fitz chuckled softly, elbowing Jack. Simmons whipped around with a wild expression. Fitz raised his hands in surrender and stepped behind Jack, ducking his head.

“Hey! Don't piss her off before she messes with my face!” Clint laughed, waving the bloodly gauze as he spoke.

“Definitely need to set that.” Bruce winced, getting a better look at his nose. “What did he do to you?”

“I think it was a foot?” Clint shrugged. Simmons grasped his nose firmly and set it quickly. “Fuck, Simmons!”

“What? You were distracted. It's a good technique.” Simmons shrugged. She was clearly unashamed.

“Let's tape you up,” Bruce smirked.

 

0-0-0-0-0

 

“Why is Steven covered in blood?” Steve asked, storming off the elevator. “And why does he swear it's not his?”

“Cause it's mine?” Clint offered, pointing to his nose.

“He came out of the vents?” Bruce asked, looking up from his computer. Steve didn't even reply, just gave Bruce a dry look. He smirked and shook his head, “Sorry. Stupid question.”

“Why are you bleeding and why were you bleeding all over Steven?” Steve asked, pinching his nose in frustration.

“He kicked me. Broke my nose.” Clint shrugged. “It's not a big deal.”

“Why did he kick you?”

“Hmm...” Clint looked to his friends and teammates for support, but they studiously avoided his eye. “God. You guys suck.”

“What happened?” Steve repeated. “Were you training?”

“Yes!” Tony jumped in, nodding eagerly. “He was training the Pip Squeak to evade capture in vents – I think it started out as a game...But obviously the student has surpassed the teacher.”

“Have you talked to him since this happened?” Steve asked, pointing a finger at Clint's nose.

“Nah. He seemed a little upset, so we thought he might need some space.” Clint replied. “We were just going to go send Jack to talk to him.”

“Traitor,” Jack muttered, crossing his arms in a pout. He turned to look at Steve. “Is he out of the vents?”

“Yeah, he's in his room.” Steve nodded. “You can go talk to him now.”

“Sir, yes Sir!” Jack replied, giving Steve a flimsy salute. He grabbed Fitz and dragged him onto the elevator with him.

“Well, I'm going to head back to my lab...” Tony announced, trying to get onto the elevator with them.

“There's nothing else you have to tell me?” Steve asked, stopping Tony with an outstretched arm.

“Hmm...no?” Tony replied. “He didn't get very far into his check up though. Send him my way once he's done here?”

“I feel like you're not telling me something.” Steve frowned, narrowing his eyes at Tony.

“God, you're so paranoid!” Tony chuckled, slapping Steve's shoulder. “We got stuck on the coding so I sent him for his checkup with Simmons. That's it.”

“Why didn't he get very far into his checkup?”

“Hey, you know how he is with needles.” Tony snorted. “I need to get back to work now.”

“I know how he is with needles...but why do you know how he is with needles?” Steve persisted. His arms were crossed in annoyance.

“Bruce mentioned it.” Tony dismissed. “Hey, I'm hungry. What are we doing for dinner?”

“Oh, food?” Simmons asked, perking up immediately. Tony buried his face in his hands at the disappointed look Steve gave him.

“You can't _steal_ people and then not feed them.” Steve told Tony sternly.

“I'm feeding them now!” Tony retorted. “What are we ordering?”

“Pizza,” Clint replied instantly. “We need some pizza.”

“Boom. Done.” Tony grinned. “Everyone tell Jarvis your preference. I'm heading back to my lab...”

“Stark,” Steve warned threateningly. Tony grinned and let the doors close on him. Now he was safe. Steve sighed and turned back to the remaining few. He rolled his eyes when he saw Clint trying to pull himself back into the vent. Simmons was holding his feet, effectively halting his efforts.

“Damn it! Simmons, let go!” Clint hissed, trying to wiggle his feet without kicking her in the face.

“No!” Simmons snorted, laughing despite herself. “This is payback for kidnapping me.”

“You're glad I stole you and you know it!” Clint retorted, losing ground. Clint flailed wildly as he fell to the ground, landing with a loud thump. Clint arched his back and hissed in pain. “Shit, Simmons!”

“Oh, that one was all me.” Tasha smirked.

“Tasha!” Clint whined, sitting up while rubbing his back.

“No one else is leaving until I know what happened.” Steve said firmly, crossing his arms and bracing himself in front of the exit.

“Jack needed more blood, this morning.” Bruce admitted finally. The awkward silence was too much for him. Besides, he wasn't lying. Steve did need to know about it.

“Same as last time?” Steve asked, relaxing marginally.

“Jarvis alerted me.” Bruce shrugged. “He was in his lab.”

“Did he really need the blood, or was he just excited?” Steve asked.

“Oh, he definitely needed it. Jack gave Simmons and me permission to look into making his treatment plan better.”

“He has an unusual set of symptoms.” Simmons nodded. “But I guess the fact that he came from that horrible place explains some of it. Who knows what the serum did to him?”

“That's what we're working to find out.” Bruce told her softly. “Though Jack has had his symptoms for so long, I'm not sure that we can do anything about them. Honestly, I would just be happy to offer him a better treatment plan. Steven though, he's only had the serum for two years. That's still a long time...but it gives us a better chance of reversing at least some of the issues.”

“Steven doesn't have issues.” Steve said defensively. “He's just got a lot of energy. He doesn't need to be fixed.”

“I didn't say he was broken,” Bruce replied immediately, trying to back track.

“I'm gonna go see how Jack is doing with him.” Steve said softly, stepping onto the elevator. The elevator zoomed away, leaving the remaining four standing in awkward silence.

“Um...is he okay?” Simmons asked softly, breaking the silence.

“Yeah,” Bruce dismissed instantly. “It's just been a long week...or two.”

“He's mentioned in passing that he hasn't been sleeping well. Maybe we need to drug him instead of Tony.” Clint shrugged. “Might do him some good.”

 

0-0-0-0-0

 

“Steve, I think you might want to give him some time.” Jack admitted, trying to keep him from entering Steven's room.

“Why?” Steve asked sullenly. “If there is something wrong, I need to fix it.”

“You can't always fix things.” Jack said softly. “Sometimes words don't make things better.”

“Jack, move.” Steve sighed.

“I warned you,” Jack muttered, stepping out of the way. Steve hid his annoyance and pushed into the room. Well, he tried to push into the room. The door was locked. Steve sighed and avoided Jack's gaze.

“Jarvis, can you unlock this door?” Steve asked.

“I could.” Jarvis replied. Steve sighed and shot a glare at the ceiling. “But it won't do you much good, Mr. Rogers.”

“Jarvis, just open the door.”

“I have unlocked it.” Jarvis supplied helpfully. Steve tried the door again, but it didn't budge. He sighed and looked at Jack.

“Jarvis did say it wouldn't do you much good.” Jack shrugged. Steve pointedly ignored him and turned back to the door. He knocked lightly, then more firmly.

“Steven?” Steve waited a beat, then knocked again. “Steven, open the door.”

“No.”

“Steven?” He tried again. Nothing, but faint laughter behind him. He turned and gave Jack a dirty look.

“I told you, give him some time.”

“Steven, open this door.” Steve sighed, keeping the annoyed growl out of his voice by sheer will power. It wasn't the boy's fault that Steve was so annoyed today.

“Or what?” A muffled voice asked. Steve turned and looked at Jack, at a complete loss of what to do.

“Steven, just open the door.” Steve tried again, forcing his voice to be softer. “I just want to talk to you.”

“Or what?” Steven repeated, a little less muffled and distinctly annoyed.

“Steven, I'm not going to give you an ultimatum here,” Steve sighed, crossing his arms at the door.

“Good.”

“I'm telling you, walk away.” Jack smirked. “You're not going to win this one.”

“Fine.” Steve sighed, admitting defeat. “Steven, we're ordering pizza. Let Jarvis know what you want. Hopefully, I'll see you soon.”

“I'll let you know if I see him,” Jack offered, hiding his smile behind his hand. He really didn't want to pull out the _I told you so_ card, but it was tempting.

“I'm going to take another look at the Bucky drive.” Steve nodded, walking away quickly.

 

0-0-0-0-0

 

“Where'd...the kid go? What's his name again?” Fitz asked, sitting down next to Jack.

“Steven.” Jack replied with a smirk. “And he's still pouting in his room. I think.”

“Oh, dear. Still?” Simmons asked, frowning. Her pizza was halfway to her mouth, frozen.

“Yeah.” Clint nodded, claiming a seat. “I tried sneaking in...”

“He boobie-trapped the vent to his room.” Tasha smirked, brushing something white from his shoulders and face.

“You're bruising,” Bruce pointed out, waving to his own face.

“Thanks for pointing out the obvious, doc.” Clint grinned, taking a bite of his own pizza.

“If we had extra _magic blood_ ,” Simmons teased, “We could test it out on your face.”

“For the bruising, of course.” Steve smirked, just joining everyone at the table. “Not even magic blood can fix all...that.”

“When's Tony joining us?” Clint grinned. He was glad Steve had gotten the stick out of his butt.

“I don't know. I haven't seen him since his hasty escape from the lab.” Steve shrugged, sliding the bowl of salad down his way.

“When's Steven joining us?” Clint asked, his grin slipping.

“I don't know.” Steve shrugged.

“Me and Fitzie are gonna finish your new comm. It's going to be amaze-balls.” Jack supplied, filling the silence.

“I'm so close.” Tony announced to Jack, striding into the room. He took the empty place at the head of the table, gulping at his scotch. “Jarvis is running it now, but hopefully I've unlocked that flash drive.”

“The one I gave you?” Jack asked, his eyes wide.

“Jarvis is going to let us know when it's unlocked. Until then, let's eat.” Tony grinned, looking around the table. He took in the empty seat next to Steve, then the white powder all over Clint. “Where's the pip squeak?”

“In his room.”

“He okay?”

“We'll know when he comes out,” Steve shrugged. He was trying to play it cool, but he was frustrated. His friends knew something that he didn't – something that they weren't telling him. He just wasn't sure it was about the boy. He bit back his frustrated groan. This whole...parenting...thing...he was doing would be so much easier if he knew what the problem was. Why wouldn't Steven tell him what the problem was?

“Hmm, hopefully he comes out soon. I think we're close with the program.” Tony grunted, sliding an entire pizza box towards his spot. He took a large bite, then looked expectantly at the table. “So, what's new with everyone? How are my captives holding up?”

 

0-0-0-0-0

 

Steven listened hard, waiting for Steve to get back onto the elevator. He was covered in flour from when Clint tried to break into his room. He had given up, which was a win in Steven's book. Steve would be mad, no doubt, but it would be worth it. Now, he just had to escape without drawing their attention.

“Jarvis?”

“Yes, Steven?”

“Where is everyone?”

“They're eating dinner. Should I tell Mr. Rogers that you're coming?”

“No! No, that's okay Jarvis. I have something I have to do, first.” Steven sighed. “What are your rules about me? What would you _have_ to share with the others?”

“Mr. Rogers didn't want rules for you.” Jarvis replied simply. “I would alert him if you left the Tower unattended, or if you were experiencing medical distress.”

“So, if I stay in the Tower, you won't tell on me?” Steven clarified, looking optimistic.

“No, Steven. As long as you're not in danger.”

“Great. I just want to go to Tony's lab and finish the program. Can I do that without you telling him?”

“Why can't I tell him?”

“Cause it's a surprise!” Steven retorted, trying to grin to confuse the AI. He knew what he did wrong now, with the programming. He could fix it. He could find Skye. He needed to be the one to find her – it was his only chance.

“Okay,” Jarvis agreed, stunning Steven. This was too easy. Steven grinned and slipped into the vents, trailing flour after himself. He just hoped dinner would last long enough to give him time to finish fixing the program.

 

0-0-0-0-0

 

“Steven, you really should eat some dinner.” Steve told Steven's door. He set a plate of pizza on the ground by the door, unwilling to let the boy starve – even if his isolation was self-imposed. “I'm going to go talk with Tony, see how the program is coming. Would you like to come with me?”

Nothing.

“Okay,” Steve shrugged. “I guess I'll see you whenever you decide to come out. I'll be in my room later, if you want to stop by for a chat.”

Nothing.

“I'm not mad, you know. Whatever you think you did wrong...I'm not mad. I'm confused...because I don't know what's wrong...but I'm not mad. And I would really like to talk about this and figure it out. So please, come find me.”

Nothing.

“There's some pizza by your door,” Steve sighed, then got back on the elevator to go talk to Tony.

Tony was just inside his lab, stiff with anger.

“Tony?” Steve asked softly, approaching slowly. What was in the water today? Everyone was out of it, himself included. “Tony, what's wrong?”

“He ate it.” Tony growled. Steve would have laughed, had he not caught sight of Tony's face right then.

“Who ate what?” Steve asked, stepping around him to peer into the lab. Steven was standing in the middle of the room, covered in white powder (flour, probably, he mentally connected), his arms crossed defiantly. Steve tossed his hands in the air. “How did you get down here!? I've been talking to your door.”

“He ate the flash drive.” Tony told Steve, talking through clenched teeth.

“Skye's flash drive?”

“You're not supposed to have it!” Steven told them both, adjusting his stance minutely. Steve frowned, seeing the boy trying to subtly slip into a fighter's stance. He was going to fight them over a flash drive?

“You don't even know what's on it!” Tony huffed, storming into his lab.

“47 is none of your business.” Steven growled back, retreating a step.

“Steven, why are you down here?” Steve asked, pulling a chair over and sitting in it. He made sure to leave the boy plenty of room, but he didn't think he would accomplish anything by  towering over the boy. “How do you even know about the flashdrive?”

“I was fixing the program. I know what got broken. Then I saw that Jarvis was trying to open it and I took it. It's not for you to have.”

“So you ate it?” Steve asked, his eyebrows raised.

“I didn't eat it. I swallowed it.” Steven retorted.

“I bet we can make him puke it back up.” Tony told Steve, circling the pair like a vulture. “With dogs, vets make them drink hydrogen peroxide until they puke.”

“Steven is not a dog, _Stark_.”

“Little boys don't break into labs and eat personal, private data!” Tony ground out.

“It doesn't belong to you!” Steven yelled, turning to watch Tony walk circles. “And it's only private to 47! You're not 47, so you can't look at it!”

“You're seven years old,” Tony retorted with a snort. “You don't get to decide what I do.”

“47 is only safe because he's a secret!” Steven shouted. “He's a secret and you're going to ruin everything!”

“He can help us find the scientists,” Steve said calmly, stepping between the two children.

“He won't.” Steven huffed.

“Why not?”

“Because then you'll know about him!” Steven sighed angrily, like it was obvious. “47 has stayed gone for this long because no one knows him. I'm not going to let you ruin that for him.”

“Even if it helps us, help you and the other children?” Steve asked, reaching out for the boy.

“There's nothing wrong with us!” Steven shouted. An angry tear slipped down his cheek and he forcefully scrubbed his face. The moisture stuck in the flour on his face, making a thin paste roll on his skin. Steve tried to grab for him, but the boy squirmed loose. Tony almost had him, but Steven smacked his palm against Tony's forehead, making him stumble backwards. The two adults scrambled to control the boy before he lost it, but they were unsuccessful. Steven let loose a little war cry and fought his way back to the vents. He knew Tony was the weakest link and used that to his advantage. Once he was back inside the vent, and therefore safe from Steve and Tony, he let out one shaking sob.

“Did you even hear me?” Steven asked softly, his voice sad and miserable. There was loud thumping in the vents when Steven hurried from the area.

“I think I rushed into this whole...parenting thing.” Steve admitted, sitting down heavily. He wasn't sure today could go any worse.

“What was your first clue?” Tony chuckled humorlessly.

“I think...I think maybe I was counting on Jack to help me with him. I guess I assumed he would know how to help me. But he's pretty worthless on that front. I was just so _mad_. How could anyone treat a child like that?”

“I heard he and Fitz are almost done with your new comms, so there's that.” Tony shrugged, finally feeling cool enough to attempt to code.

“Sir,” Jarvis pinged just then, “Coordinates are on the screen.”

“Coordinates?” Tony asked, whirling around. On his biggest screen, a map and coordinates were flashing. “Coordinates for what?”

“Steven has indicated this is the building you're looking for.”

“Can we pull up a satellite feed?” Tony asked, zooming out on the map to get a better idea of where they were heading.

“Satellites will be passing overhead in approximately eight minutes.” Jarvis reported.

“Finally, some good news!” Tony grinned, turning expectantly towards Steve. Steve smiled, but didn't have much to say. “We can go get those rat bastards now.”

“I'll call Shield.” Steve nodded.

“You should be happier.” Tony pointed out.

“Oh, I'm happy.” Steve replied. “I'm glad we're going to get all those scientists and make them pay...but they're also always ahead of us. I'm not going to get too excited until I know for sure the scientists are there.”

“Go, call Shield, Captain Grumpy Pants.” Tony chuckled, waving him off. “I'm going to wait for this satellite feed.”

 

0-0-0-0-0

 

“Steven?” Steve asked, knocking on the boy's door again. “Steven, we're going to go to the facility you found for us. Do you want to come? I mean, you'll have to stay on the plane, but...you could come.”

“No. I'm staying here.” Steven called back, clearly still pouting.

“Steven...”

“I want to stay here!” Steven shouted.

“All right, stay. Bruce is in his lab, if you need anything.” Steve sighed. “I'm leaving now. Thanks for all your help.”

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm trying to get to a certain point in the story before Christmas, so enjoy the extra update!


	12. I'm so sorry

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know this is a short chapter!!! I'll update again in a day or two, to make up for it.

 

 

“They're scattering!” Fitz informed the specialists on the ground, watching scientists shoot from exits.

“Make sure we get them all!” Tony said into his comms. “Dirty bastards.”

“Language,” Clint and Tasha scolded at the same time. Tony laughed and landed in front of a group making their way for some brush. This was just the thing he needed to get his mind off Skye.

“Will you guys ever let me forget about that?” Steve sighed.

“Nope.” Tasha said quickly.

“Too much fun,” Clint agreed over the top of her.

“Going somewhere?” Tony asked, quickly subduing the small group that was trying to escape.

“I'm going in,” Steve informed his team. “I'll see if I can flush anyone else out. Stay by the exits.”

“Dude, it's like a ghost town.” Jack muttered, watching Steve walk down the hall through his comm unit.

“Heat goggles would be amazing right now.” Fitz muttered, crunching on something.

“Are you always eating something?” Steve asked, shaking his head.

“What? I was feeling a little peckish.”

“Any suggestions where to look?” Steve asked, knowing the engineer had pulled up ancient blueprints for the building. It had since been converted, but a few of the major structures were bound to be the same.

“Hmm, head right. Looks like there is a lot of electricity being used down that hall. No idea what's down there,” Fitz giggled slightly. “But I think it's worth a look.”

“Sounds good.” Steve agreed, banking right.

He cleared room after room, finding only one scientist hiding under his desk. Steve pulled him out and restrained him, leaving him tied up in the hall. Finally there was only one room he hadn't cleared yet. It was locked. Steve growled and kicked at the door, realizing it was barricaded shut. He braced himself against the door and pushed the debris back, bit by bit. Then he slammed the doors open, spinning to get a good look.

There was no immediate threat, so he slipped his shield onto his back. The medical tables and desks were behind the doors, explaining why Steve had such trouble getting the doors open. There were several scientists on the floor, unconscious and tied up, but no one else around. Steve frowned and checked their ties. Once he was sure they were secure (they were), he checked in a back room, the only area he couldn't see from the doorway. Clear.

Then he turned and saw something he hadn't on the way in. A body, propped up on a table. The table was angled away from the door, explaining why Steve hadn't seen the body before. A bag of blood was dripping slowly into the pale arm. He took a step closer, seeing long, dark hair. He swallowed hard and walked around to the front, getting a good look at the body.

“Is that Skye?” Jack gasped, his voice cracking.

“What? Skye? You found her?” Tony asked, his voice cracking slightly.

Steve nodded dumbly, forgetting Tony couldn't see him.

“Steve!”

“Uh huh.” Steve nodded again, frozen to the spot.

“Well? Can we get her out?” Tony asked, annoyed.

“Uh huh,” Steve nodded again.

“Capsicle, you're really starting to piss me off.” Tony snapped.

“Is she alive?” Jack asked, hope clear in his voice. He could see what Tony couldn't. It felt like a hundred people were talking to him, demanding an answer from him. Even murmurs of _Wait, is who alive?_ From the enlisted specialists joined the muttering.

"I need a better fucking update on this situation!" Tony barked. "Why is Jack asking if Skye's alive?"

Steve finally rushed to Skye's side. She was in a black sports bra and black elastic shorts. It didn't seem necessary, but she was strapped to the table with metal bands around her wrists and ankles. Those areas were red and bloody, where she had desperately tried to get out. She was covered in blood and some sort of orange substance oozed from her wounds. Through a few clean spots on her skin, Steve could tell she was pale. Too pale. Her blue trinity – honorary Delta? - stood out in stark contrast to her skin. Her scarily blue-white skin that clung way too tightly to her body. Steve felt like he could see every bone in her body. Her ribs and hip bones stuck out the farthest, though she was thin everywhere. He took in all those details in one sweeping glance, his heart racing with anticipation and hope. 

He brushed a finger down her cheek; it was ice cold. His fingers slipped to her neck, desperately trying to find a pulse.

Nothing.

There was nothing.

She was here, right in front of him...but she wasn't _here_.

There were too many voices asking Steve about her, so he ripped the comm from his ear and set it next to Skye on the table.

Then he broke.

The stupid, irrational part of his brain informed him that he wasn't being rude; his sobbing would answer the question everyone was asking him. She was dead. He knew that. But, she had also been Erased. So how was she here now? He hoped Fitz or Jack would have the good sense to restrict his comm feed; Shield didn't need to know his weakness.

“I shouldn't have done this alone,” Steve whispered, feeling the overwhelming wave of loss crashing over him. Finding her like this? This, he was not prepared for. Despite her paleness and the icy cold of her skin, she could be sleeping or unconscious. If you ignored the blood (God, so much blood) and orange on her, she could be fine. He could faintly hear voices through the comm and he couldn't help but curse his super hearing. He just needed a minute. He needed a minute with her. He couldn't do that with her looking like this.

Pushing back the tears on his cheeks, Steve put on a pair of medical gloves and filled a shallow basin with water. Using the only tool available, he wiped her down with patches of gauze. He thought getting her clean would make this easier – but he was wrong. Again.

There was a pile of orange and red gauze on the floor by his feet when he was finished. Cleaned up, he could see the lacerations and burns on her skin; he could see the bruising and welts; he could see needle marks in her elbow. He wondered vaguely why they were pumping blood into a corpse. He removed the line, hoping instead Fitz or Simmons could provide reasoning behind the IV. The security videos from the previous compound hadn't been close enough to show them the injuries on her skin.

Now, he could see exactly how much she suffered. No wonder she had erased that footage. He was suddenly very glad she had. He didn't think he could watch them hurting her. Not when he knew what the end result would be. That was Skye, though - looking out for other people when she ought to be looking out for herself.

Her legs were severely burned from the knee down, looking almost like the bubbling that Steve had seen in the file photos of the groups. The rest of her body showed signs of burns as well, just not to the degree that was present on her legs. Steve forced himself to concentrate and pushed back the thoughts of anger and revenge that were quickly surfacing. If he focused on them right now, he would be tempted to leave her and kill whoever did this to her – starting with the men by his feet. He couldn't do that; getting Skye back had been his main priority. She was the most important thing. She was _his_ most important thing.

“I'm sorry, doll.” Steve whispered, pushing her hair back and pressing his forehead to hers. It had been her way of saying good bye after all. It seemed only appropriate that he did the same. In a twisted way, Steve was glad he had this – glad he had a body to say goodbye to. The closure he needed was right in front of him. He pulled back just enough to press a kiss to her forehead. “I'm so sorry.”

 

 

 


	13. Don't leave me here

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Merry Christmas everyone! I hope everyone is taking advantage of everything being closed and using that time for family. I don't know if I'll post another chapter before New Years or not, so (to be safe) I hope everyone wraps 2015 up with a bang! Have a happy and SAFE New Years!

 

 

_“I'm sorry, doll.” Steve whispered, pushing her hair back and pressing his forehead to hers. It had been her way of saying good bye after all. It seemed only appropriate that he did the same. In a twisted way, Steve was glad he had this – glad he had a body to say goodbye to. The closure he needed was right in front of him. He pulled back just enough to press a kiss to her forehead. “I'm so sorry.”_

 

 

He pulled back farther, finally ready to take her from this place. He had himself together enough that he could carry her out with a shred of dignity intact. Then he met her eye.

She blinked and focused on him, turning her head slightly to do that. Her face was cold, emotionless. Her eyes were icy and distant.

“Orders unchanged?” Skye asked with a robotic voice.

“Oh, shit.” Steve cursed. Scrabbling back, he fell hard on his ass. There was no recognition behind her gaze. Her gaze shifted from his face to the floor by the scientists, staring intently at a dark square.

“Don't answer.” Jack cried. Steve could hear him even though the comm wasn't in his ear. He quickly replaced the comm.

“She's alive,” Steve grinned. “There's something wrong with her, but she's alive.”

She was far too pale, ice cold, probably injured more than he could tell, and something was dreadfully wrong with her - but she was alive. She was alive! He wanted to cry with relief, but he still needed to get her back to the Bus so Fitzsimmons could take her to medical. They could figure out whatever was wrong with her. A chorus of relieved sighs filtered through the comms, as well as some crying. Steve suspected that was Jack.

“Shit. I need to come in. Steve, she's under programming. Don't let her out of those restraints; we don't know what her orders are. Would it be okay if Romanov and Barton bring me in? Don't look at her when you answer.”

Steve agreed; the compound was nearly empty at this point. Romanov and Barton could protect Jack if they ran into a few stragglers. Steve waited in silence, holding Skye's hand. Ten long minutes later, Jack entered the room.

“We'll wait at the door,” Barton muttered, catching a glimpse of Skye on the table. He pushed Tasha back against the frame, preventing her from seeing around the table. Jack looked at Clint's expression, swallowed hard, and walked slowly to stand by Steve. He took one look at his sister and turned his back quickly. It took Steve a half second too long to figure out why; by then, Jack was crying. Steve hurried to Jack, wrapping an arm around his shoulder. Jack turned and buried his face in Steve's shoulder.

“Breathe like me,” Steve said softly, taking exaggerated breaths. Jack's first breath was more of a shuttered gasp, but after a few minutes he was almost breathing normally. “She's going to be okay. She's alive. That's more than we hoped for. You can break this. You helped all those kids.”

“But if I get it wrong, I could make things so much worse.” Jack replied. His words were muffled by his tight throat and Steve's shoulder. Steve laughed humorlessly.

“Not sure you could make it worse,” He replied, glancing at Skye over Jack's shoulder. She was watching them without interest. This Skye was such a stark contrast to her typical self that he was hesitant to even think of her as Skye. But Jack could fix that. Steve _needed_ Jack to fix that.

Steve pulled Jack from his shoulder and held Jack's face in his hands. “They've taken her away from us, but you can bring her back.” He told the man confidently. Jack's lip quivered, but he nodded and pulled away from Steve. Jack took a step back and shook his hands out. He took a shaky breath and exhaled slowly.

“If this works, we're gonna need to get her out of here fast.” Jack told Steve softly. Steve frowned in confusion. Jack elaborated, “She'll be confused. She won't remember anything that happened while she was under the programming. She'll be hit with all of her fear, all of her confusion, all of the feelings she hasn't been allowed to have. No specific details, just the feelings. It's...overwhelming. She won't know how to handle it. And...she's in soldier mode right now, which means her pain receptors are inactive.”

Jack didn't have to spell that one out for Steve. He understood loud and clear. When her programming fell, she would feel everything. They needed to get her back to the bus quickly and give her something for the pain. Something strong. Jack could tell Steve understood because of the disgusted look that crossed his face. Clint and Natasha growled their understanding as well.

“I don't think I ever want to find out what they did to break her.” Jack muttered, working to contain his hysteria. “I need to talk to the scientists.”

“We'll stay with Skye.” Clint offered, his voice hard. “We'll make sure she's safe.”

 

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

 

“Steve?” Skye asked, her voice no more than a hoarse whisper.

“Skye.” He replied softly.

“Steve? Is he still here? Is he with you?” Skye asked, looking around the room. Jack stepped into her line of sight.

“It's okay. I'm here.” Jack told her softly.

“It's okay, we've got you. It's over. You're safe,” Steve replied, his voice low and comforting. He risked a glance at her as he broke the metal bands holding her down. Blood started gushing from her wrists and ankles as the raw skin was ripped open with the removal of the restraints. He broke the last band just as Skye's face crumpled. A wordless scream ripped from her throat, turning quickly into tears.

Steve carefully scooped Skye up, dangling her legs around either side of his waist so he didn't have to touch the burned skin, and headed for the door. Jack must have agreed with Steve about the IV line, because he unhooked the bag from the stand and took it with him when he followed Steve out the door. Skye locked her arms around his neck and buried her face, sobbing into his neck. Warm blood from her wrists smeared into Steve's hair and neck, quickly cooling, but all he could think about was the sounds she was making. Steve had never heard crying like this before. This was animalistic, the purely primal release of her pain and anguish.

“We've got a shooter,” Barton told Steve through the comms. “Tasha, cover me. I'm getting higher ground.”

Steve reached back for his shield, slipping it onto his left arm. He used his shield to protect Skye's back and to help hold her up. He was afraid to touch her, afraid of hurting her more than she already was, but he knew realistically that the faster they got back to the plane the faster they could get pain medication in her system.

“Let's go quick, before we have more company,” Romanov said a moment later. Skye pressed her mouth into Steve's shoulder to muffle her sobbing.

“Keep close,” Steve told Jack.

 

0-0-0-0-0

 

The specialists they had passed on the way to the plane had all moved out of their way, watching Steve run by with barely contained horror. They couldn't see much, Captain America's shield hid most of her, but he was carrying someone – a girl with blood running down her feet and dripping from her fingertips. Tasha had provided basic medical attention, mostly stopping the light bleeding coming from her numerous wounds on her front, but she couldn't do anything with the wrists, ankles, or back because Skye had still been strapped down. The horror on the specialists' faces faded into surprise; they were only supposed to find the scientists. The girl was very much alive – her sobs were proof of that, but the concern on Captain America's face had them worried about the extent of her injuries. Was this the girl they were trying to retrieve the first time around?

“Dr. Simmons!” Steve shouted, running Skye right up to their medical lab.

“I'm all ready.” Simmons nodded, game face on. She tightened the gloves on her hands, looking over the tools she had already assembled. Steve shucked his shield, letting it fall heavily to the floor. Simmons glanced over at Fitz. “You can get your Dwarfs ready. You can take a reading once I get her stabilized.”

“What did you do?” Skye shrieked, turning her head side to side to take in the room. She didn't like what she saw. Her scream caught in her throat, making her gag and cough. Her dry lips cracked and bled under the strain.

“Thank goodness.” Fitz gasped, all but running from the room. Steve set Skye down on the examination table, prying her loose from his body. Jack handed off the bag of blood to Simmons, then stood wringing his hands.

“No, no, no,” Skye begged, panicking. “Don't leave me here.” Her face crumpled and her sobs intensified, “Please, don't leave me.”

“I've got you,” Steve whispered reassuringly, clutching her hand.

“No,” Skye whispered, shaking her head rapidly. Her sobbing returned full force with her panic, making her breathing erratic. She clutched at his forearm, holding him so tightly that her fingers were turning white. Simmons handed Steve oxygen, trusting him to slip it over her ears.

“Simmons, she needs pain medication.” Steve said firmly, looking away from Skye long enough to make sure she was getting it. He smoothed Skye's hair back, making sure the tubing was settled comfortably on her face. Jack was hovering in the doorway, looking torn. On one hand, Steve knew he was very squeamish. On the other, this was his sister. Steve gave him an out. “Jack, you could go see if Fitz needs help with the drones. We'll want to do that reading as soon as we can.”

“Right. Drones.” Jack nodded, hurrying from the room.

“No needles!” Skye screamed, thrashing on the table. Simmons hurried to hide the needle and pain medication behind her back, but Skye was well on her way to a full blown panic attack.

“Distract her,” Simmons whispered forcefully. “I'll put a mild sedative in her IV as well. It'll help her stay calm. Why did you bring this? We have blood here.”

“We didn't know what it was. Figured you could find out. I didn't want to leave it if it would be helpful.”

“We'll save it and can reuse it if we need to.” Simmons agreed, nodding her head.

“She's going to fall off the table,” Clint growled, pushing into the room to help Steve. Skye screamed and lashed out, kicking Clint in the chest hard enough that he stumbled back into the wall. He shook himself off and hurried back in, deflecting the next kick aimed at him.

“Skye, doll, you gotta listen to me.” Steve said urgently, grasping her face. It was the only place that looked unharmed. “Skye, you're out of there. You're safe now, I promise, but we need to take care of you. Please, let us take care of you.”

A hysterical little cry burst from Skye's mouth at his words. She clamped her mouth shut quickly, trying to keep the hysteria in. She managed the suppress the sounds, but was helpless to stop the tears from streaming down her face. Steve wiped the tears from her face gently, cradling her head gently between his hands. He didn't know what he said or how to make it better, but he could be there. He could show her what his words couldn't.

“There's so much blood,” Clint groaned, holding her at her hips. The blood from her wrists were creating small puddles that Skye kept rolling through. She was twisting in his grasp; he was so afraid of hurting her, but the blood was so slippery and he couldn't get a good grip. “You need to stop the blood.”

“Agent Romanov,” Simmons called, “Come hold her arm so I can start an IV. I need to stop this blood flow, but I would like to have something in her system first.”

“Got it,” Tasha nodded, slipping by Clint's side to hold Skye's arm to the table. Skye kicked and screamed, trying to get away from Simmons when she came at her with the needle. When she couldn't get free, she crumpled into a shaking heap.

Clint couldn't look at her; he knew what they were doing was necessary, but her reaction was so unlike the brave, snarky Skye that he knew that he was appalled by their actions. She was so scared and they weren't doing anything to help that. Simmons was good at her job though, and the IV was in place within minutes.

“That's it, take a breath.” Steve was murmuring, coaching Skye through her panic attack. “Breathe like me. Deep breath in...”

“They were so little...” Skye whispered, wheezing. “It's my fault.”

“It's not your fault.” Steve contradicted firmly. “Right now, I don't want you to worry about any of that. Right now, just breathe.”

“I was never that small,” Skye whispered, her voice cracking.

“Okay, look at me.” Steve said softly. “Tell me five things you see.”

“Hair...” Skye muttered, her eyes darting around Steve's face. He had her face pinned between his hands.

“Good. Four more.” Steve nodded, smiling warmly.

“Eyes...mouth...” Skye's face crumpled slightly and new tears slipped free. She took a jagged breath – her breathing was better but still way too fast. The panic was still clear as day on her features.

“Should be hitting her system,” Simmons whispered, pressing gauze pads onto her wrists. Tasha grabbed a few pads as well, helping to staunch the blood flow to her ankles.

“What'd you give me?” Skye whispered, blinking drowsily. “I don't want it. Please, no more.”

“Just something for the pain.” Steve replied, stroking her forehead.

“Where is he? Is he here? Let me see him.”

“Jack is here, don't worry.” Steve murmured softly. “He's safe. You're safe. Just breathe, doll.”

“You shouldn't have taken the blood. I need it back. Bring it back, please.” Skye rambled quickly.

“Right after we know what's in it.” Steve agreed.

“Give it back!” Skye told Steve, her voice breaking.

“Hey, cheater, you only told me three things.” Steve said softly, hoping to distract her again.

“Hmm, you're pretty.” Skye said softly, her tone warm and teasing.

“You like those pain meds?” Steve asked, smirking lightly.

“No more drugs, 'kay?” Skye whispered.

“Nothing you don't need,” Steve promised.

“Agent Barton, I need an extra set of hands.” Simmons said softly, trying not to work Skye up again. Steve was doing a good job of reassuring her and the medication was doing its job; Skye looked half asleep. She was still upset, but she wasn't struggling to get off the table any more.

“Whatever you need,” Clint nodded.

“Wash up,” Simmons frowned, looking at his bloody hands. Clint hurried to do as asked, then slipped on a pair of gloves that Simmons insisted on. “Cabinet 3, no, not that one. To the left. Yes, that one. Antibiotic spray and bandages.”

“Got it,” Clint nodded.

“Tasha and I are going to worry about her legs. I need you to do her wrists. Just spray them liberally, wipe any excess off of her clear skin, and then bandage them up.”

“Easy enough.”

The three worked wordlessly, the lab silent except for Skye's small whimpers and Steve's reassuring sounds. Simmons and Tasha sprayed her legs with the burn spray, spread thick ointment on her legs, then wrapped them loosely with cloth. They looked Skye over, silently agreeing to treat the rest of her burns. They were considerably better than her legs, but still needed to be treated. After applying more burn spray and ointment, they wrapped her arms and exposed abdomen to help protect them. Clint took over for Simmons once the wrists were finished, letting Simmons draw blood from the IV port. Skye was shaking against the table, clutching at Steve's hands on her face.

“How is she?” Tony asked, stopping in the doorway. The room was pretty small and Dr. Simmons needed the space to take care of Skye.

“We're almost done with her immediate treatment,” Simmons answered distractedly, trying to roll Skye. She hissed in pain and started crying again, making every Avenger glare at Simmons. “Agent Rogers, she seems attached to you. Would you be willing to hold her so we can take a look at her back?”

“Of course,” Steve nodded. “Anything you need.”

“What is that?” Fitz asked, pointing to some orange on Steve's top. It was mostly hidden by the blood transferred from carrying Skye back.

“Shit, you got it on you?” Jack asked, stepping into the room. He couldn't come far; there wasn't room.

“Take it off,” Dr. Simmons said quickly. “Don't let it touch your skin. Jack, could you grab a bio-hazard container, please. Fitz, when you're done there could you heat up a blanket?” Simmons asked, sticking probes to her chest so they could monitor her heart.

“I give up. I'll be good. Make them go away.” Skye mumbled, her words barely audible.

“I want to run one more test,” Dr. Simmons told them, ignoring Skye's words. “We should do it before we check her back so the Captain's vitals don't interfere with her reading.”

“My Dwarfs will take all the measurements we need on her,” Fitz explained, opening some cases. “They can check for breaks, damage to internal organs, bruising, you know – everything they would do at a hospital, but with one quick scan. You won't need to be away from her for long.”

Everyone took two steps back, watching as Fitz pulled a tablet from a case.

“Can I wash your neck?” Tasha asked Steve, holding up a wet towel.

“For what?” Steve frowned.

“Blood,” Tasha said dryly. She smirked when he ducked down, letting her have access to his neck.

“No,” Skye whimpered, reaching for her friends.

“Skye, sweetheart, just stay still. You're almost done,” Tony told her.

“We're not going anywhere.” Clint added.

“Can you find me two more things, Skye?” Steve asked softly. “Anything in the room.”

“I don't wanna look too hard.” Skye admitted.

“Okay. Four things you can touch. Name me four things you can touch.”

“Jack gave it to you, didn't he?” Skye cried. Her hands were shaking, but came up to wipe the tears away.

“Yeah, doll.” Steve nodded. “What do you say we bring him home?”

Fitz tapped a few buttons and miniature drones rose out of the cases he had opened earlier. Each drone ran a light over Skye's shivering body, working surprisingly quickly. The sound of Skye's heartbeat filled the room, thumping steadily, if a bit fast. Skye whimpered and pressed her eyes shut. She exhaled a slow breath, then took a long, shuttering breath in.

“I'll help you,” Skye agreed.

“Hi Ho, off to work we go,” Fitz muttered softly, tapping on his tablet. After only a few minutes, Fitz was landing the drones back into the cases.

“Well, that was cool.” Tony commented. “We'll have to talk about those later.”

“Okay!” Fitz responded eagerly. It was easy to see the excitement on his face. Steve smiled at Jack; He would probably want to see the drones too. He was just as mechanically inclined as Tony. Simmons frowned at the readings and started setting up a blood drip. Regular blood from the plane stores, not the bag that had been hooked up to Skye before.

“No. None of that,” Skye whimpered, trying to pull the IV from her arm.

“You need it doll,” Steve reassured, clamping his hand over her IV access. “I promise, it's just blood. Nothing else.”

“No. It's wrong.”

“Don't worry, it's universal.” Simmons reassured Steve.

“She looks like she's freezing,” Jack pointed out.

“The blood will help with that. She only has about 2.5 liters. I can run the rest of my tests later, when her blood levels are up. Captain, you can get her now. That chair should be sufficient. Just, be careful with her.”

“Yes, ma'am.” Steve nodded, all business. He shifted Skye into an upright position with Clint's help, then let her latch her arms around his neck again. Tasha adjusted the IV stand, pushing it back behind Steve as he sat in the chair Simmons had pointed out.

“Her back is considerably better,” Simmons informed the Avengers cheerfully. “We'll finish wiping away all this dried blood. Then, I don't know that we need to, but we'll bandage these up after we disinfect, then we should be okay until Fitz and I finish analyzing her scans. Just looking at this quickly, she looks...well, battered. But nothing requires surgery. I'll give you a better update after we get a better look at these scans. You'll need to let her sleep.”

Tony nodded, watching as Simmons worked to clean Skye up. Once finished, she gave the Avengers a small smile before exiting the lab with Steve's suit top. She could tell they wanted to be with their friend.

Skye whimpered and took a shuttering breath. Her heart rate was steadily rising, giving way to her pain and panic. He could feel the tremors that were running through her body, so he adjusted his hold on her, dropping his head to murmur in her ear. “It's okay, I got you.”

“Don't want this,” She moaned dully and burrowed into his chest for his heat.

“Calm her down,” Jack whispered, watching the monitor with her vitals. “Remember, medicine doesn't work on her like it should.”

Tasha came over with a roll of gauze and quickly wrapped Skye's forearm, effectively blocking her access to the IV line. Skye groaned when she realized what Tasha was doing, but couldn't do anything to stop her. Steve nodded his understanding to Jack and adjusted his arms again, this time making one arm available. He stroked Skye's hair, humming lightly. Skye pulled her arms in to her chest, clutching at Steve's shirt. Steve shifted down in the chair, getting a little less vertical. Her heart rate stopped climbing, but was still high.

“Think we can cover her?” Tony asked, frowning. She was obviously cold; she was covered in goosebumps and was shivering.

“Here's a warm blanket,” Fitz offered shyly, entering the lab. “I wouldn't cover her legs. Her body is going to pull all her blood to her core to heat it. Besides, the heat won't feel good on burns, even indirectly.”

“Thanks, Fitz,” Tasha said softly, unfolding the thin blanket. She glanced at Steve, “You're warm enough for the both of you. At least this way she's decent.”

Skye flinched when the blanket hit her skin and she gripped Steve just a little bit tighter. He kept one arm across her back, trying to warm her, but used the other to keep her face hidden. She smelled off, missing the parts that smelled like _Skye_. He didn't get the relief he was seeking from her scent. She wasn't quite back yet. When she smelled like herself, he could convince himself this was real.

“Thanks, Tasha,” Steve yawned. Tasha smoothed the blanket over Skye's back and patted her softly. He was suddenly exhausted; he hadn't slept well all week and his adrenaline high was over. Finally, this emotional roller coaster was over. Clint pushed the chair so it reclined.

“What? I've spent some time in standard issue Shield medical chairs,” Clint smiled at Steve's surprised face. “Someone gets hurt a lot.”

“And you've never told me about this?” Tasha asked, outraged. “You're hurt just as often as I am.”

“Can someone check on Steven?” Steve asked.

“He's fine.” Tony replied. “I called Bruce.”

“Thanks, Tony.”

“Sleep well, Capsicle.” Tony smiled, pressing a kiss to Skye's head. He ushered the bickering assassins from the room, leaving just Jack. “Don't worry, we'll be back.”

“Well, I'm staying.” Jack said firmly, crossing his arms like he expected Steve to argue.

“The bed's free,” Steve smiled.

“Good.” Jack sniffed, then grinned. “First, bathroom break. Don't wander off.”

Steve chuckled lightly and waved Jack out. Steve kept humming lightly and stroking Skye's head, hoping to lull her to sleep. She whimpered lightly against his embrace.

“You okay, doll?”

“I'm okay,” Skye whispered, glancing up to meet Steve's eye. “I mean, I'm going to be okay.”

“Promise?” Steve whispered back, pressing his forehead to hers.

“I wouldn't lie to you, Face Plant,” Skye whispered back, smiling softly. The use of his nickname broke Steve's composure more than anything. He choked on a small sob, pulling her to him. He cried into her hair, trying to shield his indiscretion from the cameras he was sure were watching. Skye pulled her arms free to wrap around his head, giving him the privacy he wanted.

“Shh,” Skye comforted, running her fingers through Steve's short hair. “Captain America wouldn't cry over anyone.”

“Maybe not the Captain,” Steve replied. “But Steve Rogers can cry over anyone he wants. I missed you. You have no idea how much I missed you.”

“Sappy,” Skye murmured drowsily, though she said it with a small smile.

“I'm supposed to be letting you sleep,” Steve laughed wetly after a minute. Skye nodded and pulled away from his head.

“Sleep sounds good.” She nodded. Steve smiled and shifted lower in his chair, taking full advantage of the reclining option. Skye shifted slightly downward so she could lay her ear on Steve's chest. She hummed faintly, smoothing his shirt with her cheek.

“You're so cold,” Steve whispered. Skye nodded her agreement, so Steve pulled the blanket up around her and draped his arms around her. “Sleep tight, doll.”

 

0-0-0-0-0

 

By the time Coulson made it to medical, the three were sleeping peacefully. Coulson smiled and snapped a picture on his phone.

 

Several other specialists poked their heads in, checking on the girl they were worried about. Steve's worry had passed to them, so they were happy to see them sleeping peacefully. They were still in medical, and the girl was all wired up, but she was alive. They were all glad to see Captain America's friend was all right.

 

Trip left quickly, finding Ward to ask about a heavier blanket. The girl was shivering.

 

The duo returned and dropped a blanket over Jack's prone form and over the sleeping pair in the chair. If they were surprised that Steve didn't stir during their visit, it didn't show. The girl moved enough to clutch an edge of the blanket, pulling it tighter around her. Steve's arms adjusted around her, though he didn't wake.

“{Thanks},” She whispered.

“{You're welcome},” Ward replied just as softly, pulling a surprised Trip from the room.

“What'd she say?” Trip asked.

“She just said thanks. For the blanket, I assume. Let's get a drink.” Ward offered, pointing to the staircase.

“In what language?”

“Ukrainian.”

“Think Cap has a thing for her?” Trip asked, grinning. Ward grinned back.

“We would have to ask Romanov, but I doubt he treats all of his friends like that. Did you see how he was holding her?”

Ward and Trip laughed and ascended the staircase.

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I eagerly await the comments on this chapter. ;) "I KNEW SHE WASN'T DEAD!"
> 
> Lol, what can I say? I'm a Marvel Lady.


	14. You just worry about taking care of our girl

 

 

An hour later, a medical aid sneaked into the room to check Skye's bandages. She checked the blood bag and frowned because it was still full. She pulled the blanket down and had her wrist immediately caught and held.

“I'm just checking her bandages,” She winced, trying to whisper.

“Make a little noise next time?” Steve replied equally soft. He released her wrist with a mouth twist that revealed his regret.

“I didn't want to wake you.” She sighed. She flexed her wrist then peeked up at Steve before pulling a bandage from Skye's back. The aid frowned and checked another bandage. It was the same thing. She systematically removed the handful of bandages on Skye's back, tossing the used bandages in a bio-hazard bin.

“What's wrong?” Steve asked, watching her confusion grow.

“Nothing's _wrong_ ,” The aid replied, cocking her head at Skye's bare back. “I need to grab Dr. Simmons.”

“Jack,” Steve hissed, stretching to wiggle the man with one arm. It took Steve three tries to wake him. The bed was just far enough away that Steve couldn't quite reach.

“What's wrong?” Jack groaned, stretching like a cat.

“I don't know. I can't see. The nurse just came in and checked her bandages. How's her back?”

“Let me hit the lights.” Jack yawned and slunk from the bed. He turned the lights on, hissed and covered his eyes, then went about flipping each individual switch until he found one that shown dimly on Steve's chair.

“You're going to give me a seizure,” Steve muttered, burying his face in Skye's shoulder to block the light. She smelled different now. A little less chemical, a little more masculine. Steve took a deep breath, recognizing Ward's smell. He finally noticed the additional blanket and realized Ward had taken a blanket from his own bed. Steve barely suppressed his frown. He reminded himself that it was thoughtful of Ward to offer his own blanket. It wasn't his fault that Skye smelled like him now. But he wanted Skye to smell like herself...or _him_ , if anyone. Not stupid Ward.

“Disco in here?” Tony asked, striding into the room. “What happened?”

“Nurse just checked her bandages,” Steve replied in a whisper.

“She doesn't have any bandages on her, besides the ones for her burns.” Tony frowned, squeezing next to Jack on the bed. He ran a finger over a bloody spot and glanced up in surprise at Jack. “They're scabbed over already. Did she always have this fast of recovery time?”

“Well, not _that_ fast.” Jack replied, tilting his head side to side. “Only if she helps herself to some of my medicine.”

“That's because whatever this orange goo is, it has traces of Steve's super serum in it. Or, a cheap knock off.” Dr. Simmons replied, walking quickly into the lab with a folder. Tony wasted no time grabbing the file from her and looking it over. Jack was frozen, his eyes wide with horror.

“Serum?” Jack whispered.

“Yes, Mr. Stark, you may look at my file.” Simmons muttered sarcastically. She frowned at the blood bag, then followed the line down to Skye's arm. The whole line was loose. Simmons sighed and waved the pinched off tubing at Steve.

“You let her pull it out?” Simmons asked, looking disappointed.

“She did say she didn't want it.” Jack smirked. Steve winced and shrugged lightly. He hadn't known she had done it.

“Bruce can put it back in.” Steve offered. “He'll make sure she doesn't pull it out.”

“This is remarkable. It has bits that are actually pretty close to the original formula. There are some other bits in here too, though. Have you identified these?” Tony asked, unaware of the other conversation.

“Fitz is running them through the system as we speak. Now, would you please step aside so I can look at my patient?”

“Have you figured out if there's anything with the other blood results?” Tony asked, stepping aside.

“No, the results came up weird. We're rerunning them.” Simmons dismissed.

“Could you check her legs?” Steve asked politely. He recognized that they were pushing Dr. Simmons too far with their worry.

“If I could have some space, _in my lab_ , I would love to look at the burns.” Simmons said firmly. Their overprotective natures were getting them on her bad side. Steve smiled weakly.

“We are sorry.” He offered. “We didn't think we would find her. I mean, we thought she was dead...so we're kind of-”

“-protective.” Simmons nodded. She sighed. “I understand. I'm the same way every time Fitz gets hurt. It's not your fault my lab space is tiny.”

“I was going to say relieved, but that works too.” Steve smiled. “We'll do better, I promise.”

“Could you bring her up here?” Simmons asked, patting the medical bed. “I know you won't unwrap yourself from her, but I can't reach her legs.”

“Sure thing,” Steve replied, struggling to sit upright in the chair. Jack and Tony grabbed his elbows and pulled him forward. Steve smiled shyly, blushing a bit. Even in her sleep, she clutched at him – his shirt was bunched in her fist. Besides, she could wake up any time and he didn't want her to be alone when that happened. She begged him not to leave her alone.

He sat himself at the end of the bed so Simmons would have the best access. He adjusted Skye's limp form so her head was cradled against his shoulder and not rolling loosely. Simmons sighed and shook her head, but didn't comment.

“Would it be an inappropriate time to point out how bad he's got it?” Tony whispered to Jack after they watched Steve maneuver Skye into a comfortable position. One hand was holding her to him, but the other was running over her hair. In her sleep, Skye nuzzled her nose into Steve's shoulder. Jack laughed out loud and nodded. Steve glanced over at the two, raising his eyebrow in a silent question. Jack grinned and shook his head. Steve sighed and shook his head. He would find out eventually.

“He's not the only one.” Jack whispered back to Tony. They grinned at each other, then turned their attention back to Dr. Simmons. She was just starting to unwrap the bandages.

“Blow me,” Simmons muttered, tracing a finger down Skye's calf muscle.

“Excuse me?” Steve asked, his face flushing bright red. Simmons waved his embarrassment away.

“I'm British...it's not...” She huffed. “Americans.”

Skye giggled faintly against Steve's neck.

“Your whole torso just got very warm,” Skye mumbled, pressing her face further into his neck to block the light. “She was just surprised. They have different slang across the pond.”

“Yes, exactly.” Simmons agreed, throwing the bandages from both of her legs into a bio-hazard bin. “Now, your legs. Initially, your legs looked like they were covered in second degree burns. It usually takes days to reach this level of healing.”

“What does that mean?” Steve asked, glancing down at Skye's bare legs. The red and blistering was better, though by no means gone; the blistering was slightly diminished and the raw skin was starting to scab over.

“It means her body is healing at an accelerated rate. It's a good thing we cleaned the burns when we did. I'm not sure super-healing protects her from infection.”

“I've never gotten an infection from a wound,” Steve replied with a small shrug. He didn't much care how it happened, he was just glad she was getting better.

“You, missy, are lucky you have some kind of intimidating friends,” Simmons told Skye firmly, waving the blood tubing at her. “If you were one of my _usual_ patients...”

“Is Jack here?” Skye asked, cutting Simmons off. Steve and Tony ducked their heads to hide their amusement. Of course Skye wasn't going to accept any crap from Simmons.

“Of course I'm here, stupid.” Jack huffed. He hurried to Skye's side, sitting behind Steve on the bed. Skye smiled and reached around Steve's waist to grab Jack's hand.

“Did you deprogram the kids?”

“Yes, ma'am,” Jack joked. Skye smacked at him lightly, too exhausted to put any strength behind it. Jack looked alarmed at her weakness.

“Don't worry about me,” Skye smiled. “I just need to sleep. For like...a year.”

“Are you okay?” Jack asked. “I mean, I know you're healing...but, are you _okay_?”

“I'm fine. Hmm, I will be fine.” Skye replied, smiling softly.

“We're getting dropped off at the Tower in twenty,” Tony interjected.

“Aw, Dad. Didn't see you back there,” Skye smiled, trying to twist around. She hissed and turned her body back. Tony hurried into her line of sight, sitting down next to Jack on the bed.

“Hi, sweetheart.”

“Did you guys get everyone?” Skye asked softly.

“We got everyone.” Jack replied quickly. Skye frowned at her brother. “I had to talk with the scientists, to figure out which one programmed you. Between the ones that were there when we were and the pictures Group Tau, Upsilon, and Chi drew, I am confident we got everyone.”

Tasha ran a hand down Skye's hair, “How are you feeling?”

“I'm okay. Tired. Cold.” Skye replied, hiding a yawn. Tasha grabbed Ward's blanket from the floor and draped it across her back again. Steve knew he didn't hide his frown well enough, but couldn't help but be annoyed. She wasn't supposed to smell like Ward. He ignored the gleeful smirk Tasha shot him.

“You look pretty comfy on Steve,” Tasha smiled. Her smile at Skye was warm and sisterly; it had none of the snark that Steve's smirk had gotten.

“Hmm, he's comfy.” Skye mumbled, rubbing her head lightly against him. “Warm, too.”

“Are you hungry?” Steve asked. He wanted her to pull her face out of his neck so he could see her, but he was also surprisingly content to just be holding her. That was more than anyone else got from her. Her heartbeat thumping against his ribs was a pleasant reminder that someone was looking out for them.

“No, not really,” Skye replied, shaking her head. Steve frowned and adjusted his hold on her.

“Christ, have you even let the poor girl go yet?” Clint asked, leaning against the door frame.

“No, he hasn't.” Simmons supplied helpfully. “He's rubbish at following instructions.”

“Yeah, we know.” Clint grinned, winking at her when she shot him an exasperated expression. “May sent me down to have you guys strap in. We're landing in five.”

“See you in six?” Tasha asked, adjusting the blanket on Skye.

“Yes ma'am, Ms. Widow,” Skye replied with a hint of her old snark.

“Watch it,” Tasha warned with a grin. “I may be able to take you right now.”

“Better take your opportunity while you have it.”

“I'm not training with you until I'm sure you're better.”

“Is everyone strapped in?” May asked over the intercom. Everyone but Steve scrambled from the room, rushing to grab a jump seat before May caught them.

“Damn it Tony, move it.” Tasha hissed, pushing him down the short hall.

“Ruuuun!” Clint yelled, bringing up the rear. Skye giggled lightly against Steve's chest.

“We're good,” Steve replied a moment later, after he settled back into the chair with Skye. She smoothed his shirt down, idly tracing patterns on the fabric.

“Do you think Tasha really wants to train with me?” Skye asked shyly.

“I think her pride is hurt that she had to struggle through one super guard and you took on eight at once.” Steve replied, smiling softly.

“Are you angry with me?” She asked softly.

“Why would I be angry with you?” Steve asked, frowning.

“Cause I couldn't beat all eight.” Skye shrugged.

“I'm just glad you're okay.” Steve replied honestly, tightening his hold on her. She still felt chilled. “And I'm stupidly glad you're coming back to the Tower.”

“Don't have a choice in the matter,” Skye pouted. “My stupid legs won't cooperate yet.”

“Well, you said you would be training ready soon. Guess that means I have some time to convince you to stay.” Steve replied simply. He pressed his lips to her forehead.

“You want me to stay?” Skye squeaked.

“Of course I want you to stay.” Steve replied. “You said that if things were different, you would stay.” Steve said softly, brushing her hair back.

“I didn't think things would ever be different,” Skye confessed. Steve frowned at her honesty.

“Don't worry, we'll convince you.” Steve replied, pushing away his frown. All he had wanted was a chance with her – a chance to make her stay. Now he was given that chance and he wasn't going to waste it. “Who's going to prank Tony with me?”

“We did just fine from a distance.”

“You know you want to see his reaction in person,” Steve chuckled.

“I don't want to put you in danger.” Skye admitted softly.

“They've already seen us take down two of their facilities.” Steve murmured. “Jack says we have all the scientists. There isn't anyone left that's a danger to you or to Jack.”

“I don't know what they did to me. There was something orange...I don't know what that was.” Skye blurted out softly, her eyes still averted.

“Fitzsimmons have already started breaking that orange stuff down. There are some components that are similar to the serum I received. It probably explains why you're healing so fast.” Steve shrugged. Skye didn't say anything else. He grew frustrated and grasped her face in his hands, tilting her eyes up to meet his. “You're going to be okay. We're going to figure this out...and I'm gonna be there the whole time.”

“The whole time?” Skye asked; Steve could feel her face heating under his hands.

“Try and stop me.”

“You going to be my super warm mode of transportation?”

“I like having you here,” Steve smiled, releasing her face to wrap his arms around her again. Skye didn't avert her gaze. Her face relaxed and her expression turned playful.

“What if I need to go to the bathroom?” Skye asked, smirking.

“I'll get you there, then leave.” Steve grinned. He was more than happy to play along; her good humor meant she wasn't feeling too bad. “Why? Do you need to use the facilities?”

“No. Too dehydrated.” Skye replied abruptly. “Haven't eaten in a while either...they didn't see the point.”

“Did you want me to stay with you at the facilities?” Steve asked softly, deliberately breaking her tense silence. “I mean, I have been getting an education. Apparently some people are into the whole...” Steve blanched, unsure how to finish the sentence. Skye frowned and cocked her head at him, confused. Steve sighed. “Clint tricked me into watching some video about drinking fecal matter?”

“Two girls, one cup?” Skye guessed, pressing her lips together. Steve saw her hidden smile.

“Are you into stuff like that?” He pressed, suppressing his own smile. He really liked that he was able to make her smile, even like this.

“Steven Rogers. That's disgusting.” Skye chortled, smacking his chest lightly. “I couldn't even watch the whole video.”

“You have no idea how glad I am you said that,” Steve laughed.

“Why?” Skye grinned back. “Were you thinking of doing stuff like that?”

“There are lots of things I've been thinking of doing,” Steve replied, his voice low and husky. “Top of that list being to revisit our last encounter.”

“I could always update the theories on the internet,” Skye agreed, nodding innocently.

“So not what I meant,” Steve told her, pulling her closer. “The moment I'm thinking of had a certain _Fuck It_ flare to it.”

“Fuck it?” Skye squeaked. Steve nodded seriously, pulling Skye close enough that he could run his nose down hers.

“Ringing any bells?” Steve asked, watching her reaction to his closeness. The beeping behind them alerted Steve to her increased heart rate and her breathing was accelerated.

“Maybe just a little one,” Skye replied, her face heating under his hands. He leaned forward and twisted his face, slipping his cheek against hers.

“When you're better.” Steve told her, whispering his promise into her ear. Skye moaned her frustration when Steve pulled away. He smirked at her frustration, half proud and half surprised at it. Skye returned his smirk, shaking her head at him, but then her grin slipped off her face.

“What if Simmons needs to run tests?” She asked seriously.

“We're going to the Tower. Bruce will take over your care.” Steve replied, then waited for her next objection.

“What if Bruce triggers something and I flip out on him and then the Hulk comes out and then people get hurt and then...”

“Skye, is this about the programming?” Steve asked softly. Skye's wide eyes answered his question. He sighed and pulled her close. “Jack was very thorough with the scientists. He was very thorough with you. He wouldn't start deprogramming you until he knew what all your orders were. I've never heard him so...commanding. I know it was scary. Jack explained the programming, so I can imagine how confused you are. But it's done. There are no triggers, there are no orders, there is nothing you have to worry about with that. Okay?”

“I just meant I'm afraid of needles,” Skye laughed wetly. Steve brushed tears from her cheeks, feeling the plane dip forward as it began to land. He had hit a nerve, and she was covering it up with a joke.

“Well, you can squeeze my hand if Bruce needs any blood, okay?”

“I don't want to hurt you.” Skye replied, sniffing. Steve laughed out loud.

“I'm harder to hurt than you think.” He laughed. Skye gave him a stink eye for laughing at her. “I'm sorry. It's just, normally, my needs or limits aren't really considered. It's a bit ridiculous that some puny little girl that I could lift with one hand is the one concerned about hurting me.”

“This puny little girl could kick your ass,” Skye replied, finally grinning back at Steve.

“I know. I saw some footage.” Steve replied. He shifted forward in the chair, pulling closer to Skye. He brushed his lips against her forehead, then her cheek. “You are one kick ass lady.”

“Oh God,” Skye groaned. “I made Captain America cuss. Is Coulson going to be mad that I broke you? I heard he likes to watch you sl...”

Steve cut her off with a finger to her lips. Skye laughed and kissed his finger, then ran a hand down Steve's cheek. The plane jolted slightly as it touched down. Steve knew the others would be coming soon.

“I want this to be real,” Skye whispered, reaching around to hug his neck. She whispered so softly that by the time Steve understood what she said, the others were streaming into the room. Steve waved them off as discretely as he could, hoping they could see this wasn't the time for jokes. Tony helped Steve stand, frowning when he saw how Skye was clinging to him. She had even wrapped her legs around his waist, even though her legs were still healing. Simmons frowned, opening her mouth to say something. Clint clamped his hand over her mouth, glaring at her. She took the not-so-subtle warning.

“Dr. Simmons, you should collect your notes on Skye so you can catch Dr. Banner up on her condition,” Tasha said firmly. She nodded and hurried off to do just that. Fitz stumbled in after Simmons left, frowning.

“Uh, Coulson said we're staying in the Tower for the night.” He announced, looking to Tony.

“Yeah.” Tony nodded. “It's late and everyone is tired. This way you and Simmons can catch Bruce up, and we can look at those drones tomorrow.”

“You really want to look at my Dwarfs?” Fitz asked, grinning.

“Yes, so make sure you bring them in. I don't think they're leaving the Bus here.”

“Well, I bloody hope not!” Fitz laughed. “We'll break the top off your Tower.”

“Well, let's get your stuff together.” Tony laughed, urging the man out the door. “Steve, Bruce will want to see her.”

“I'll make sure they end up there,” Jack said firmly. Steve chuckled at his tone and stern expression. Tasha reached over to disconnect Skye's IV from the stand, taking the fluid bag in hand and holding it high enough that it would still drip down the tubing.

“This is Ward's blanket,” Steve said before they moved. He removed the blanket from Skye, handing it to Simmons as she hurried past. Tasha was definitely smirking this time. Jack picked up the thinner blanket that Fitz had warmed for her and tucked it around Skye. Steve pulled his arms out from inside the blanket, tucking the blanket ends between their bodies and using his arms to help secure the blanket. It tended to be very windy on top of the Tower. Jack seemed reassured by Steve's smile. He didn't explain that part of the smile was because Ward's stupid blanket was gone.

“It was very generous of you to house us for the night,” Coulson told Tony as everyone met in the loading bay of the Bus. Trip and Ward exchanged a smirk when Steve walked in carrying Skye.

“Shouldn't she be in a bed?” Trip asked Steve, his face carefully composed.

“I've got her.” Steve replied lightly. Trip waited until Steve's attention was elsewhere before letting his grin slip free.

“It's no problem.” Tony shrugged. “Your team can help Bruce give Skye the best care.”

“They're the best,” Coulson nodded, smiling proudly.

“Do you have room for all of us?” Ward asked, dropping an overnight bag by his feet. “I can stay with the plane if there isn't.”

“We have plenty of room,” Tony dismissed. Then he grinned at Steve. “Though, we may have to use Steve's spare room.”

“I bet Coulson would love to take that room,” Clint chimed in eagerly.

“You're up to tampering with Jarvis, right?” Steve whispered to Skye.

Skye laughed against his neck but nodded. “I can lock him in his room for you.”

“One time!” Coulson sighed, tossing his hands up. “You guys can't drop this, can you? You even got the innocent in on it.”

“Twice, Coulson,” Tasha corrected with a smirk.

“Three times, actually.” Simmons added. Coulson shot her a look and she blushed. “What? I saw you take that picture.”

“You know I was the one that hacked your file, right?” Skye asked, picking her head up. Her grin was convincing. The only indication she wasn't as okay as she was projecting was the tight grip she had on Steve. Coulson's face dropped with that information.

“Well, I take back the innocent comment. I thought Jack did it.” He said finally. “Are you going to change that back for me? None of the techs can make any adjustments to my file.”

“Maybe if you're good,” Skye shrugged.

“That was you?” Simmons asked, her voice high with excitement. Steve winced at the pitch. Skye nodded in response.

“Oh, if he's not good, you should add a monkey to his file!” Fitz offered excitedly. “We need a monkey on the Bus. Maybe put in like a formal order or something?”

“Fitz...” Coulson sighed.

“Think of the cute little monkey hands!” Fitz whispered to Simmons, grinning broadly.

“Or you could confiscate Lola,” Trip offered, getting in on it. Coulson's mouth dropped open.

“Agent Triplett!” He gasped, looking thoroughly shocked at the development.

“Guess you have good incentive to behave,” May said, offering up a small smile.

“When don't I behave?!” Coulson retorted, sounded offended. Skye giggled and gave him a look. Coulson was reminded that she had accessed his file and groaned. “Well, you...you just stay out of this.”

“Now I want him to mess up,” Tasha laughed. “Enough standing around. I'm ready for a shower, some food, and bed. Not necessarily in that order.”

“I'll order food,” Tony told Steve, nodding his head toward Skye. She had put her head back down after she was done teasing Coulson. She was more tired than she was letting on. “You let Bruce look her over. I'll have food waiting for you guys.”

“Thanks Tony,” Steve smiled.

“No problem. You just worry about taking care of our girl, alright?”

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, the whole bit about the different slang that Simmons uses is courtesy of google. I didn't know what kind of slang you guys use across the pond. So...if it's wrong, I blame google. Go with it.


	15. It's gross...

 

 

They finally disembarked from the plane, filing onto the elevator. Tasha handed the fluids off to Jack so she could go shower. He followed Steve and Skye to Bruce's lab, where he was smoothing sheets over a makeshift table. He wasn't a medical doctor, so he wasn't used to needing a table for patients to sit on.

“ _In duh valley of duh jolly... (Ho - ho – ho)_

_Heard about the Jolly Green Giant (potatoes)_

_He's so big and mean (artichoke hearts)_

_He stands there laughin' with his hands on his hips_

_And then he hits you with a can of beans._ ” 

Jack covered his mouth in horror, swiveling slowly to look at Skye. She looked surprised herself, her exhaustion temporarily banished. It was Steve that laughed first, followed closely by Bruce.

“I don't think Hulk has ever been compared to the Jolly Green Giant.” He commented lightly, smiling at Jack to reassure him.

“Evening Bruce,” Steve greeted. Bruce didn't look surprised to see Skye so Steve assumed Tony had warned him that they had found her alive. That would explain why his examining table, which he had prepared for Skye's remains and then never put away, had been quickly converted into a bed.

“Steve. Jack. You must be Skye,” Bruce greeted, smiling kindly. “It's very nice to meet you.”

“Hi,” Skye replied, sounding shy. “I would shake your hand or something but..." She waved her wrapped arms at him, shrugging lightly. "I hear you have a good grip on the Other Guy?”

“She's worried that we missed some triggers when Jack deprogrammed her,” Steve explained when Bruce frowned in confusion. “She doesn't want to hurt anyone...or make you turn into the Hulk and destroy everything.”

“I have a very good grip on him,” Bruce nodded, understanding her concerns. “But just in case, we have a Hulk proof cage that is nearby.”

“Well, I'm offended,” Jack sniffed. Skye turned to smile at her brother and his dramatics. “You think I would leave you with triggers?”

“Not on purpose,” Skye shrugged.

“ _Not on purpose_ ,” Jack mimicked, sounding just like Skye, though he threw some extra attitude into his version. Steve laughed at Bruce's expression.

“I didn't know he was that good,” Bruce laughed, getting over his shock.

“You've heard me do it before!” Jack grinned.

“Yeah, but I've never known who you were imitating. I knew you were good...but that was perfect.”

“Yeah, spot on.” Fitz agreed, setting his Dwarfs down. “Can you do me?”

“In more ways than one,” Jack replied, winking. Steve and Skye laughed at his implications.

“Rumor has it, you're already doing the Captain.” Fitz laughed, opening his cases up. “Not sure I could measure up to such a legend.”

“I would be more than happy to compare you two, if you're worried about measurements.” Jack supplied innocently. Steve's face was starting to heat, even after two weeks of pretending to be Jack's boyfriend around headquarters. Skye could feel it happening and giggled against his chest.

“I'm glad everyone is in good spirits,” Bruce interrupted, stepping in before the conversation could get too far. “But I'm sure Skye would love to get cleaned up and knowing Steve, he's starving, so lets get this exam over with.”

“A man after my own heart,” Simmons smiled, walking into the lab. “Mr. Stark is ordering food, so we shouldn't take too long down here. I'm starved. Here, use this stand Jack.”

Simmons took the bags from Jack and hung them from a metal stand, giving his arms a break.

“I'll load up our initial reading onto Tony's server,” Fitz nodded, rubbing his stomach. “We can run the scan again with the Dwarfs while that loads.”

“I want to take some more blood,” Simmons nodded. “We need to compare it to your previous sample. I'm curious how much healing you've done since our initial tests.”

“She may have been exposed to elements of my serum,” Steve explained when Bruce looked lost. “Didn't they send over that sample?”

“You have a sample?” Bruce asked, cocking his head.

“The sample was still being analyzed,” Simmons explained.

“We couldn't send it over while it was running,” Fitz agreed.

“Can I have it now?” Bruce asked patiently.

“Sure!” Fitz nodded, pulling the bio-hazard box into the room.

“Take care of it,” Steve muttered. “I'll need it back.”

“He got it on his America Top,” Fitz explained.

“And we are just so grateful,” Simmons sighed softly, eyeing Steve's arms. Jack laughed at her implications. Skye felt him heat for real this time and laughed.

“What?” Simmons defended, realizing everyone heard her. “He's very well formed and symmetrical.”

“We should give Dr. Banner the blood. Maybe he can help us understand the readings.” Fitz muttered to Simmons.

“Oh, yes. Good thinking Fitz.”

“Blood?”

“Yes, Skye was hooked up to a bag of blood at the facility, but our results keep coming back weird. Maybe you could help us look it over.”

“Hmm, I wonder if it's the _magic blood_ ,” Bruce mused softly, pulling Simmons along by her elbow.

“You should probably put me down so we can get this over with,” She said softly. Steve nodded, but neither made any move to separate. Contradicting herself, Skye tightened her hold on Steve, wrapping her arms securely around his neck. She threaded her fingers through the short hair at his neck, pulling her fingers through over and over. Electricity ran down Steve's back at her touch. He wasn't sure what he had ever done to deserve this moment, but he wasn't arguing.

“The Dwarfs will need a minute to warm up,” Fitz told Bruce.

“I'll take my sample now,” Simmons offered. “May I use your equipment? Mr. Stark made me leave mine on the plane.”

“Help yourself,” Bruce smiled, opening the cabinet that held what she needed. Simmons ducked her head shyly, making Skye chuckle. Steve felt her laughter against his chest and had to duck his head to hide his smile.

“Be warned, she's a rubbish patient, but he's the enabler.” Simmons told Bruce, shooting the pair a look over her shoulder. Steve and Skye couldn't help their smirks. “She won't keep her blood line in; Agent Rogers said you could make sure she won't pull it out?”

Steve pulled a stool next to the table. He reluctantly set Skye down on the table, working hard to ignore the small whine that escaped her throat, then sat down in the stool. Skye kept her hand on him the entire time. She did hold firmly onto Steve's hand and squeezed her eyes shut while Simmons drew blood, but she didn't throw a fit like she had on the plane. He adjusted the blanket over her, seeing her shiver. “Almost done, then we can get you warm.”

“The Dwarfs are ready when you are,” Fitz offered, releasing the drones from their cases. Jack's eyes lit up as they flew by his head.

“Jack will want to be present when you talk tech with Tony,” Skye told Fitz. “Would you mind letting him know when you do that?”

“Of course!” Fitz replied, smiling proudly. Jack grinned, because Fitz already knew about his love of tech – they had already built something together.

“Skye, would you lay back for me?” Bruce asked, coming over while pulling gloves onto his hands. Skye swallowed hard but tried scooting back onto the table. She only succeeded in messing up the padding and sheets, so Steve lifted her and set her in the middle of the table. Skye winced while laying back, even with Steve's help. Jack frowned at her obvious discomfort. “We're going to let the drones...”

“Dwarfs,” Fitz interrupted, supplying the name helpfully.

“We're going to let the Dwarfs take their measurements,” Bruce started over, smiling patiently. “...while the lab heats up. I want to take a good look at your injuries, so the blanket will have to go.”

“But they're way better.” Steve frowned.

“Yes, but I am curious why the injuries are where they are. Do you know?”

Skye's face was carefully blank.

“Maybe we could leave that for another day,” Steve offered. Bruce took the hint and nodded quickly.

“I'm sorry, Skye. You must have had a very long day.”

“Besides, Agent Romanov copied the server. We can see what they did,” Simmons smiled. Bruce nodded his agreement. Skye, however, frowned. She had forgotten about that. The drones took their measurements and Bruce took a quick peek at the locations Skye had injuries. He took a load of notes. Finally, the doctors decided they had enough information.

“Just looking at these readings quickly, you're going to have to stay in the lab tonight. There is a bed coming. It should be here within the hour.”

“I don't want to stay.” Skye muttered.

“Of course you don't.” Steve sighed.

“I don't need to. Just give me the blood back.” Skye said firmly, directing that comment towards Simmons.

“I'm not giving you the blood until we know more about it.” Simmons replied, just as firmly.

“I _need_ that blood,” Skye all but growled, grabbing hold of Simmons' shirt and dragging her closer. “The serum will take hold soon if I don't get it. You _don't want the serum to take hold_. Do you understand me?”

“The serum has healing properties in it.” Simmons said softly, cowering at the intensity of Skye's expression. Steve reached forward and removed Skye's hand from her shirt, allowing her to retreat to the other side of the lab. Skye's eyes went wide and panicked.

“Shit. I'm sorry, Simmons.” Skye apologized immediately. “But the serum isn't something to mess around with. I don't want it. Please, just give me back the blood.”

“The healing properties...”

“I don't give a shit about the healing properties.” Skye interrupted. “I care about the other ones. Give me back the blood.”

“I found something interesting!” Tony announced, racing into the room. He pulled something up on Bruce's computer, then projected it to the room. Tasha and Clint ran in after him, having been alerted by Jarvis.

“Video footage?” Steve asked, taking in the room. It was easily identifiable as the room he found Skye in. The major difference, of course, was that the scientists were still conscious and not tied up.

“This is less than an hour before we showed up.” Tony nodded.

On the video, the scientists were preparing the orange serum for injection. An entire table was covered in vials and needles. About half of the needles were already empty, but the scientists kept injecting Skye with more. Skye was barely awake at that point, watching the chaos with fearful eyes. She was awake, was conscious, but she didn't look like she was _there_. She was struggling, but it was ineffective against the metal restraints.

Tony pointed to the floor of the lab, drawing their attention to the black tile that was slowly shifting. It slid open slowly, then a covered head popped out. The head turned slowly, assessing the room, then the person jumped from the floor and took down the scientists. It took mere minutes to knock out and tie up the half a dozen scientists, all without lifting his face to the camera. Then the man hurried to Skye's shaking form and muttered something too softly for the poor feed to pick up. Whatever he said though, made Skye smile tiredly. The man brushed her ratty hair back from her face, his deep voice just barely audible. She slumped with relief. The man went to break the metal bands, but Skye shook her head quickly.

“ _Do the blood first, please.” Skye said softly._

The man was silent, just nodded once and pulled a bag of blood from inside the black jacket he was wearing. Someone ran by in the hall, shouting, so the man paused and cocked his head, listening hard. He hurried to barricade the door, slamming desks, tables, and book shelves against the doors. While he was distracted, one of the scientists woke and muttered words to Skye, speaking long and low. By the time the man noticed, Skye's eyes had fallen shut and she looked like she had when Steve found her. The man growled angrily and smashed his fist against the scientist's face, forcefully knocking him back out.

He wasted no time hooking up the blood bag - finding a vein and starting the transfusion without an issue, but then took a minute to try and rouse Skye. She didn't move, so the man growled and paced back and forth. Banging started on the door, and Steve's voice could be heard. The man cursed in Russian, this time loud enough that the audio feed could pick it up. Clint chuckled lightly at the man.

“He's got quite the vocabulary.”

“He disappears back into the tile just before Steve enters.” Tony replied, pointing to the screen again as the tile slid back into place. “He took someone.”

“The tile didn't close completely,” Clint admitted. “When Steve and Jack went to talk to the scientists, I went to check down there.”

“I didn't see his face at all.” Tasha said softly, watching Skye. “There was nothing distinguishing about the rest of him either.”

“You knew him, though.” Clint added. Skye crossed her arms and nodded defiantly at the group.

“But you're not going to tell us who it is, are you?” Steve sighed, reading her body language. Skye smirked ever so slightly and shook her head. Steve ran his fingers through his hair and grumbled something about stubborn women. That made Skye's smirk widen fractionally.

“Will you tell us who he took?” Tony asked. “He was helping you. But he took someone when he knew we were coming. Was he helping one of those bastards escape?”

“Escape.” Skye scoffed, deeply amused. “ _That bastard_ might _want_ to escape.”

“Skye!” Tony huffed, annoyed at her unwillingness to answer him.

“You trust him?” Bruce asked softly, pointing to the head retreating back beneath the tile.

“With my life.” Skye replied.

“You trust the blood?”

“He wouldn't hurt me. Give me the blood. Please?” Skye said softly.

“Simmons, hook the blood back up.” Bruce nodded, taking Skye's sincerity into account.

“But!”

“No buts.” Bruce replied quickly, smiling when that made Skye smile. “Skye will get her blood back in exchange for staying under observation tonight.”

“Aw, Brucie!” Skye sighed, flopping her hands onto the bed and throwing her head back in the very image of defeat. “No more needles and I'll stay.”

“This isn't a negotiation.” Bruce grinned. “I know you can hack Jarvis, but you can't do that without a computer or tablet, or electronics of some sort. You have no bargaining power here. You get the blood you want and I get to take care of you, like I want. That's it.”

“Jack?” Skye sighed, looking for an ally.

“Sorry, sissy. I think that sounds incredibly fair.”

“Jack!”

“You're going to be hard pressed to find someone to go against Dr. Banner.” Steve added with a grin. “I think it's a good deal.”

“Dad?” Skye whispered, pulling out her best card.

“Sorry, sweetheart.” Tony smiled, walking in to sit next to Skye on the table. “When you get better I'll help you plan a prank on Bruce, deal?”

“Hey!” Bruce huffed.

“Fine...” Skye muttered, admitting defeat. “I'll stay, I promise. Now can I please have the blood? I'm starting to feel the serum again.”

Simmons cocked her head in silent question. Skye sighed and leaned forward to unwrap the bandaging around her middle. The faint burns that were there before were blossoming into more severe burns, making the bandaging stick to the bubbling. Steve and Tony both hissed and turned to look at Simmons in the same movement.

“Get her the blood!” They insisted. Skye giggled slightly, blinking her eyes quickly.

“The bed is here,” Pepper announced, walking into the room ahead of the delivery man. He was wheeling a large, comfortable looking hospital bed.

“ _HBIC, Head bitch in charge._

_HBIC, Head bitch in charge._

_HBIC, Head bitch in charge._

_HBIC, Head bitch in charge._ ” The speakers blared, startling Skye back awake from where she had momentarily dozed off. Tony looked surprised for half a second and then burst out laughing. Skye giggled along with him.

“She really is the HBIC.” Clint nodded.

“Clint,” Tasha sighed, though she was smirking too.

“And suddenly it makes sense.” Pepper sighed, waving absently to Tony. Tony and Skye exchanged a smile, though she looked confused.

“What makes sense?” Skye whispered.

“Why he cares so much about you,” Pepper replied, smiling kindly. “Congratulations on making that list. It isn't very long.”

“Um, thanks?” Skye smiled back, uncharacteristically shy.

“Thanks, Jeff.” Tony smiled, nodding his head in appreciation. Jeff nodded back and left the room. “Let's get Skye transferred over so she can sleep.”

“I can sleep here,” Skye yawned. “I can sleep anywhere.”

“Well, you're going to sleep in the bed I got for you.” Tony retorted, tucking the blankets lightly around Skye so they could move her. They hooked Skye's monitoring systems into the bed, and Simmons hooked the blood back into Skye's IV line.

“Don't you dare unhook this line.” Simmons said in her firmest tone. Skye smirked sleepily and shook her head.

“I told you the other blood was the wrong kind.” Skye yawned, letting her eyes drift shut. Her hand still clung to Steve's, though her grip went slack as she fell asleep.

“Think she'll stay?” Tony asked softly.

“She won't wake up for hours.” Jack whispered. “Healing is hard work.”

“Is that the magic blood?” Steve asked, nodding his head towards the blood bag.

“Probably.” Jack smiled. “I'm glad 47 brought it to her. How he knew where she was is beyond me, though.”

“47?” Tony asked, his head whipping around. “I thought you don't know 47.”

“Well, I mean...I'm assuming that's 47.” Jack shrugged, pointing to the black clad figure that was disappearing into the floor. “He had the blood, and _no one_ has the blood but Skye and 47.”

“47 was right there?” Steve sighed. If he had been a little faster, he could have asked him to come back to the Tower with them.

“Well, I'm stealing Simmons.” Bruce chuckled, grabbing hold of said scientist. “I'm going to show her 47's blood. Maybe we can confirm that this is 47's.”

“You might want to wrap her up first,” Jack winced, nodding towards his sister.

“She's not shivering as much,” Simmons commented.

“We can add some blankets though,” Bruce nodded.

“No, like sterile bandages. If that is 47's blood, her body is going to get rid of the serum.” Jack sighed.

“Get rid of it?” Fitz asked, swallowing hard.

“It looked like it was oozing out of her cuts before,” Steve commented.

“Exactly.” Jack agreed. “Except now she has more open wounds because of the burns. If you want a sample, you're going to need to wrap her.”

“Thanks for the heads up,” Bruce smiled, tossing an arm around his shoulders. “You know me well.”

“I know scientists well,” Jack countered.

 

0-0-0-0-0

 

Skye stirred awake slowly, trying to place herself. She frowned in confusion at the room. The clean, sterile environment looked more like a physics lab than the experimental lab she last remembered.

What was the last thing she remembered?

She thought hard, frowning in concentration. Everything was a little blurry. The last thing she remembered _for sure_ was escaping from the scientists. She remembered slipping down the hallways, her feet sliding in her own blood. She remembered deleting everything she could find – she remembered her vindictive satisfaction when the scientists were so mad. She shuttered, remembering the scalpel piercing her skin over and over again. She remembered getting weak and very scared, but then...nothing.

She glanced down and saw the needle in her forearm and grimaced. Bags were suspended behind her, dripping slowly into her system. IV fluids, what looked like a meal replacement bag, and an empty blood bag. Unease made her chest tighten uncomfortably. Why had they brought her back? _How_ had they brought her back? There had been so much blood. So. much. blood.

The more likely option was that this wasn't real. They had been tampering with the hallucinogens before she had escaped their hold. It looked like they perfected it. Before, she had easily seen through their attempts. The hallucinations were shadowy figments, nothing like this. She felt like she was actually in this bed. She felt the soft blankets covering her.

Where was she, really?

What were they doing to her?

Panic crept up her core, making her gag reflex twitch and her mouth fill with a metallic taste. Clammy perspiration beaded along her forehead and she bit back a moan. In an instant, cold hands were stroking her forehead. Skye's head whipped to the side in panic. She hadn't noticed anyone in the room with her.

She was confused about the small boy trying to soothe her, but the open air vent at least showed his entrance point.

“{Shh, it's okay.}” The boy said softly, still stroking her head. “{You're safe here}.”

She bit back a sob. They were using him against her. The formula must not be perfect, because the boy didn't look exactly like him, but it was damn close. This hallucination had all the details, right down to the young boy's mashup. His words were slower than they should have been – even Jack hadn't spoken this slowly since...well, since he was ten.

That was another thought. It seemed much more plausible than _him_. Still, even if it _was_ Jack, he shouldn't be a part of this. She couldn't let Jack be a part of this. They had made him young, too. Younger than he had been when she had helped them break out. Little Jack shouldn't be seeing her like this.

She couldn't bite back her revulsion any longer and heaved, quite unwillingly, a bright orange liquid onto the blankets covering her lap. She was aware of little hands holding her hair back, rubbing circles soothingly into her back. He was talking to someone, but she didn't catch who. He was probably alerting the scientists that she was awake. Here was where the next horror would show itself.

Out of her peripherals, she was aware of doors sliding open and two people stepping into the room. She took a second look, turning her head to better identify them, and would have burst into tears if another bout of orange liquid hadn't made its appearance right then.

Those mother fucking assholes. Was nothing sacred?

They were going to use them against her?

How did they know these two would break her the fastest?

“It's okay, sweetheart.” Tony murmured, shoving a pan under her face to catch the vomit. Skye was glad the vomiting was making her eyes water – she could let a few tears escape without them noticing. She wouldn't give them the satisfaction of breaking her.

She was stronger than her connections.

But damn, life could be a bitch sometimes.

“Hey, doll.” Steve said softly. “It's okay. Let it all out.”

“Get that nasty blanket off her,” Young Jack told him, still rubbing her back. His voice was surprisingly firm. Jack never had that much confidence. Steve chuckled lightly and folded the blanket up. Another man, who she recognized as Dr. Banner, came into the room and took the soiled blanket from him. Skye frowned and watched him carry the vomit from the room with extreme care.

“It's okay,” Steve told her, “Bruce will take care of it.”

“It's gross.” Skye muttered.

“{Only a little bit.}” Jack whispered.

“{Only a lot.}” Skye retorted without thinking. Jack grinned at her and finally stopped rubbing circles onto her back. He kept his hand on her though, and Skye wasn't sure if the contact was good or bad. Bad, because it wasn't actually Jack comforting her. Good, because even if it was a hallucination, they were finally done cutting on her. They might be fake, but she still got to see her friends. That alone made it worth it.

She still wouldn't give them what they wanted, but she would take advantage of what she could.

“{Feel better now?}” He asked, softly. Like he was concerned. Skye's throat started to burn with unshed tears, so she nodded mutely.

They wouldn't win.

She wouldn't let them.

Jack started to pull away from her, making panic course unreasonably through her system.

(But that didn't mean she couldn't take a few small moments for herself.)

She reached out and grabbed his hand before she could consider the consequences. He looked surprised, eyeing her with hesitation.

“{Are you okay?}” He asked her softly, covering her hand with his other one. She realized her mistake, but couldn't bring herself to break contact.

“{I'm gonna go back to sleep now,}” She muttered, her eyes fluttering involuntarily.

“{Okay.}” He replied, before needlessly passing on her message to Steve and Tony. “Skye's going to go to sleep now.”

“What? Really? That's what she said?” Tony gasped, feigning surprise. “I never could have guessed.”

A small smirk found its way onto Skye's face, even if she didn't have the energy to open her eyes again. Tony chuckled and handed Steve a warm cloth.

“Wipe her up before she's asleep again.” Tony chuckled. “She might go all kung fu on your ass.”

“{But I don't know how to kung fu.}” Skye mumbled, already mostly asleep. Like this, she forgot all about the hallucinogens. She forgot this wasn't real. That they weren't real. Jack's laughter was different, but no less amused than she remembered it being.

She was so tired and they were pressing all the right buttons.

“What'd she say?” She heard Steve ask. A wet, warm cloth was running over her face, wiping her clean. She could only imagine how she looked. God, she probably had vomit on herself. Good thing this wasn't real. She might be embarrassed otherwise.

“She doesn't know how to kung fu.” Jack replied, his voice firm again. She frowned slightly, wondering why Jack would use that tone. Skye heard two men laughing, but it was like hearing them from the other end of a long tunnel. Something warm and soft touched her forehead, startling her.

Her last conscious thought was that they sure were being nice to her.

 

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Bruce's song is: The Kingsmen, “Jolly Green Giant”. Pepper's song is: Bobby Brackins, "HBIC".


	16. I'm freezing. Let's cuddle.

 

 

“{I know you're awake, you know.}” Steven said softly, watching Skye pretend to sleep. She had woken a while ago, but noticed Steve was sleeping in the bedside chair and had closed her eyes again. Steve had left about five minutes ago to go for his morning run and no one else was in the room. Steven had been watching from the vents, waiting for her to drop the act. He was not a patient boy.

“{No, I'm not.}” She muttered back, refusing to open her eyes. Finally, curiosity got the best of her and she peeked one eye open to take a look at the boy. “{Still here, huh? What's in this stuff?}”

“{Is that okay? I can go, if you want.}”

“{You don't have to go.}” Skye sighed, easing herself into a slightly better sitting position. She pulled the oxygen tube from her face, dropping it onto the bed. “{I might as well figure this out now.}”

“{How are you feeling?}”

“{Fine. Better. Don't worry about me.}” Skye replied lightly, waving of the question. She frowned at the bandages covering her arms. She waved her arms at the boy, “{Get up here and help me get these off.}”

“{I don't think you should take them off.}” Steven replied, though he scrambled up onto the bed anyway. He settled at the foot of her bed, sitting between her splayed feet. He still wasn't sure how she felt about him being touchy. Jack wasn't a huge fan – but that seemed to apply more to _emotions_ than to the actual touches. He reasoned that Skye would probably be the same way.

“{Come on. Peer pressure!}” Skye joked, waving her arms again. She pushed her lip out in an exaggerated pout, “{Please?}”

“{Steve says I'm supposed to do the right thing. Even if it's different than what grown ups tell me to do.}” Steven informed her, deathly serious. Skye knew a losing battle when she saw one. She sighed loudly, barely hiding her wince at the pain that radiated through her chest with the motion. Steven tugged his bottom lip with his fingers, unsure what to do. “{I can go get the doctors? I don't want you to hurt.}”

“{No, no. Don't do that.}” Skye replied quickly. “{So...how old are you supposed to be?}”

“{I'm seven.}”

“{Ah, that explains things.}” Skye muttered, her eyes narrowed at him while she contemplated that fact. “{You don't look big enough to be seven.}”

“{You look cold.}” Steven remarked, unsure what to say about his age. He wasn't sure what being seven years old had to do with anything – or what it explained. “{I can go get your hacking hoodie?}”

“{Hmm, you remember my hoodie?}” Skye asked, her eyes narrowing further. Steven shrugged and nodded. He yawned and almost missed Skye's question, “{What color is it?}”

“{Blue. And it has holes in the sleeves so you're not cold when you type.}” Steven replied, regurgitating what Jack had told Tony. He mimed typing on a keyboard, which made Skye smile slightly. Steven felt himself relaxing at her smile; he must have passed her test. He shot her back a tired grin in response. “{Tony said your sewing was terrible.}”

“{Hey! It was my first attempt and you know it!}” Skye laughed lightly.

“{Steve says it hasn't gotten any better.}”

“{Steve's a poo poo face.}”

“{Poo poo face?}” Steven giggled, rocking backwards. Skye smirked and picked at the end of her arm bandages. She got an end loose and gave it a tug.

“{Come on, gimme a hand.}” Skye fake pouted, waving the end of the bandage at Steven. “{I'm going to do it anyway. At least this way, you can make sure I don't get hurt doing it.}”

“{Ugh, you're terrible.}” Steven sighed loudly. Skye grinned and nodded. He gave in easily, carefully unwrapping the bandages. “{You know, when you're part of a family that means it's important that you're taken care of.}”

Her skin underneath was clear, except for the skin directly around her wrists. The metal restraints had caused more damage there and it hadn't healed as completely – a thick scab covered that skin.

“{See? Told you I didn't need them.}” Skye told Steven loftily, pretending like she didn't hear his exclamation of family. She had never had a family. Not really.

“{You never said that.}” Steven replied dryly, leveling a dry expression at Skye that he had picked up from Steve. Skye's smile faltered a little bit at that.

“{You know the blood makes us better.}” She said softly, picking the other bandage end loose. Steven unraveled that one without prompting. She sat up slowly, pushing her blankets down off her chest.

“{Please, stop.}” Steven begged, trying to push the blankets back up.

“{Just one more. I promise.}” Skye replied, picking at the wrapping around her abdomen. “{It's itchy.}”

“{You have to leave the ones on your legs.}” Steven said firmly.

“{Okay.}” Skye agreed. It was Steven's turn to narrow his eyes at her. She grinned and shrugged, tossing the balled up bandages at him. Her stomach was clear of scabs and burns as well. “{I didn't get enough blood. My legs aren't done healing yet.}”

“{We can get you another bag of blood.}” Steven said firmly. “Jarvis, can you get Bruce to bring...”

“{No!}” Skye interrupted. “{They don't have the right blood. You know better, Jack.}”

Steven froze, his eyes wide.

“Is everything okay?” Dr. Bruce asked, striding into the lab quickly. “Jarvis alerted me...”

“{Ugh! Now you've done it.}” Skye sighed, tossing herself back into her pillows.

“You've taken your bandages off.” Bruce noted with a frown.

“{I didn't need them.}” Skye muttered petulantly. Bruce looked at Steven for a translation.

“They're better.” Steven told Bruce hesitantly, waving at her exposed skin. The last time he had seen Bruce, he was slipping into the vents while Simmons tried to calm him down. What if he was still mad at him? “Don't worry, we didn't touch the leg bandages. The skin isn't done healing yet.”

“Looks like you're due for some more fluids,” Bruce nodded, shaking her IV bag lightly. “Your body is absorbing these fluids at an extraordinary rate. That's a good thing. After I replace this bag, I'll need to take a look at your arms and legs, to check on the healing.”

“{I don't want any more of your drugs.}” Skye hissed. Her friendly demeanor was no where in sight. Steven frowned at her change in attitude. She was scary like this. She watched Bruce walk into a back room then looked back at Steven. She was taken aback by Steven's frightened expression.

“{Are you mad at me?}” He asked softly.

“{Oh, honey. No. Of course not.}” Skye soothed, feeling unreasonably guilty. She flipped back her blanket and scooted sideways on her bed. She patted the spot next to her, “{Come on. It'll be like old times, Jack Jack.}”

Steven didn't need further prompting. He scrambled up the bed, carefully avoiding her legs, and curled up into her side. She wrapped an arm around him and tossed the blanket back into place. Steven settled in next to her, making himself comfortable. If she could keep Jack safe all this time, couldn't she keep him safe too? Could she keep the nightmares away?

“{Why do you look scared?}” Skye asked softly breaking the silence that had fallen over the pair. “{Is it me? Or Dr. Banner?}”

“{I'm not scared of you. Can I tell you later?}” Steven asked softly, ducking his head.

“{Of course you can,}” Skye agreed, nodding eagerly.

“This looks cozy,” Tony grinned, walking into the lab with a large mug of steaming coffee.

“She won't speak English.” Bruce commented softly, reaching up to remove the empty fluid bag. Skye's free hand shot out to snag Bruce's wrist.

“{I don't want more of your drugs.}” Skye repeated, her tone hard again. Tony winced at Bruce, gauging his reaction to the contact.

“Sweetheart, you might want to let Bruce go.” He said softly.

“I can handle this,” Bruce denied, shrugging off Tony's concern. He certainly seemed in control of himself. Bruce looked at Steven. “What's the issue?”

“{It's not drugs,}” Steven told Skye, reaching carefully over her body to tug on her arm. “{I promise, it's not drugs. You're very dehydrated. Let us take care of you.}”

“{I don't want it. I don't trust it.}” Skye replied, refusing to let Bruce go. Bruce was standing frozen, watching the interaction without any idea of what was happening. Skye refused to take her eyes off him, and the feeling was a little disconcerting.

“{Do you trust me? Trust me not to lie to you?}”

“{I don't know.}” Skye admitted softly, looking down at the boy clinging to her. “{Everything is wrong here...}”

“{Steve said I'm not allowed to lie. There are no drugs in that bag.}” Steven told Skye a little more firmly. “{I can tell him you don't want anything else. But you need the fluids and the meal bag. You need to get better.}”

“{Promise, Jack Jack?}” Skye asked softly, her voice cracking slightly. She coughed to cover her slip. Steven glanced up at Tony, frowning at the name. That was three times now. Steve walked off the elevator at that point, pausing mid-step at the look on his face. His eyes darted between Skye and Bruce, then back at Steven. Steven's eyes were wide and afraid, but before Steve could do or say anything his attention was back on Skye.

“{I promise.}” Steven said quietly, letting Skye tug him closer to her side.

“{Okay.}” Skye said softly. Steven grinned and tugged her hand from Bruce's wrist. Skye gave it up easily, wrapping that arm around Steven.

“{I'm gonna take such good care of you.}” Steven whispered, shifting happily in her hold. She was good at cuddles. Skye chuckled slightly, hiding her face behind the boy. He looked up at Bruce, who was rubbing his wrist. The skin around it was red; she had had a tight grip on him. “Skye doesn't want any more drugs. The fluid bag and meal bag are okay though. Just, nothing else.”

“Who knows what they've pumped into her?” Tony nodded, understanding her fear. “I wouldn't want anything either.”

“Okay, Skye. No drugs.” Bruce smiled. “I promise.”

“{Soon, I'll be well enough to kick your ass if you're lying.}” Skye threatened, her face still buried in the pillow. Steven giggled nervously against her side. She pulled back to smile softly at him. “{Sorry.}”

“Do I want to know?” Bruce asked.

“For your sake, I hope you're not lying.” Steven shrugged. Tony grinned at that. He could translate that statement pretty well. Steven looked at Steve again, swallowing to get some moisture back in his mouth. It had suddenly gone bone dry at the expression on Steve's face. “Can we get Jack?”

“He's on his way,” Steve nodded, coming to stand next to the boy. Steve missed the way the boy leaned away from him, pushing himself closer to Skye. Steve smiled and ruffled his hair, “You look comfy.”

“Skye's good at cuddles.” Steven admitted softly. He wasn't sure where he stood with the team. Tony seemed fine – he may have been angry, but he didn't appear to be holding a grudge. He wasn't sure how things were with Steve though, and it made him nervous. Skye was watching the interaction though, and something told him that she was catching more than he wanted her to.

“{Damn straight.}” Skye muttered, visibly drooping. “{Practice makes perfect.}”

“{I'll help you practice any time you want.}” Steven replied, grinning at her. He liked the prospect of getting more cuddles. They didn't exactly hand out physical contact at the facility. Definitely not positive physical contact. His new family was way better at giving him the contact he needed, but there was no such thing as too much cuddling. Skye smiled warmly, nodding her acceptance.

“Are you gonna make Pip Squeak keep translating for you, or are you going to grace us with some English soon?” Tony asked wryly. “You were speaking English last night.”

“{Don't want to.}” Skye retorted, her voice hard again. Tony sighed and looked at Steven, who only shook his head.

“You're stubborn,” Steve told Skye, though his voice held affection and amusement.

“{You're stubborn.}” Skye mimicked badly, making Steven giggle helplessly against her.

“{Poo poo head.}” He added quietly.

“{Yeah, poo poo head.}” Skye agreed, grinning with Steven.

“{Well, that hasn't changed. You're still terrible at that, sissy.}” Jack laughed, walking off the elevator with Fitz. Skye visibly recoiled; her back pressed against the bed and she clutched Steven tightly against her. Steven winced but kept the pained hiss from escaping his mouth. He wasn't sure what Skye was so scared of, but he would protect her. He would keep her safe. Skye's heart monitor started beeping loudly as her heart rate skyrocketed. Bruce hurried to silence the machine. Jack stopped in his tracks, cocking his head in confusion. “{Sissy?}”

“{Skye thinks I'm you...I think.}” Steven told Jack.

“What the hell bloody language is that!?” Fitz asked loudly. Tony smirked and pulled him aside to explain.

“{Sissy?}” Jack tried again, stepping closer. Skye's face went pale and she shook her head rapidly.

“{Why are there two of you?}” Skye asked quietly. Her eyes were roaming between Steven and Jack. Her eyes were hard and cold. “{Shit. You messed it up, didn't you? I see you haven't gotten any more competent.}”

“{There aren't two of us,}” Steven interrupted. “{I'm Steven.}”

“{Steven is from Chi.}” Jack nodded. Skye shook her head again, pressing her eyes closed tightly.

“{See? 1027.}” Steven told her, showing her his tattoo. Skye shook her head, stubbornly keeping her eyes closed. She refused to accept this. She refused to accept their tricks.

“{Skylar Elizabeth, you open your eyes right now and look at that boy's tattoo.}” Jack commanded, his voice unusually deep and commanding. Tony raised his eyebrows and took a step away from him, his hands raised in mock surrender at his tone.

“{No. It's not real.}”

“{Do it. Look at the tattoo. Ask me anything, anything that would convince you. Ask me something only I would know.}” Jack pleaded, stepping closer. Skye shook her head again.

“{No. I already did that. I'm not going to play your games.}”

“{It's not a game, damn it.}”

“{You're wrong. Everything is wrong. This is wrong.}”

“{Skye. Let me convince you. Give me one chance. If I can't convince you, then I'll let you go on living in your little fantasy world.}” Jack huffed, frustrated.

“{You're different. You're not my Jack.}”

“{Your Jack died two weeks ago when you sent me away instead of letting them take me.}” Jack admitted softly. “{Your Jack died when you did.}”

Skye tried to pull her knees up, but hissed in pain and aborted the motion. She pressed the heel of her palms into her eyes, trying to push the tears back in her stupid, leaking eyes. She wasn't crying, or anything. It was probably a side effect from the orange stuff, yeah. She _never_ cried. Jack silently waved the other men from the room, figuring she would listen better without an audience. Steve pointed to Steven, asking if he should take him. Jack shook his head quickly. He couldn't convince her they were separate people if they weren't in the same room. Finally, they were alone – just Skye, Jack, and Steven.

“{You were our angel, at the facility.}” Jack started softly. If she wouldn't ask questions, he would just have to convince her himself. “{You brought us blood, sneaking it to us after bad tests. You tried so hard to hide how afraid of needles you are, but we saw through that. We knew why you laughed at us when we asked if the blood was yours.

There was a change. One day you didn't come with blood. You came with clothes and shoes. You told us we were leaving. That you were taking us away. But first, you needed our help. We needed to destroy everything. We needed to stop them. What happened to us was awful, but we could be the last. We could prevent them from doing any more tests on kids.}”

Jack paused there, wincing apologetically at Steven. They had been wrong on that count. They weren't the last. Skye's jaw was slightly less tight, so Jack pressed on.

“{We smashed everything. We got to destroy all of the things that we hated. I think you knew how much we would like that. You just stood there, hunched over the computer, watching us with that fucking annoying, knowing, little smirk on your face. Then John started that fire. I don't think you meant for us to burn everything, but you didn't stop us as we added everything we could find to that fire.

“When we finally left, we were all coughing from all the smoke. We were sooty and smelled like a bon fire, but _God_ was that a perfect way to leave that place. I think that was the moment you realized how hard it was going to be. Raising us. You kept trying to get us to sneak through the woods. You wanted to put as much distance between us and that place as you could, but we knew the scientists wouldn't be back until morning and we weren't worried about it.

“It was almost dawn when you realized we were being followed. In our excitement, we had forgotten about the one security guard that was sometimes around at night. He shot you. You were carrying me on your back because I had given up already. I kept falling over things in the dark and I threw a temper tantrum because I was so mad and frustrated. You heard the guard coming and spun, protecting me with your body. If I hadn't been on you, you probably could have taken him out...}”

“{It wasn't your fault.}” Skye interrupted.

“{It was.}” Jack retorted, shooting Steven a smirk. Steven pressed his eyebrows together because he was confused why Jack seemed so satisfied.

“{Jackson Herbert, if I've told you once, I've told you a million times – It. Was. Not. Your. Fault.}” Skye growled, finally opening her eyes to glare at him.

“{Hi, sissy.}” Jack grinned. Skye's glare withered quickly and soon she was trying to hide her own grin.

“{God, you're stupid.}”

“{Well, you're stupid stubborn.}” Jack shrugged. “{I win. Can I introduce you to Steven now?}”

“{Steve's Steven?}” Skye asked, looking over at the boy next to her.

“{I get to stay here now.}” Steven nodded, though he said it with a frown and a shrug.

“{The Tower has kind of adopted him,}” Jack nodded.

Steven had a feeling, based off the video footage he had seen of Skye and his own short interaction with her, that the Tower was about to be a completely different place to live. He wished he was going to be here to see it.

“{Where are the other kids?}” Skye asked, frowning. Her eyes shot to Jack. “{Did you deprogram the kids?}”

“{We had this conversation yesterday.}” Jack told her, frowning. “{Yes, I deprogrammed them. They're still with Shield – we're working on finding a good long term placement for them.}”

“{I don't remember yesterday.}” Skye admitted.

“{You don't remember us getting you out of there?}” Jack asked incredulously. “{You were awake for most of it. You were talking to us.}”

“{I don't know, Jack.}” Skye shrugged.

“{You said everything was wrong here...}” Jack asked slowly, wondering if it was wrong of him to ask. Wrong of him to press the matter, here. Now.

“{They were practicing.}” Skye hedged, fingering the scabs that wrapped around her wrists. When she started picking at the scabs, Jack reached over and slapped her hand.

“{Practicing what?}” Jack asked, concern etched onto his face. She didn't immediately respond, so Jack reached forward to grab her hand. “{Skye? What were they practicing?}”

“{They couldn't get the hallucinogen right...}” Skye admitted softly. She was silent for a long minute, clearly thinking things through. Steven and Jack waited in silence, giving her a chance to process everything. Then she grinned and flicked Jack's nose. “{Now, stop with the sappy shit.}”

“{Can we let the others back in?}” Steven asked, giggling. “{I think Steve is forcing Tony to stay in the elevator.}”

Jack and Skye turned to look and started giggling immediately. Tony's head was peaking out of the elevator door, watching their interaction, but someone's hand was on his shoulder. Tony smirked and shook himself loose.

“My building. My rules.” Tony announced, strolling back into the lab. Steve and Bruce followed, both rolling their eyes at his demeanor.

“Hi, Dad.” Skye smirked. “I think whatever Jack gained in maturity these last few days, you lost.”

“Few days?” Tony frowned. “It's been a lot more than a few days.”

“Like...how many days?” Skye asked softly.

“How many days do you think you were gone?” Bruce asked, holding up his hand to prevent Tony from answering.

“Six.” Skye replied instantly. Tony blinked at her slowly, prompting her to repeat herself. She repeated herself with confidence, “Six days.”

“What's the last thing you remember?” Bruce asked softly. Skye glanced down at Steven, frowning. Steve took her cue and lifted Steven away from her. Steven clutched at Skye's hand as Steve pulled him away.

“Hey, maybe you can see if Pepper stocked the fridge with new apples.” Steve told the boy. “But don't go far. I still want to talk to you, okay?”

Steven nodded, swallowing back his fear, understanding that they were trying to get rid of him. Skye pulled a face at him, leaving him grinning.

“{Pepper hides brownies in the cabinet next to the sink.}” She told him, winking. Steven danced in place and ran off for the elevator. She met Steve's frown with a grin.

“Do I want to know what you just told him?” Steve asked, raising an eyebrow at her.

“Nope.” Skye and Jack replied simultaneously.

“There's no lying here, remember Steve?” Clint laughed, popping out of a vent.

“Who's been lying?” Skye asked, grinning. “Hi, Archer. Shit, what happened to your face?”

“Hey, trouble. A foot found my face.” Clint grinned, shoving Steve and Tony back away from her bed so he could give her a gentle hug. “I see you don't like those bandages any more than you liked that blood last night.”

“I don't need the bandages, see?” Skye grinned, waving her arms in his face. Clint nodded, sitting down by her knee as he inspected her arms. He twisted her arm, tracing a finger from her elbow to wrist.

“So you're all better then?” Clint asked, fingering the scab that surrounded her left wrist.

“Hmm, not quite.” Skye giggled, flicking Clint's forehead. “That tickles.”

“You know why this healed up so perfectly?” Clint asked, wagging his eyebrows. Skye grinned and shook her head. Clint waved her forward, then whispered loudly, “Cause I was in charge of your arms.”

“In charge of my arms?” Skye asked, her grin slipping into a forced smile.

“We had to clean you up on the plane ride back,” Clint nodded. “You don't remember that?”

“She doesn't remember yesterday,” Jack said softly.

“Like, at all?” Clint asked, frowning.

“We were just getting to that.” Bruce informed him, pulling up a stool. Steve sat back down in the chair that he had spent the night in and Tony sat at the foot of Skye's bed.

“So, what is the last thing you remember?” Tony asked.

“Cold. I was cold.” Skye shrugged, unwilling to elaborate.

“She's not going to tell us.” Jack sighed. “She doesn't know what we've found already.”

“What if I told you we found a building with zero footage of the week you were there?” Tony asked, leaning forward. Skye immediately lowered her eyes, resorting to picking at the blanket so she wouldn't have to meet any eyes.

“Zero footage?” She asked softly.

“Almost zero footage,” Tony corrected, clearing his throat. “We saw what happened immediately following the section you deleted.”

“I remember that part.” Skye admitted, refusing to make eye contact.

“What's the last part you remember?” Tony pressed.

“{He was mad.}” Skye whispered. “{He said he would make sure I got what was coming to me.}”

“{And after that?}” Jack asked, jumping in to keep the conversation going. Skye didn't bother replying, she just shook her head and kept her head down. Jack looked up at the other men, “She knows what we know. She doesn't remember anything beyond the footage we saw.”

“From the first building?” Steve clarified.

“How many buildings were there?” Skye asked, her voice high.

“Just two.” Clint replied, like it was supposed to reassure her.

“Two?” Skye squeaked.

“The dart they shot you with had a tracer in it,” Steve added.

“But I think you already knew that.” Tony frowned. Skye nodded faintly.

“I had to send Jack away.” She said softly, reaching out to grasp his hand. “I'm sorry. I know you're mad...but...I couldn't let them take you.”

“Teeny, little, man-baby,” Clint whispered, smirking lightly at Jack. Jack threw his fists down in a loud, dramatic pout.

“Skye! He's being mean to me!”

“Do you deserve it?” Skye smiled. She glanced at Clint, smiling towards him too. She was glad he broke up the emotionally packed conversation with a little humor.

“No.” Jack retorted, crossing his arms. Clint was behind him, nodding his head and mouthing _Just a little bit_. Skye couldn't help her grin.

“Sorry, Jack. You'll have to wait until I'm better.” Skye told him, smirking. Clint looked afronted. Then Skye frowned, “Why does that feel familiar?”

“I'll tell you later,” Steve smiled. All three men in the room turned to look at him. He smirked and shrugged.

“Getting back on track,” Bruce interjected, “There was a tracer in the dart. We built a tracker that could follow it - the remains of it in your blood stream. That lead us to the first building.”

“Did you find anything there?” Skye asked softly, her bottom lip trembling. She pulled it into her mouth to hide her weakness. Steve remembered her being upset about the children – the ones from Group Psi.

“Yeah, we found Psi.” Steve nodded. “We brought them back and gave them a proper burial. We were very careful with them.”

Skye swallowed hard and nodded slowly. She knew better than to expect them to be okay. She knew _why_ they weren't okay...and it broke her heart. It was her fault they were dead.

“Can I...can I rest again?” Skye asked softly, pulling her hands beneath the blankets to hide their shaking.

“Of course you can.” Steve nodded and reached out like he wanted to take her hand. He hesitated, then clasped his fingers in front of him. “You want anyone to stay with you?”

“No, I'm okay.” Skye replied softly, not meeting any eyes. She knew it would hurt Jack's feelings, but she needed some time. She needed to wrap her head around this and put it behind her.

“You sure?” Tony asked, frowning. “It wouldn't be any problem...”

“I'm good.” Skye interrupted. She frowned to herself, then up at Tony. “Sorry. I'm not trying to be rude...I just...”

“It's okay,” Tony interrupted right back. “You've been through a lot, and we don't expect you to just... _be okay_.”

“Maybe you can come visit me later?” Skye compromised. “Catch me up on what I missed?”

“Sure thing, Sweetheart.”

“Let Jarvis know when you're ready for company.” Jack nodded. “I can be available whenever.”

“Hey...before you leave...” Skye called out, making the men pause on their way out the door. “Where's Tasha? Is she okay?”

“Oh, she's more than okay.” Clint smirked. “We've got someone in holding that she's been chatting with.”

“Okay. Good.” Skye nodded, relieved. She was the one person she hadn't seen yet. They smiled at her and turned to leave again. “Wait! How many days _was_ I gone?”

“Fourteen days,” Tony replied after a beat.

“Two weeks?” Skye whispered, her voice cracking. She cleared her throat and nodded, forcing a fake smile onto her face. “Um...I'll see you guys later?”

“We're not going anywhere, Sweetheart,” Tony smiled, coming back to press a kiss to her forehead. “You rest, wrap your head around this, and we'll chat later – okay?”

Skye didn't respond, just nodded her agreement. The men trailed out of the room, each trying not to look back. Skye sighed with relief the second the elevator doors closed on them. She risked a look over her shoulder, seeing that Bruce had replaced her fluids and meal bag. She made a face at the bags. She knew she needed them, but that didn't mean she had to like it. She felt like she hid her shock well when she unwrapped her abdomen – but she was skinny. Scary skinny. She swallowed hard and pulled the blankets up around her neck. She was freezing, still. The three blankets on her didn't provide her with enough heat.

“Can I come back?” Steven asked, his head poking out of the vent. Skye couldn't help the surprised smile that formed on her face.

“You've been hanging out with Clint, huh?” She teased. He nodded slowly and started to withdraw. “Don't go. You're okay.”

“I can come in?” He asked shyly.

“Yeah. I'm freezing. Let's cuddle.”

“I like to cuddle,” Steven admitted, squirming free from the vent.

“I like to cuddle, too.” Skye smiled. She tossed the blanket back, letting him crawl into the spot he had vacated earlier.

“You're awfully cold,” Steven said softly, making himself comfortable. Skye hummed her agreement and wrapped her arms around the boy, partially to reassure him and partially to steal his heat.

“You wanna tell me why you're so scared?” Skye murmured, finger combing the boy's hair to the side. He was silent for a minute, then he sighed heavily.

“{They're going to send me back.}”

“{Who? Back where?}”

“{Them. Steve... He only got me out because I could help Tony find you...}” Steven admitted softly. He pulled the blanket up around both of them, using it to hide his insecurities.

“{Jack said you're staying here,}” Skye said softly, caressing his cheek.

“{But I messed up.}” Steven confessed. “{I acted badly.}”

“{What happened?}” Skye pressed. Steven froze, then peeked up at her face, trying desperately to read her expression. She looked tired, but she still had a warm smile on her face. He swallowed hard and gripped her arm to his chest.

“{Bruce and Dr. Simmons were looking at my spine and I kinda freaked out on them.}” He said softly. “{Bruce almost turned...}”

“{Into the Hulk?}” Skye asked, her eyebrows high. Steven nodded slowly. Very slowly, a grin blossomed across her face. “{That must have been some freak out.}”

“{It was.}”

“{Okay, so that explains Bruce. What happened after that?}”

“{I escaped through the vents. But then Clint came to check on me...he tried to make me come out...and I kicked him in the face.}”

“{That explains the bruising,}” Skye nodded. Steven was confused why her chest was shaking, so he turned to get a better look at her. She shook her head and wiped her eyes, trying to push the giggles back down. She failed miserably, and laughter rang through the small room. “{I bet he learned a very important lesson.}”

“{What's that?}”

“{Don't mess with us when we're angry.}” Skye grinned, resuming her finger combing. He smiled faintly and nodded. She understood. Of course, she understood. “{What happened after that?}”

“{I blocked myself in my room. Jack, and then Steve tried to talk to me...but I wouldn't let them in. And I knew Clint would try to get in through the vents...so I set a trap.}”

“{A trap?}” Skye asked, her eyes twinkling with amusement.

“{He tripped a wire and there was a small explosion...but don't worry, it was just flour.}” Steven admitted, hurrying to reassure her that he hadn't done anything majorly destructive. “{It is everywhere though...}”

“{I bet it is,}” Skye chuckled, still holding him tight. “{Is that all?}”

“{No...}” Steven sighed. “{I also ate one of Tony's flash drives.}”

“{You did what?!}” Skye asked, shocked into laughter. “{Of all the things you could have said, I would _never_ have guessed you were going to say that.}”

“{They said it was yours. They said it was about 47.}” Steven told her solemnly.

“{Did they get it open?}”

“{No. Jarvis was working on it when I found it. I kept him a secret, for you. I kept him safe.}”

“{Thanks,}” Skye whispered. She pressed a kiss into his hair, then turned to rest her cheek on him. She really was very tired, after all.

“{Is he real? You really know him?}” Steven asked, yawning deeply.

“{Yeah, he's really real.}”

“{You're not him...are you?}”

“{No, baby.}” Skye murmured, smiling drowsily. “{I'm not him.}”

“{Hmm. Just making sure. Can I stay here, with you? I think I could sleep, with you.}”

“{Have you not been sleeping?}” Skye asked, leaning forward to peer into his face. He grimaced and shook his head. “{How come?}”

“{Can't.}”

“{Nightmares?}” Skye asked, turning him to face her. He froze, his eyes searching her face. “{It's okay if it is. It's totally normal.}”

“{I'm not a baby...}” Steven told her softly.

“{Everyone has nightmares.}” Skye interrupted. “{Everyone.}”

“{Even 47?}”

“{Even 47.}”

“{I get scared from the nightmares. They're just so...real.}” Steven confessed. “{But I don't want to wake Steve, even though he told me I could, because I can't give him a reason to send me back.}”

“{Steve's not going to send you back because you have nightmares.}”

“{After I messed up, and everything kept getting worse and I couldn't fix it...I figured they would send me back after all that, so then I decided I better make it worth it.}”

“{So you acted out because you thought they were sending you back?}”

“{Yeah.}”

“{Is that why you're avoiding Steve? So he can't tell you?}”

“{Jack was right. You really are very good.}” Steven chuckled.

“{Steve's not going to send you back,}” Skye whispered, settling herself against the pillows. “{He likes you too much.}”

“{But I was really bad.}”

“{Everyone acts bad sometimes. You'll need to apologize and try to do better. They will understand.}”

“{Are you sure?}”

“{Positive. Besides, if they try to send you back, I'll hide you in my van and take you with me when I leave.}”

“{You would run away with me?}” Steven blinked, shocked.

“{Without a second thought,}” Skye confirmed firmly. She smiled down at him, “{But we don't have to worry about that, cause you're not going back.}”

“{Wait...what do you mean _when you leave_?}” Steven asked, frowning.

“{Well, I can't _stay_.}”

“{Yes, you can stay!}” He said loudly, trying to talk over her.

“{It's too dangerous, baby. I can't let anyone get hurt because I'm here.}”

“{You're surrounded by superheroes! They can take care of you!}”

“{It's not their job to take care of me...}”

“{So you're going to get better and then just...leave?}” Steven asked, starting to shout. He struggled out of Skye's arms and scrambled from the bed.

“{I have to.}” Skye said softly.

“{No, you don't have to! We can take care of you. I can take care of you!}”

“{I'm leaving to take care _of you_.}”

“{Fine! Then just leave!}” Steven yelled, stamping his feet. He felt hot tears drip down his face and hurried to wipe them away before she saw. A harsh sob tore from his throat, and he turned and ran from the room. He didn't bother waiting for the elevator – he headed straight for the stairs, bounding up them in twos.

 

 

 


	17. Can I Stay?

 

 

“Steven, stop,” Steve called out after ten floors. “Stop, breathe.”

“{Skye's gonna leave. After everything, Skye's going to get better and then just leave!}” Steven sobbed, letting Steve pull him to a stop. He turned and cried into Steve's chest; he wasn't even sure why he was crying. He was crying because he was angry, but he was also crying because he was sad. He was crying because he felt rejected, and because even in the short time he knew her, she knew things. She understood and he was going to lose that. He knew he was being selfish, and that only made him cry harder.

Steve was rubbing circles onto his back, just letting him cry it out. After the sobbing turned to sniffles, Steve muttered quietly, “If you feel up to it, I would love to know what you told me just now...in English.”

“Sorry.” Steven snorted wetly. “I'm sorry about my behavior yesterday. I messed up in the lab with Bruce and Simmons, and then had to run away because I thought the Hulk was coming out...”

“You thought what? You know what...” Steve waved the thought away, “Tell me later. Go on.”

“And then I kicked Clint in the face... _Did you see his face?_ And then I locked you out of my room. And then I boobie trapped the vent. And then I ate Tony's flash drive, well, Skye's flash drive. And then I fought you both to get out of the lab...” The boy sighed deeply, pulling back from Steve's chest to see how angry he was. Steve just steadily returned his gaze, waiting for him to go on. “I made one mistake, and I was afraid you were going to send me back...so then I figured I better make it worth it. If you're going to send me back, you're going to _really_ send me back. But I kinda chickened out and avoided you so you couldn't tell me that you were sending me back.”

“Holy crap, kid.” Steve sighed, pulling him into a hug. “Why didn't you just come talk to me? We could have saved both of us a lot of trouble.”

“I couldn't give you a reason to send me back.” He whispered.

“I'm not sending you back, Steven.” Steve sighed softly, pulling the boy into a hug. “I told you that you're staying here, with me. With us. You don't believe me?”

“Well, yeah.” Steven shrugged, “But you said that before I acted bad.”

“Well, that's true. But you're allowed to make mistakes. You're allowed to act bad...sometimes. You're seven. I don't expect you to be perfect. You're going to learn to do better...and I'll learn to do better with you. I'm sorry you've spent all this time thinking we didn't want you.”

“You were mad.” Steven said bluntly.

“I was frustrated.” Steve corrected. “I knew something was wrong with you, but you wouldn't tell me what it was and I didn't know how to make it better. So I was frustrated, yes, but I'm not going to send you back over it. You're stuck with us, kid. Stuck with us forever.”

“But that makes it sound like I don't want to be here,” Steven said shyly, wrapping his arms around his neck.

“I'm glad you want to be here. I'm glad you _are_ here.” Steve said softly, reassuring the boy. “There's nothing that you can do that will make me send you back, okay? I don't want that to be something you're worried about.”

“Even now that we found Skye?”

“Even though we found Skye,” Steve nodded.

“But what if I act bad again?”

“Then we'll figure it out. Maybe you'll have to do extra chores or something, but I won't send you back. I promise.”

“Okay,” Steven nodded.

“How come you're telling me all this now?” Steve asked softly, resuming his back rub. The boy sniffled a little and adjusted his head on Steve's shoulder.

“Skye said I should apologize. That everyone makes mistakes and I only need to apologize to make it better – and then try to do better next time.”

“Skye's very smart,” Steve agreed. Steven nodded his agreement. “Wanna tell me why you were so upset a few minutes ago?”

“Skye is going to get better and then leave. Skye wants to leave us.”

“She's going to leave?” Steve asked, his expression shocked.

“To protect us. To keep us safe.” Steven nodded. “I told Skye that you guys were superheroes and could keep us all safe, but...”

“She didn't listen.” Steve nodded. “She's stubborn like that.”

“Can we convince Skye to stay? I would like Skye to stay with us.” Steven said softly. “Skye knows things.”

“She knows things?” Steve chuckled.

“Yeah. Skye knows about us.”

“Yeah, she does. She raised Delta, after they got out. She knows all about you guys.”

“Can I ask you a question?” Steven sighed, pulling back to look at Steve properly for the first time. He hesitated, taking in the exhausted features on his face. Maybe Steve hadn't been sleeping any better than he had.

“Of course you can,” Steve smiled.

“Do you get nightmares?” Steven asked softly as his cheeks heated in an embarrassed blush.

“Everyone gets nightmares,” Steve nodded. “Even me.”

“Skye said 47 gets nightmares, too.”

“Skye told you about 47?”

“I told Skye that I ate the flash drive. I heard Bruce and Simmons talking, earlier,” Steven admitted. “I was hiding in the vents when they went over some of their medical files about Skye.”

“You've been spending a lot of time in the vents,” Steve said dryly.

“They think Skye is 47. They were upset because they couldn't compare Skye's blood from before and after the serum. They think Skye's 47, but...Skye's not.”

“I know, buddy.” Steve nodded. “I know she's not 47. She did get some serum though, even though she puked it back up.”

“No, not the orange stuff.” Steven denied. “They were talking about the blood from the first building.”

“We used up the sample of her blood from before she was taken,” Steve nodded. “Well, we're all out of the magic blood – so I guess we'll have to wait and see how her healing goes from here on out.” Steve shrugged. He was realistic; there wasn't anything he could do about whatever they gave her. They would just have to wait and see. Steve grinned and squeezed Steven tightly. “Can you promise to always tell me when something's bothering you? This is so much easier than trying to talk to your door or find you in the vents.”

“I'm sorry, Steve. I'll do better about talking to you,” Steven agreed.

“Good. And I'll try harder to do better with you too.” Steve smiled. “To be honest, I've never done this before...so I'm probably going to mess up some more. We're going to have to work through this together.”

“Maybe Skye can help us out?” Steven suggested, lifting one corner of his mouth.

“We are kind of bad at this, aren't we?”

“Yeah, we are. Do you have to do extra chores if you mess up?” Steven asked, smirking.

“Hmm, we'll see.” Steve laughed.

“I think I should go clean up my room.” Steven admitted. “My flour bomb worked really well.”

“Is it everywhere?” Steve asked, hanging his head. The boy winced and scratched his head.

“Hmm, kinda...yeah.”

“I bet Tony has a vacuum somewhere.”

“Jarvis, where can I find cleaning supplies?” Steven asked, surprising Steve again. He wouldn't have even thought about asking Jarvis – he would have just poked around until he found something.

“I can alert the cleaning staff,” Jarvis replied.

“No, I made the mess. I need to clean it up,” Steven said firmly.

“Well, in that case, there is a supply closet that may be of use to you.”

“Can you take me there?”

“Of course, Steven.”

“I'm going to go clean my room now,” Steven told Steve, sliding off his lap. “Is that okay?”

“Yeah, buddy. I think that's a great choice. Would you like some help?”

“Um, no. That's okay. I need to fix my mistake.”

“Maybe later you can show me how you made such a big mess with only stuff from your room.” Steve smirked, tapping the boy's nose.

“Trade secret,” Steven replied, tapping his nose.

“Oh, God.” Steve laughed. “Where did you pick that up?”

“Fitz was teasing Jack.” Steven informed him. “I need to go clean now.” He fluttered his hand at Steve, “Stop distracting me.”

“Hmm, that's Clint, isn't it?”

“That's right, partner.” Steven laughed, stepping out wide and holding imaginary guns. “That's from a cartoon that Jarvis found for me.”

“Oh, yeah? Well, go clean before you get all distracted.” Steve laughed, brushing himself off. The stairs weren't the cleanest. “Let me know if you change your mind and want some help.”

“I'll see you later, gater.”

 

0-0-0-0-0

 

“{I didn't wake you, did I?}” Steven asked softly, slipping into the room.

“{I'm a very light sleeper.}” Skye replied, not bothering to open her eyes.

“{Can I stay here?}”

“{Only if you get some sleep.}”

“{Can I? I feel safe with you.}” Steven admitted.

“{You didn't feel safe before?}” Skye asked, opening one eye. Steven didn't reply out loud; he just shrugged and curled up in the chair that was next to her bed. “{Get up here, you. I'll keep you safe.}”

“{Are you sure? I can sleep here...}”

“{I want your body heat, you want to feel safe,}” Skye grinned. “{It's a win-win. Get up here.}”

“{Okay,}” Steven grinned, slipping off the chair. He jumped up on the bed and made himself comfortable, all the while making sure he was as close to her as possible. She did say she was cold, after all. “{I'm sorry I yelled at you before.}”

“{It's okay. I'm sorry I upset you.}”

Steven shrugged her apology away. There was a long silence in the room; long, but not necessarily uncomfortable. Steven started dropping off into sleep, but jerked his head back up into wakefulness.

“{I mean it,}” Skye whispered. “{I'm a very light sleeper, so I'll hear anyone coming in. You just sleep okay? I've got you.}”

“{Can you make the nightmares stop?}” Steven asked with a little whine in his voice.

“{If I had a super power, that would be it,}” Skye replied, smiling fondly. “{I can't make them stop, but I can promise that you're safe and that I'll be right here when you wake up.}”

“{That works,}” Steven agreed easily, yawning. Skye hummed her approval and brushed his hair from his forehead.

“{Sleep,}” Skye urged softly.

“{We want you to stay,}” Steven mumbled as he fell asleep. “{Me and Steve. We're gonna convince you.}”

Skye frowned but kept stroking his forehead lightly, hoping to put him to sleep. She glanced up at a camera, looking directly at it.

“Jarvis, privacy mode.”

“Yes, Ms. Skye.”

 

0-0-0-0-0

 

“You know, I'm really growing to hate their whole stupid, secret language.” Tony growled tiredly. He had been keeping an eye on Skye through Jarvis, and saw the interactions between Skye and Steven. They were in Bruce's lab, waiting for him to come back with Simmons. They wanted an update, and it didn't hurt that Skye didn't know they were only a room over. She could have her privacy (mostly...) and they could be close.

“We need to learn it, huh?” Steve agreed, watching Steven fall asleep on screen. Skye was watching him struggle to sleep, still running her fingers over his head. He sighed and waved to the screen. “He does so much better with her. She had him apologize for yesterday. I guess he told her about what happened.”

“He told her, but not us? What was the issue?”

“Something happened in the lab with Bruce and Simmons,” Steve shrugged, turning his back on the screen. “I get the feeling that you know more about that than I do. But he was afraid that since he acted badly in the lab, that we were going to send him back. So he figured if he was going back, he might as well make it worth it.”

“Hmm, he may be a Stark.” Tony smirked. “Going out with a bang. Literally, in Clint's case.”

“That's what Clint gets for trying to sneak into his room,” Steve chuckled.

“So, Skye, who Steven's never met before, already heard all about yesterday and offered him suggestions on how to fix it?” Tony asked, frowning. Steve nodded slowly. “And he took that advice?”

“It was good advice,” Steve shrugged. “Besides, he's heard a lot about her.”

A long, uncomfortable silence fell on the pair.

“Why is she so comfortable with him and not with us?” Tony asked finally.

“She thought we were hallucinations,” Jack told him, surprising Tony and Steve. Jack laughed. “I wasn't even that quiet guys.”

“She thought we were hallucinations?” Tony asked, ignoring Jack's smirk.

“She said they had been _practicing_.” Jack said slowly, his smirk slipping off his face. “I'm going to be the first to admit that I'm not entirely sure what that means...but they were tinkering with the formula for the hallucinogen. Having Steven there didn't really help things. She thought he was me, when I was little...which obviously couldn't have happened for real. She jumped to conclusions, based on the information she had.”

“Did you convince her?” Steve asked, waving Jack into the room. Fitz trailed after him, surprising Steve. “Christ, I didn't even see you back there.”

“Sorry,” Fitz smirked. “We got done with your comm. Well, mostly done. We'll need your feedback on it.”

“Did you convince Skye?” Tony asked Jack again, annoyed by the distraction.

“I don't know.” Jack shrugged. “I think so. But I can't promise anything. Giving her time to process this is the best thing we can do right now.”

“Did they really experiment on her?” Fitz asked softly, stepping closer to Jack's side.

“You saw her when we got her out,” Steve pointed out.

“But...why?” Fitz pressed.

“The scientists were mad at her, for getting Delta out,” Tony replied.

“And keeping us out,” Jack added, tossing an arm around Fitz' shoulders. Fitz blushed faintly, but didn't pull away.

“Speaking of which, Steven has been spending a lot of time in the vents.” Steve said dryly. “Remind me to thank Clint for that.”

“He'll just be proud of himself,” Tony snorted. “Don't thank him.”

“Yeah, well, I guess Steven overheard a conversation between Bruce and Simmons. They think she's 47.” Steve sighed.

“Why? Is her blood like his?” Jack asked, frowning.

“The magic blood?” Fitz asked, making sure he had his facts straight.

“47's blood is _magic_ ,” Steve confirmed. “How much did Coulson share with you guys off the hard drive? How much do you know about what happens with Centipede?”

“There's no such thing as magic,” Simmons sighed, walking into Tony's lab with Bruce. “There is just science that we can't explain yet.”

“Hey, you have great timing!” Tony beamed, welcoming the two back into Bruce's lab. “We were just discussing Skye's blood.”

“Oh, good. We were looking for you, too.” Simmons beamed.

“You look awfully excited for someone who was just kidnapped,” Tony muttered.

“Yes, well. I'm not going to thank you for that...” Simmons said primly, “But you were right. This is really a fascinating find!”

“See! You should be thanking me for kidnapping you!” Clint laughed, stepping off the stairwell.

“Coulson is going to have words with you,” Simmons threatened. Clint scoffed openly at her, letting her know exactly what he thought of her threat.

“Coulson took his specialists back to base this morning, Simmons.”

“Will you let the poor girl be?” Tasha smirked, letting the door slam behind them. “You Neanderthal.”

“While we're picking on Clint,” Steve grinned, pulling him into a headlock, “You, sir, have Steven spying on people through the vents!”

“I do not!” Clint denied, punching Steve in the side.

“Do too.” Steve laughed. “He overheard Fitz teasing Jack about...I don't know what...and he overheard Bruce and Simmons when they talked about Skye's blood.”

“Okay, so maybe he's spying on people from the vents...but I didn't tell him to!” Clint giggled, squirming free when Steve tried to noogie him.

“You're going to talk to him about proper vent etiquette,” Steve told him sternly. “He'll probably be around the apologize about your face and the flour bomb at some point.”

“He's apologizing?” Clint asked, his eyebrows in his hair line.

“Skye talked to him.” Steve replied, like that answer was perfectly obvious.

“And he listened to her?”

“Skye's good at this stuff,” Jack interjected. “I'm not surprised at all.”

“He's never met her before!”

“Yeah, well...you had only met her the one time too,” Jack shrugged, smirking.

“Yeah! But it was hilarious!” Clint chortled, pointing at Steve. “I can't look at him without hearing your sister telling Steve all about her sexual theories.”

“They're not hers,” Steve sighed. “They're the internet's theories.”

“Wait, what?” Simmons asked, her head whipping around at neck breaking speed.

“Yeah, well, that's the same difference to me.” Clint laughed and ignored Simmons. “Seriously, I'm going to have to ask her if she saved that footage. It was hilarious. I would watch it _every single day_. You know what? I'm going to go ask her now.”

“No, you're not,” Tony rebutted, grabbing Clint by the collar. “She and Steven are sleeping and you're not going to wake her up for that.”

“She's sleeping _again_?” Clint moaned.

“She's going to be sleeping a lot for a little while. Healing is hard work.” Jack replied. He turned to Tasha with a smirk, “I heard you were chatting with someone in holding.”

“Yeah. I didn't need to keep him alive this time, not now that we have Skye back.” Tasha shrugged, like it was no big deal.

“So you just killed him?” Jack gasped, grabbing Fitz's shoulders and pulling him in front of his body as a shield.

“No, I didn't kill him,” Tasha snorted. “What's the fun in that? He's just going to think very hard about the answers that he gives us from now on.”

“Was he deceitful?” Steve asked.

“He didn't lie...but he wasn't forthcoming either.” Tasha told him, then a grin crept up her face.

“How long has he been our prisoner?” Bruce asked with a frown. “Surely there are some laws or...”

“He's not under arrest,” Tasha snorted. “If he knew how to pick locks and escape Jarvis, then he's free to go. It's not like I have him shackled or anything.”

“Oh, God. You're super scary.” Jack hissed. “How have I never realized this before?”

“Because you avoid the gym like the plague?” Tasha shot back instantly.

“Hey, I'm fragile!” Jack huffed.

“Teeny, little, man-baby,” Clint whispered softly, avoiding Jack's eye.

“I heard that, Clinton.”

“Good, Jackson, you were supposed to.”

“Your name is Jackson?” Fitz giggled.

“It gets better,” Clint smirked, sharing a grin with Fitz. “Wanna guess what his middle name is? … You won't guess. I'll tell you.”

“It's Jackson Herbert, okay?” Jack shouted. “And there is nothing wrong with my name!”

“Who picked it? A garbage can?” Clint shot back.

“Dude, that doesn't even make sense.” Jack huffed, crossing his arms. “And if you must know, Skye named me. So there. I'm going to tell her you were picking on my name.”

“Ooh, I'm scared!” Clint giggled.

“You better be,” Tony laughed. “You've seen her footage. She'll be better eventually.”

“Comparing her readings from our drone...”

“Dwarfs,” Fitz interrupted Bruce, then winced. “Sorry, force of habit.”

“It's all right,” Bruce smiled, waving off his apology. “Her healing is still considerably faster than an average healing rate, but not as fast as it was when she was receiving the magic blood.”

“If I hadn't had to use that bag...” Jack sighed, frowning.

“Jack, I told you, we had to use it. Skye will survive her injuries. You wouldn't have. Don't feel bad about having to use it. That's why Skye had it sent here for you.”

“But still...”

“She's going to tell you the exact same thing,” Tasha interrupted firmly. “Don't feel bad. You'll have another bag dropped off in a week. Or, we can convince Skye not to be stubborn and tell us where to find 47. Obviously, he knows where to find her.”

“She doesn't remember that,” Steve interjected softly. “She remembers erasing the footage from the first building and what the scientist did right after, but she doesn't remember the second building. She doesn't remember us getting her out, and she doesn't remember getting here.”

“She thought she was gone for six days,” Tony added.

“Wait...” Jack said slowly, mentally doing the calculations. “She remembers escaping and the scientist being mad at her...that means the last thing she remembers is...”

“Dying?” Steve finished softly, nodding. No wonder she was so weird with them. This wouldn't make any sense to her. He glanced back at the screen, watching Skye and Steven sleeping peacefully. He couldn't help the small smile that worked its way onto his face. She wasn't dead. She was here and she was safe. The fact that his kid liked her so much was really just icing on the cake.

“We're going to let her sleep,” Bruce sighed, tiredly. “I may do some of that myself, while she's out. When she's awake again, I'm going to want to reassess her and discuss our findings so far.”

“I would love to hear your findings,” Tony smiled prettily. “Can we go over these findings now?”

“I think Skye should be present for them.” Bruce smiled back, easily ignoring the charm that Tony was putting out.

“I think she'll take it better if we can all be there for her,” Tony replied. Bruce turned to consult Jack. He shrugged.

“She's never been hurt this bad before.” Jack mused. “I think either way, freak out or ignoring it away, she's not going to tell us what's wrong with her. She's going to play it off that she's fine. I think, if you just give us a general understanding of what's wrong...maybe we could take care of her better? I'll let you use your discretion at what you feel is hers for private, and what can help us help her.”

“I think that's the most I've ever heard you talk.” Bruce snorted.

“Oh, shut it.” Jack smiled.

“I think Jack's plan is very reasonable.” Simmons interjected quietly. “Can Bruce and I consult quickly and decide what information to share?”

“Yes, of course. Take...well, take _some_ time.” Tony agreed.

“Yeah, we all want to know how we can help,” Clint nodded.

“Okay, give us...ten minutes.” Bruce replied, looking at Simmons. She nodded her agreement.

“Can we discuss this over tea?” She asked, yawning.

“Yes, your Britishness, go get some tea.” Tony agreed, pushing Bruce and Simmons into the elevator. “Hurry back. Who knows what kind of shenanigans we're going to get into down here?”

“Tony, I think there's something wrong with your footage,” Fitz called out, tapping on Tony's screen of Steven and Skye sleeping.

“They're sleeping, Fitz.” Steve pointed out. Fitz giggled and nodded.

“I'm sure they are, but this isn't live.”

“What do you mean this isn't live?” Tony sighed, walking over. He looked at the screen for a minute before seeing whatever Fitz saw. “Son of a bitch! How did she do that? Jarvis!?”

“Yes, Sir?”

“There's a glitch in the surveillance of the lab.”

“There is no glitch, Sir.” Jarvis replied. Tony frowned, but was tinkering with the footage and didn't respond immediately.

“Son of a bitch!” Tony repeated, throwing his hands up in frustration.

“What happened?” Steve asked, concerned. “Is she gone? Steven mentioned she wanted to leave. Maybe we should go check...”

“Miss Skye and Steven's breathing patterns indicate they are asleep,” Jarvis supplied helpfully.

“She put the lab in privacy mode,” Tony huffed, pointing both hands at the screen. He had frozen the footage; Skye was smirking tiredly at a camera. “Jarvis, how did Skye put the lab in privacy mode?”

“Miss Skye has been in my system since the Iron Man hacks.”

“She promised that she wouldn't.” Tony argued.

“Eh, she said _no more poking_.” Clint mused. “I guess that's kind of vague.”

“If it was already in place, is it really poking?” Tasha asked, looking at Steve. She knew he had taken advantage of the privacy mode setting before. After all, one did not live with Clint and miss details like that. Steve couldn't help his smirk. He knew why Tasha was bringing this up now. She sighed and shoved his shoulder. She hissed at him quietly, “You know, I got blamed for one of your pranks.”

“I know,” Steve whispered back, ducking his head even though he sported a proud smirk.

“You two are ridiculous,” Tasha informed him with a pointed look. Steve's smirk widened into a grin and he just shrugged then nodded. He couldn't dispute that fact.

“What's with that stupid grin on your face?” Clint asked, his eyes roaming between Tasha and Steve.

“Nothing.” Steve shrugged.

“Liar,” Tasha laughed. “I'm dropping this, for now.”

 

 

 

 

 

 


	18. But what if she is 47?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, I'm a little worried that I missed something in this chapter. If there are any questions that you don't feel were answered or that need clarification - aside from the obvious - please, PLEASE let me know so I can make sure I answer them at some point.

 

 

“When is Coulson supposed to be back?” Jack asked, bopping on the balls of his feet. An unusual hush had fallen over the room, each occupant waiting anxiously for Bruce and Simmons return.

“Later.” Clint replied. “Late afternoon or early evening. They're taking the Bus back to headquarters and finishing reports, then they're coming back for dinner.”

“Dinner?” Jack asked, his eyebrow raised.

“Think Bruce will let Skye out of bed so she can join us?” Steve asked.

“I don't think an hour out of bed will disrupt any healing,” Bruce smiled, walking back into the lab with Simmons. “So long as she's not trying to walk.”

“If you want to get on her good side, you can remove all the tubes and wires, too.” Jack offered, smiling widely. “Even if it's just for a few hours.”

“Hmm, we'll see how she's doing when she wakes up.” Bruce smiled. “She's been healing fast, faster than I expected, even with that pint of blood. She may be able to take a small break.”

“Jack, shut up. I want to know what's wrong with her.” Tony interrupted. “Did you guys decide what we can know, or do I need to hack in?”

“Tony, you won't hack her file.” Bruce told him firmly.

“Then you better tell me.” Tony shrugged.

“I don't know where to start,” Bruce admitted, glancing at Simmons. She nodded and took a step forward.

“May I?” She asked, waving a flash drive towards one of Tony's computers. Tony didn't reply, just snatched it from her hand and plugged it in. Simmons looked like she was going to yell, but Bruce put a hand on her shoulder and pulled her back a step.

“Bruce?” Tony offered, stepping back from the computer.

“Let's start with what's visible.” Simmons sighed, still annoyed at Tony. “Some of this you'll know already, from the plane. Her legs were covered in second degree burns, while her torso only had minor burning. No doubt, that would have been different without her treatment, but her torso never got as bad as her legs. That's a plus, considering how quickly the burns on her torso cleared up with the blood. When she wakes, I'm... _we're_ going to want to look at her legs and assess where they are now.”

“She's very dehydrated, though that is also correcting abnormally fast. I'm more concerned about her weight. She's incredibly malnourished and weighs 98 pounds.”

“On the plane, she mentioned that they didn't see the point in feeding her.” Steve offered softly.

“Yes, well...that would explain things. If she didn't eat for the first six days, the days that she remembers, then I kind of doubt they fed her after they 'killed' her.” Bruce sighed, making air quotes to show his frustration with that.

“Yeah, any insight on that?” Tony asked. “I mean...she bled out. Plus, we saw her get put in the Eraser.”

“Clint and I can go check that out,” Tasha offered. “Who knows how long Skye is going to be asleep? Shield has control of that facility now, so we could go by that room and see what's inside. We never did get to go in. Maybe we can see if we can intercept Coulson's specialists. They could come with.”

“Even if they removed her somehow, her organs were without blood for too long,” Bruce sighed. “Transfusions wouldn't have helped, not after that long. I don't have any insight. For now, that's one of the mysteries.”

“But we can offer some insight into the seemingly random wounds on her torso.” Simmons offered, stepping up to the computer to pull up a new image. “They're consistent with the locations of her liver, kidney, spleen, lung, heart...” She traced the locations of each organ as she named it, using the image of Skye's torso as a base. “Then there are some lacerations that aren't associated with anything we can think of, so those are probably just...”

“Them being assholes,” Jack filled in when Simmons stopped. Bruce nodded his agreement.

“The exciting part,” Simmons continued, “Is the serum.”

“I think maybe 'exciting' is the wrong word.” Bruce offered softly, seeing the tense expressions on everyone else's faces.

“What's wrong with the serum?” Tony asked, crossing his arms angrily.

“It's not...wrong. It's just...” Simmons hesitated.

“The orange serum, it's chalk full of tons of stuff,” Bruce offered, in her silence. “We're still breaking down the chemicals, trying to figure out exactly what's in it. There's super soldier serum, which we identified first. There's also gamma radiation, which is concerning, to say the least. Also, there are biological aspects we didn't expect to see – platelets.”

“Sounds like they're trying to give her super powers.” Tony said softly. He shoved Steve aside so he could see Skye through the little window.

“We went back and looked at how much of the serum the scientists injected her with, then compared that amount to what she vomited back up.”

“Did she puke it _all_ back up?” Tony asked.

“Yes,” Bruce nodded. “All but a small amount.”

“I wiped it off her when I found her,” Steve commented.

“Exactly. So between the serum on the gauze and on your top, we're fairly certain she puked it all up.”

“So, if the orange serum isn't healing her...what is?” Tony asked, slowly uncrossing his arms.

“We don't know.” Simmons admitted. “We can't find anything unusual in her blood – no chemicals, no extra biologicals, and only the faintest hint of the orange serum left in her blood from her first draw on the Bus. It's all gone from her system now.”

“But we compared three different samples of blood. 47's blood, Skye's from the first building, and her blood now.” Bruce continued.

“What about from before she was taken?” Tony asked.

“Used it all up to verify the blood from the first facility was Skye's.” Bruce replied. “The amount on the pillow was miniscule. We couldn't get another sample.”

“What about Jack?” Fitz asked. “If he's Skye's brother then they should share...”

“She's not _actually_ my sister,” Jack interrupted. “Besides, I can guarantee that the serum I received and the serum 47 received are not the same.”

“It'd be nice if you had magic blood, though.” Tony muttered. Steve backhanded Tony's shoulder, silently reprimanding him. He caught the way Jack's face fell with Tony's crass words. Tony frowned and rubbed his shoulder, “Ow.”

“Baby,” Steve muttered, pulling Jack to his side to comfort him. “So Skye might have magic blood now, like 47?”

“Maybe,” Bruce nodded, taking off his glasses to wipe them. “We'll have to see how her rate of healing holds out. Based on Jack's useage, I have a pretty good idea of how long it should take.”

“If she puked it all back up though, how would the serum affect her?” Clint asked.

“Well, that's the thing.” Bruce replied, frowning. “There's no serum present in Skye's blood from the first building.”

“So the orange stuff she puked up isn't what affected her?” Tasha asked.

“Don't be dumb,” Tony growled. “We saw that orange stuff burning her from the inside out.”

“I think what Tasha is trying to say,” Bruce interrupted before Tasha murdered Tony, “Is that the whatever is healing Skye was in her system before the orange stuff. They must have given it to her at the first building.”

“It's been in her system for a week?” Steve asked softly. Bruce and Simmons nodded slowly.

“I mean, give or take. We can't know exactly when they gave it to her...” Bruce added. “Or what they gave her – there aren't any traces of anything that would accelerate healing in her blood. At least, not that we've found yet. There is a chance that it was another serum that she puked back up? Her blood now doesn't have any traces of the orange serum, so it makes sense that anything they gave her that long ago would have either dissipated or was absorbed by her body. Especially if she didn't have the magic blood to make her dispel it from her body.”

“But they gave it to her sometime during the footage that she erased.” Tony said angrily. “She better have a back up somewhere or...”

“Or what?” Jack asked, laughing lightly. “What are _you_ going to do to her?”

“Our concern is for the things we can't see on the surface.” Simmons said quickly, pulling up another image. “You know how the wounds are all over organs?” There were silent head nods from everyone present. “Well, there is residual scarring on her organs.”

“What did they do to her?” Steve asked, trying desperately to keep his fists from clenching in anger. Jack noticed and brought Fitz with him to comfort Steve. He couldn't help but smile softly at Jack and Fitz, his anger displaced for the moment.

“The scarring is oddly round,” Bruce said softly, zooming in on the image to show the team what he meant. “Aside from the surface level injuries, which were probably just pain inducing injuries, they sampled her organs, essentially.” Bruce sighed, pointing out dark spots on the scans. “These are scar tissue. They're healing at an amazing rate – you can see differences between her initial scan and this newest one. Based on the lacerations, they took bits of tissue from all of her major organs and muscle groups. The part that has me concerned is that there doesn't appear to be any stitching or adhesive holding the wounds shut. She has just been healing quickly enough that it's not an issue.”

“What did they want?” Steve asked, crossing his arms angrily.

“I'm going to work with the assumption that they gave her something in the first building. I am also going to assume it's a version of the serum that's either the same as 47 received or very similar – but that could be wrong. Jack, you said she didn't normally heal this fast?”

“Not unless she used some of the blood,” Jack agreed.

“Okay, so they gave her _something_. Or did _something_ to her to make her heal like this.” Simmons continued. “That's mystery number 2. But whatever they gave her, they probably wanted to see what affects it had on her body.” Simmons speculated. “The scarring is large enough for two samples.”

“A before and an after?” Fitz asked, sounding faint. Jack noticed the same thing and wheeled a stool over for him.

“Sit down before I have another story to lord over you.” Jack said softly, smiling.

“Hey, I bet Skye has plenty of stories she would love to share about you!” Fitz huffed. He smiled a second later though, making Jack grin back.

“But you haven't found anything yet that is going to injure her?” Steve pressed.

“Nothing we can find,” Bruce admitted.

“What if she _is_ 47?” Simmons asked softly, waving off the annoyed mutterings of Steve and Jack. “I know you don't think she is.”

“She's not.” Steve said firmly.

“Well, she's following a healing arc that is pretty similar to Jack's recovery arcs,” Simmons continued. “Obviously, there are inconsistencies, but _what if she is 47_?”

“Can't you just compare the blood?” Tony sighed. “We have a sample of 47's blood and we have Skye's blood. That should answer things for us.”

“Two problems with that,” Bruce sighed. “First, the magic blood has been altered. The white blood cells are degraded enough that the nucleus of each cell is in too poor of condition to extract...”

“...any DNA, so we can't compare hers to the blood.” Simmons finished, then blushed when she realized what she did. Bruce grinned and waved her off.

“Don't white blood cells help you heal?” Jack asked, frowning as he struggled to remember Skye's biology lessons.

“White blood cells are part of your immune system,” Fitz answered. “They help fight off infection and disease. So you're mostly right.”

“Second, we don't know what it is about 47's blood that makes it special.” Bruce admitted.

“The magic blood looks just as normal as regular blood. It looks just as normal as Skye's blood looks now.” Simmons finished. “Their blood does share some similarities, proteins and antibodies, so it's not unreasonable to assume that 47 is Skye.”

“Alright, well. 3 mysteries.” Tony nodded. “We need to figure out how she survived bleeding out. We need to find out what is in the orange stuff. And we need to find out what they gave Skye to make her heal – and we need to find out what is so damn special about this blood. Maybe the last two are related. I thought you were working on this already Brucie?”

“I've been working on it since Jack's first episode. That's why I wanted Simmons here. I needed a fresh sight of eyes.” Bruce nodded.

“She said the results kept coming back weird on the Bus,” Steve remembered, pointing at Simmons. “Did you figure that out?”

“Not really, not yet.” Simmons replied. “Part of the issue was the white blood cells.”

“Unless there's anything else, Clint and I are going to go check out the Eraser.” Tasha informed the room, tugging on Clint lightly. “We should only be a few hours.”

“Don't get into trouble without us,” Clint grinned, wagging his eyebrows.

“You make all the trouble.” Steve pointed out dryly.

“I know!” Clint giggled, being tugged from the room by Tasha.

“Jarvis, will you let us know when Skye and Steven have woken?” Bruce asked the AI.

“Yes, Dr. Banner.” Jarvis replied.

“Even with privacy mode on?” Steve asked, raising an eyebrow.

“I've upgraded my system since she put her program in.” Tony replied. “Her program must be out of date. Jarvis can monitor her vitals, even in privacy mode.”

“Okay, then I'm taking a nap,” Bruce said tiredly. “We'll reconvene...later.”

“Go to bed, big guy.” Tony nodded, patting Bruce's shoulder. He looked over at Steve, “I'm going to go over the footage of that guy popping out of the floor again. I want to know more about him, and that scientist that he took.”

 

0-0-0-0-0

 

“Hey, he did a good job cleaning up his room,” Jack grinned, forking a thumb towards Steven's room. Steve peeked in and nodded.

“Can't even tell there was flour everywhere.” Steve agreed. He was impressed by the level of clean.

“Good thing, too.” Jack nodded. “Or else you might've had company in your bed tonight.”

“I _always_ have company in my bed!” Steve retorted. Fitz giggled, making Steve's own grin pop up. “Technically, he's not my boyfriend. We never had that conversation...”

Steve trailed off, giving Jack a significant look. Jack giggled helplessly, trying to talk but failing.

“What conversation?” Fitz asked.

“You have to say you're only dating one person?” Steve offered, scrunching his face to express his confusion. “I'm really not sure.”

“Ah. Exclusivity.” Fitz nodded, easily catching on. “You never asked the Captain if he wanted to be exclusive with you?” Fitz grinned at Jack.

“Psh, no.” Jack replied, still giggling. “Then I would feel bad hitting on Ward.”

“You can do better than Ward.” Steve and Fitz replied simultaneously. They turned to each other, grinning.

“You're different than I thought you would be,” Steve admitted to Fitz.

“Oh no. Do I want to hear this?” Fitz asked, blushing.

“Keep in mind, my first impression of you was from that first briefing when we went to get the kids back.”

“Oh. I may have fan-boyed a little over Mr. Stark.” Fitz winced.

“Yeah, you did.” Steve agreed easily. “Please, call him Tony. It goes to his head if you're too proper with him.”

“Okay,” Fitz agreed, just as easily. “What's your impression of me now?”

“You're calmer than that first meeting,” Steve grinned. “But, you've also met Tony now, so that explains that. If you like working with Jack, then you've obviously got the patience of a saint...”

“Hey!” Jack grumbled.

“Jack is brilliant,” Fitz informed Steve, ignoring Jack's grumblings. “I deal with his distractions and he deals with mine. We make a good team.”

“I'm very glad to hear that,” Steve told Fitz, smiling warmly. He looked up at Jack, who was blushing, and extended the smile to him as well. “That means I get a break from you.”

“Aw, you had to go and ruin the moment!” Jack sighed, tossing his hands in the air. Steve laughed and dropped his arm around Jack's shoulders.

“We discussed this.” Steve pointed out.

“Still working on it?” Jack asked, faking a sad expression.

“You make it easy to fail, when you're like this...” Steve laughed.

“Stevie!” Jack pouted, turning to surprise Steve with a hug. Steve groaned and hugged him back. “Later, maybe tomorrow, you need to test out your comm, okay?”

“Sure thing,” Steve agreed. “Is it smaller now?”

“Marginally.” Fitz replied. “The camera is an issue. But we've begun working on another prototype. It will be completely undetectable...in theory. We'll let you test that one out after we've worked out some kinks.”

“Oooh, kinks?” Jack teased, winking at Fitz. Steve sighed and shoved Jack off him.

“You better behave.” Steve told Jack firmly. “Fitz will tell me otherwise and I'll force you to do some gym time.”

“But...what if I do gym time between the sheets?” Jack smirked, deliberately ignoring Fitz's rapidly growing blush.

“See? This is what I'm talking about.” Steve replied. “Fitz makes a good partner for you. Don't scare him off.”

“Yes, Sir! Captain America, Sir!” Jack replied, snapping up into a salute. Steve sighed loudly and walked away from the duo.

“You'll have to try pretty hard to scare me off,” Steve heard Fitz mutter to Jack.

 

 

 


	19. You are so beautiful.

 

 

“You're awake.” Coulson smiled, stepping into the makeshift hospital room.

“Shh,” Skye whispered, nodding down towards the boy. “He's still sleeping.”

“I was there, you know, when we pulled him out.” Coulson whispered.

“I know. I was the one that hacked your plane, AC.” Skye smiled broadly.

“I figured that one out,” Coulson replied, working his signature dry humor. Skye's smile expanded.

“Hey, I didn't do anything bad. Why are you looking at me like that?”

“You hacked my file.” Coulson pointed out.

“Hmm, yes. I did.” Skye agreed. “ _But_ , you deserved it.”

“I disagree!” Coulson retorted quickly. “Besides, you promised to fix it. I've come to make sure you've done that. Technically, I'm not supposed to be on your case. You've banned me from working with Agent Rogers. Good thing the Director is willing to ignore my file right now.”

“I did not promise to fix it!” Skye frowned.

“You did.”

“When?”

“On the plane. While we were waiting to enter the Tower.” Coulson said softly, cocking his head at her.

“Oh.” Skye said softly. “I don't remember that.”

“It's okay,” Coulson dismissed. “How are you feeling?”

“I'm okay.” Skye shrugged lightly.

“Everyone was worried about you,” Coulson said softly. “Even my master assassins, which, let me tell you, is highly unusual.”

“They're softies at heart,” Skye whispered.

“No, they're really not.” Coulson rejected. “Especially not over someone that they've met once. Hell, I was their handler and it took them ages to feel connected to me. What did you do?”

“I don't know,” Skye shrugged. She smirked and changed the subject. “Wanna earn back your other file?”

“Depends what you want me to do...” Coulson replied back honestly.

“Get me a shower.” Skye replied, smiling softly. “That should be easy.”

“You're covered in bandages,” Coulson pointed out. Skye freed her arms and showed Coulson the lack of bandaging.

“It's just my legs.” Skye said softly. “We're surrounded by geniuses – I'm sure they can easily avoid getting those wet.”

“Hmm. Don't go anywhere.” Coulson grinned, stepping back out of the office. He thought it was going to be a lot harder to buy his way back into her good graces.

“Okay,” Skye snorted.

Steven stirred next to her, so she tightened her grip on him and hummed a mindless tune to keep him asleep.

Coulson returned a few minutes later, looking glum.

“Simmons said no.” Coulson frowned. Skye burst out laughing, effectively waking Steven.

“Oh, damn. I'm sorry,” Skye giggled, getting louder instead of quieter. Steven blinked slowly, taking in his surroundings. He glanced down and saw Skye's arms wrapped around him and seemed to connect the pieces.

“{Hi, crazy.}” Steven yawned, snuggling into Skye's side. She finally felt warm and was comfy.

“{Hi, kiddo.}” Skye giggled. “{I'm sorry I woke you.}”

“{It's okay,}” Steven smacked sleepily. “{I like it when you're happy. Why are you laughing?}”

“{AC is being bossed around by a subordinate.}” Skye giggled again.

“{Who is AC?}”

“{Agent Coulson,}” Skye replied, pointing to Coulson in the doorway. Coulson smiled and offered the boy a little wave. He didn't bat an eye at the odd language flowing between them; he was involved with the kids that were still at Shield, after all. It was a little odd that _an adult_ knew the language, though. He had seen Shield agents trying to communicate with the children, using their own language skills. The children just grinned at them and ran away to whatever activity they were doing before. Agent Ward had been one of them, in fact. He spoke at them in all the languages he knew, but only succeeded in frustrating himself. It had been kind of funny to watch.

“{Are you in trouble? Is that why he's here? I can make him go away,}” Steven offered quickly, suddenly looking much more awake.

“He's just trying to earn his file back,” Skye replied in English, for Coulson's sake.

“What did you do to his file?” Steven asked, grinning up at Skye.

“He was threatening Steve,” Skye informed the boy. “He got everything that was coming to him.”

“ _You_ threatened on Steve?” Steven asked Coulson, frowning.

“Hey, he has responsibilities and...” Coulson started to explain himself, then realized he was talking to a seven year old. “He deserved it.” Coulson huffed, crossing his arms.

“Don't you dare give him his file back,” Steven informed Skye seriously, making her burst into laughter again.

“Can't argue with that, AC.”

“You two are going to be trouble, aren't you?” Coulson sighed. They both nodded, with Skye still laughing and Steven looking furious at Coulson.

“Okay, AC. Compromise.” Skye grinned. “Since you can't man up and _make_ Simmons let me shower, even though you're her boss and it should totally be possible...”

“What's your compromise?” Coulson interrupted before Skye could get going.

“I want a laptop. Or a tablet. Hell, I'll even take a smart phone.” Skye shrugged. “I'm bored to death. Besides, I can fix your file from there.”

“Done.” Coulson nodded, then hurried from the room before Skye could add any more conditions.

“Ms. Skye, Sir is wondering if you're up for more visitors.” Jarvis inquired.

“Oh, damn. Privacy mode. Jarvis, disengage.”

“You can mess with Jarvis?” Steven asked, his eyes wide.

“Yeah, but she promised not to.” Tony frowned, striding into the room quickly.

“Damn, you're fast, old man.” Skye smirked.

“We were next door,” Steve smiled, coming in behind Tony.

“You had to promise not to mess with Jarvis?” Steven asked Skye.

“Well, I mean...I didn't _promise_.” Skye hedged, glancing up at Tony.

“Yeah, shirking the rules.” Tony frowned. “Jarvis is not your play thing, Skylar Elizabeth.”

“If you're so protective of him, maybe you should protect him better then.” Skye replied easily, grinning proudly. Tony huffed and looked at Steve. He shouldn't have, though. Steve was grinning.

“What? She has a point.”

“I'm going to get you back.” Tony informed Skye.

“You can't even get onto Skye's flash drive.” Steven pointed out softly.

“I would have gotten onto it _if you hadn't eaten it!_ ” Tony told the boy loudly.

“Aw, Dad. I missed your birthday!” Skye groaned loudly, distracting Tony from that line of thinking.

“Don't worry about it,” Tony dismissed, sitting on the edge of the bed by Steven's feet.

“Did you get my gift?” Skye asked, looking at Steve.

“Yes,” Tony sighed, pinching his nose. “I got your incriminating pillow.”

“Incriminating?” Skye asked, trying to be serious but failing. Steve grinning from behind Tony didn't do anything to help her straight face.

“Yes!” Tony shouted. “Of all the things you could have taught him, you taught him about _internet explorer_.”

“I didn't.” Skye denied, shaking her head. “I swear. I never, ever even mentioned internet explorer.”

“I don't believe you.” Tony informed her with a dry sniff.

“I found one!” Coulson announced pushing into the room. A tablet was being waved in the air.

“Oh, hell no.” Tony growled, snatching the device from him. “Do you know what she could do with this?”

“Yeah.” Coulson nodded. “She can fix my file.”

“Apparently, I promised.” Skye shrugged.

“He's supposed to earn it first.” Steve smirked. Coulson shoved his elbow into Steve's side.

“I'm earning it by getting her entertainment.” Coulson said firmly. “She's dying of boredom!”

“She's been asleep.” Tony pointed out.

“I get bored very, very easily.” Skye offered.

“No.” Tony said firmly, shoving the tablet down the back of his pants.

“Daaaaad!” Skye whined.

“No.” Tony shrugged. “Nope, nope, and …. nope.”

“Then I want my shower back!” Skye huffed, crossing her arms.

“But, Simmons already said no.” Coulson sighed, just barely not whining. That had Skye cracking up again, making everyone in the room smile.

“Dad, I want a shower.” Skye whined again, making her face extra sad. “Please, convince meanie Simmons to let me take a fucking shower? Shit, go around her. She's not in charge here. Go to Bruce.”

Tony was laughing so hard that Skye paused and looked at him, completely shocked.

“Steve doesn't like it bad language.” Steven offered up quickly.

“Is that so?” Skye asked, grinning.

“It's not appropriate for a seven year old,” Steve informed her, though his eyes were twinkling.

“You started that before there was a seven year old!” Tony chuckled. He looked back at Steve then frowned when he saw the humor in his face. “Hey! How come she doesn't get the disappointed face?”

“Face Plant? You don't like bad words?” Skye asked innocently, even though she already knew that about him. He had already shared this story with her.

“I don't.” Steve confirmed.

“Face Plant?” Steven asked softly, directing his question towards Tony.

“What if the seven year old can't understand it?” Skye asked, then switched into Gaelic, “{What if I say...shit, fuck...}”

“{Stop it!}” Steve responded in kind, though he was laughing. “{That's not fair.}”

“I didn't know you knew another language,” Tony commented.

“My parents moved to New York from Ireland.” Steve replied, smirking at Skye. It was totally like her to know that about him. “My mom taught me the language of the _motherland._ ”

“That wasn't Russian.” Tony sighed.

“Her motherland, stupid.” Skye snorted.

“Ouch, Sweetheart.” Tony gasped, clutching his heart.

“Seriously, though.” Skye said, finally getting serious. “I need a shower. Please. I've been in these for...”

“We'll get you cleaned up.” Tony promised.

“Not sponge bath cleaned up,” Skye argued. “Running water cleaned up. If I can't take a shower, then what about a bath? I'm sure we can rig something to keep my legs out of the water.”

“What if I build you a shower chair?” Tony asked, pulling the tablet out of his waistband to sketch a quick picture. He turned the screen to show Skye. “Something that reclines a little so the water doesn't run down your legs?”

“Deal.” Skye agreed, snatching the tablet from Tony while he was distracted. She quickly shoved it between her body and Steven's.

“Pip Squeak,” Tony warned.

“Tony,” Steven warned back, just as seriously. Skye leaned over and whispered in his ear quietly. He smirked and added, “Anthony Edward.”

“I'm not going to be able to use you against her, am I?” Tony sighed.

“You would feel bad if Skye died of boredom.” Steven pointed out. Steve laughed from behind Tony, making him turn and glare.

“I'm supposed to be your favorite!”

“Looks like your kid takes after you,” Coulson remarked, stepping further into the room. “How much older than her are you?”

“Oh, ha ha.” Tony fake laughed.

“He wishes he had kids as cool as me.” Skye added, smirking.

“He's not her father,” Steve grinned. “It started as a joke.”

“Yeah, well...he's awfully protective of her.” Coulson pointed out.

“They all are,” May pointed out, walking into the space with Bruce and Simmons. “Might want to remember that.”

“Simmons!” Skye crowed, beaming. “Look at you, all beautiful and smart and...”

“No, Skye. You may not shower!” Simmons interrupted, oblivious to Skye's praise. Her smile fell quickly, making Tony step in.

“I'm overruling her,” He snorted.

“You can't over-rule her medical team.” Bruce pointed out.

“Yeah?” Tony asked, his eyebrows raised in challenge. “She's going to do it anyway, so you might want to take what you can get here.”

“She can't.” Bruce pointed out. Tony winced and bobbled his head from side to side.

“She may have gotten hold of a tablet.”

“She _may have_? Or she _did_?” Bruce groaned.

“ _She_ 's sitting right here,” Skye grumbled softly. “And yes, she did.”

“Nice work, Tony. That was our only bargaining chip.” Bruce sighed.

“Nah, I bet Steven will keep her on the straight and narrow.” Simmons snorted, grinning at the boy. Steve, Tony, and Coulson started laughing at that one.

“That doesn't bode well for us,” Bruce informed Simmons.

“Don't worry.” Skye smirked. “Dad's going to build me some chair thing and I won't get my legs wet. It's all covered.”

“Okay, let's make a deal.” Bruce told Skye, shoving Tony from the end of the bed so he could take his place. “You get to shower _and_ we'll take all the wires off you for dinner, if you agree to finish treatment with us.”

“What is this treatment?” Skye asked, frowning.

“Everyone, out.” Bruce said softly, not turning to look at the other men.

“Bruce...”

“Tony, out.” Bruce said firmly. “Simmons and I need to talk to Skye.”

“Come on Steven,” Steve said softly, coming over to remove the boy from Skye's side. Skye had clamped down on him though, and was watching Bruce with wide, scared eyes. Steve perched himself on the edge of the bed by Steven. Skye's gaze transferred to him. “Guys, can I talk to Skye for a second?”

“This is ridiculous.” Simmons sighed. “Skye, as your doctor...”

“Out.” Steve repeated, this time slipping into his Captain America sternness.

“Oh, shit.” Coulson gasped, half excited and half scared, then audibly left the room. Everyone left the room, wary of Steve's reaction. Steve watched everyone leave, only turning back to Skye and Steven once everyone had cleared out.

“Wanna put the room in lockdown?” Steve asked softly.

“Privacy mode.” Skye corrected softly, though she nodded. “Hey, Jarvis?”

“The room is in privacy mode,” Jarvis confirmed.

“There.” Steve smiled. “Now, could you give Steven just a bit of room to breathe?”

“Oh, honey, I'm so sorry!” Skye gasped, quickly loosening her hold on the boy. He turned his head so Skye wouldn't see the wince on his face.

“It's okay,” Steven shrugged. “Do you not like Simmons?”

“I don't like doctors,” Skye corrected.

“They're not going to do anything,” Steve told her. “They just want to go over the results of your medical tests.”

“What tests?” Skye asked, suddenly pale.

“Relax,” Steve said softly, picking Steven up and depositing him on his lap. He took Steven's place next to Skye, raising his arm to let her squirm closer. He felt the chill of her body seep through his shirt and made a mental note to get her another blanket or something. He let his arm curl around her slight frame, encouraging her to take whatever heat or comfort she needed. “Why don't you pull up the feed from the Bus? Then you can see everything that's happened since we found you.”

“What tests?” Skye asked again. Steven reached out and took her hand, frowning at Steve when he saw how bad it was shaking.

“Nothing like what _they_ did.” Steve hurried to reassure her. “Simmons took some blood to look for medications in your bloodstream. Fitz has little robots that took scans of your body. That's it.”

“Little robots?” Skye asked softly.

“Yeah. He calls them...um...”

“Dwarfs,” Steven supplied helpfully.

“Are there seven of them?” Skye asked, cracking a smile.

“I don't know. You would have to ask him.” Steve shrugged.

“You don't get it do you?” Skye giggled. “Add _Snow White_ to your movie list, okay?”

“Okay.” Steve smirked. “Pull up the feed, doll. You'll feel better knowing what happened. Then we'll all be on the same page.”

“But what if I can't get it...”

“Skye, we both know you're perfectly capable of finding the feed.” Steve chuckled.

“I upgraded their security after I got in so easily,” Skye admitted.

“Hmm, and left yourself a way in, didn't you?”

“Maybe,” Skye shrugged. Steve snorted, making her smile again. “If I break out the tablet, are you going to confiscate it?”

“No, doll. I'll let you fight with Tony over that one.”

“Oh, I'm gonna win.” Skye giggled, pulling the tablet out and tapping away on it. After a minute, she had access to their feed. “What time should I look for?”

“Hey, Steven, why don't you see if Tony will put on your birthday present so Skye can see it?” Steve asked the boy softly, nudging him off the bed.

“Is it that bad?” Skye winced, stretching her arms out like she wanted to stop Steven from leaving. She frowned and dropped her hands, folding them over her torso.

“No, it's not. Really, it's not. You just have one minor freak out.”

“Steven, I would love to see Tony in...whatever your present is.” Skye told the boy, smiling warmly at him.

“Okay,” Steven nodded. “Want me to bring you a brownie back?”

“Is that what you told him?” Steve groaned, throwing up his free hand. Skye and Steven laughed as he slipped from the room. Tony was standing right there, but Steven grabbed his hand and dragged him away before he could sneak into the room.

“Ready?” Skye asked, swallowing hard.

“When you are.” Steve nodded, reaching out to hold half of the tablet. Skye took a deep breath, scooted a little closer to Steve, and clicked play.

The footage she was watching was from a camera on the bus. It was positioned behind Fitz, showing all of the screens. In the middle of all of them was a large screen. Someone was walking down a hallway.

“That's my feed. Your brother and Fitz built me a special comm unit, complete with video camera. I've just entered the building, the second one...the one where we found you, to make sure everyone was out of the building. All of the scientists ran out of the building when we arrived.” Steve explained as Skye watched the screen. “That is the room you're in. Tony will show you some footage of what happens on the other side of the door later, okay?” Skye nodded absently, listening to Steve and Fitz talking. She watched as Steve found her and his subsequent break down. She saw Jack come in and leave with Steve. She took a good look at each scientist as Steve walked passed them, trailing after Jack as he spoke to the scientists. She closed her eyes and took exaggerated breaths when Jack came back to deprogram her. Steve's camera kept switching focus between Jack's face, the face of a scientist on the floor at their feet, and her own. She didn't like the cold, hard expression on her face.

She let Steve fast forward past the trip back to the plane; her fingers were in her ears, trying to block out the desperate cries on screen. Steve's feed cut out when Fitz removed the comm from his ear, so Skye picked up the feed in the medical pod that Steve had taken her to. She watched as she clung to Steve, even as Simmons, Tasha, and Clint worked to stop her bleeding.

“Now I know why Clint is so proud of my arms,” Skye muttered softly, watching as she fell asleep on Steve's chest. She was embarrassed by the desperate way she clung to him.

“You should have seen his face when you kicked him,” Steve snorted lightly. Skye winced and shook her head, mentally making a note to apologize to him. Steve brushed her hair out of his face, then pressed a kiss to the top of her head. “It's okay, you know. He's not mad at you. Honestly, we were expecting worse.”

“You were _expecting worse?_ ” Skye asked, surprised. He shrugged.

“We've seen what you're capable of,” Steve reminded her. “Jack helped us locate your backup hard drive from the bunker you guys were holed up in. We saw you take down those men that came for you.”

“I couldn't take them all.” Skye whispered.

“You could barely stand and you still took down more of them than we could.” Steve told her firmly. “We're going to want to see you in action, once you're better.”

“Tasha's mad about that, huh?” Skye asked softly. Steve grinned and hummed his agreement.

“She wants to train with you.”

“The Black Widow wants to train with _me_?” She gaped, looking at Steve with her mouth open in shock.

“Yeah. I think your styles are pretty similar.” Steve nodded. “Besides, we'll use any excuse to keep you here.”

“Steven mentioned that,” Skye admitted dryly.

“We're gonna convince you,” Steve smirked. “Oh, I didn't know Coulson stopped by. Wait, now I remember Simmons saying something about a photo. Yep, look at Coulson taking our picture.”

“He likes to watch you sleep,” Skye giggled. “What is that...three times now? After you got out of the ice, in his office on the Bus, and then there?”

“Tony offered him my spare room,” Steve nodded. “They all think it's funny. You promised you would lock him in his room, if he does end up staying, so he doesn't do it again. That's another reason I'm not fighting you on this whole tablet thing.”

“Who are they?” Skye asked, pointing to the screen. Ward was draping his blanket around Skye, making Ward grin at whoever was next to him.

“Ah, Agents Ward and Triplett.” Steve pointed out. “They're the specialists on the Bus.”

“Mr. Patience of a Saint and the Baby guy?” Skye asked, smiling softly. Steve nodded his agreement; she was referring to them from what she knew of them on the Bus. “Why are they laughing?”

“I'm sure we don't want to know,” Steve said dryly. He wasn't going to get into this with Skye, not now. She would figure it out eventually – Tasha would make sure of that. “Here's the nurse coming back to check on you. And here's your stupid brother giving me a seizure...”

“Considering how smart he is, because really...he's genius level smart, he can be pretty damn stupid sometimes, huh?” Skye said fondly. She twisted so her cheek was pressed against his shoulder, “How was he for you?”

“Good. Fine...” Steve shrugged. “He had his moments, but for the most part we got along great. Everyone at Headquarters thinks we're dating, which your brother finds hilarious.”

“I'm sure he did that on purpose,” Skye nodded, smirking.

“Oh, he did. Then he went on to tell me that we're not _exclusive_ because we never had 'the talk'.” Steve continued, putting air quotes around his words. Skye giggled at his story. “And then...since we weren't _exclusive_ , he felt like he could hit on Agent Ward. That completely made up for his ridiculousness. I'll have to see if we can find Ward's expression on film somewhere. Priceless.”

“You don't like Agent Ward very much, do you?” Skye asked, smiling.

“Seems like a nice enough guy.” Steve shrugged. “Don't know him very well.”

“Hmm,” Skye hummed.

“He's fun to pick on.” Steve admitted. “He's too serious.”

“This, coming from Captain America?” Skye asked, chuckling.

“Hey, Captain America is probably too serious, but he has to be!” Steve chuckled back. “I'm not that serious.”

“I know you're not,” Skye smiled. “Am I all caught up?”

“Oh, no.” Steve replied. “Clint's going to come soon and kick everyone out so we can land. Oops, there he is.”

“They're not really scared of Agent May, are they?” Skye giggled, watching them push each other down the hall. Steve grinned as her ribs rubbed against his as she laughed. He had to consciously keep his hand from straying to the exposed skin below the sports bra she was still stuck in. He swallowed hard and pulled the blanket up around her a little higher, then removed his hand from inside the blanket to the outside. He didn't trust himself not to give in to the temptation to touch her. That would be inappropriate.

“Hmm, a little bit.” Steve grunted. “I think they were playing it up for your amusement, though. You're going to want to pay attention to this part. It's going to answer a question you had earlier.”

“I'm pretty sure I didn't ask about two girls, one cup,” Skye groaned, adjusting the blanket again and curling into Steve's side a little tighter. “Yuck.”

“Yuck is right,” Steve laughed, “But that's not what I'm talking about.”

“Oh, God. I made you cuss?” Skye giggled, tossing her head back.

“I was quoting you,” Steve retorted, only spurring on her giggling. “But no, keep listening.”

“Oh, my God. Look at you all flirty!” Skye laughed loudly. “I really can't have a kiss until I'm better?”

“ _All better_.” Steve nodded, grinning at her amusement. She finally had normal color in her face, which made him very happy.

“Not even if I ask really nicely?” Skye asked softly, her voice dropping an octave. She leaned closer, trailing a finger down his chest.

“I know what you're doing,” Steve grinned, stopping her finger by grabbing her hand. “And the answer is still the same.”

“What if it made me better, faster?” Skye bargained. Steve just shook his head, grinning when Skye groaned with frustration. She sighed and rolled her eyes up to him. “Fine, stubborn.”

“You're the stubborn one,” Steve retorted easily. He glanced at the screen, “Oh, hey. Here's where you tell Coulson you'll fix his file.”

“Fitz wants a monkey? And what is Lola?” Skye asked, trying not to yawn. Steve's heat was near-hypnotic.

“Lola is Coulson's prize Corvette. He's very protective of it. No one can touch it.” Steve replied, brushing her hair back from her face. “Hey, don't fall asleep. Bruce and Simmons still need to talk to you.”

“I'm not sleeping,” Skye yawned. He laughed and pressed a kiss to her forehead.

“You're working on it.”

“It takes a lot of energy to heal this much.” Skye admitted.

“I want you healed,” Steve told her softly. “But Bruce might flip out if I put you to sleep instead of preparing you to talk to him.”

“I don't want to know what's wrong with me,” Skye admitted.

“It's not so bad, especially considering how bad it was. The blood really helped. Bruce gave us a very general run-down of your injuries, so we can help you get better.”

“Promise?”

“I promise. Most of it is either completely healed already or is nearly healed.”

“Hmm, magic blood.” Skye nodded. “What about the orange stuff?”

“They're still breaking it down. You'll have to ask Bruce about that because I don't think I could regurgitate what he said, but he thinks you puked it all back up.” Steve replied. He waited, rubbing his hand over Skye's on his chest, where he had trapped it earlier. “Let me know when you're ready for me to call him in.”

“Can I have another minute?” Skye asked softly, turning her face into Steve's chest.

“Of course, doll.” He replied, pulling her slightly closer. He wasn't sure if she was seeking his heat, because she still felt chilled, or if she was seeking comfort.

“I don't suppose I can ask you to stay,” Skye murmured softly. He adjusted his hold on her so he could wrap both of his arms around her. Her chest rumbled against his when she hummed her satisfaction with his body heat.

“I would, if you wanted me to.” Steve told her, pressing a kiss to the top of her head. She smelled more like herself now, but there was definitely a chemical undertone. He could understand why she was so insistent on the shower. “But I think Bruce and Simmons wanted to talk to you alone.”

“Okay,” She agreed, shrugging like it wasn't a big deal. Steve frowned, but didn't know where to go from there.

“I'm glad you're getting along so well with Steven.”

“You picked a good kid to go all parental on,” Skye commented lightly. Steve smiled warmly.

“Yeah, I did. He was the one that wrote the program that found you. Did you know that?” Steve asked.

“He mentioned he helped Tony.”

“Helped is an understatement. Tony built the base, taught him some coding, and then he went in and adjusted Tony's program so his knowledge of the building could be used. We wouldn't have found you without him.”

“He's worried, you know. That you will send him back because I'm back now.” Skye cupped his face in her hands. “Please, don't send him back.”

“Skye...”

“You can't make promises to kids that you can't keep, Steve. It's not fair...”

Steve shushed her quietly, pressing a finger to her mouth to stop her rambled words.

“Skye, he's not going anywhere.” Steve smiled, slipping his finger off her mouth. “He's staying with me, with us. The whole Tower has basically adopted him.”

“Oh.” Skye exhaled. She processed that for a beat, then flashed Steve a bright, relieved smile. Steve smiled back, his fingers absently caressing her jaw bone. So much for resisting the temptation.

“You are so beautiful.” Steve admitted softly. Skye blinked slowly, looking at Steve with a dumbfounded expression, then bust out laughing. “Are you laughing at me?” Steve asked softly. Skye continued laughing, waving him off and gasping for air.

“Of...course...not!” Skye gasped out. Steve leveled her with a dry expression.

“For some reason I don't believe you,” He informed her. Skye hiccuped and tried to control herself, but failed. A tear slipped down the side of her face and into the pillow. “You're kind of hurting my feelings here, doll.”

“I'm sorry!” Skye giggled. Bruce and Simmons burst into the room, looking alarmed.

“Jarvis alerted us that your heart rate is...is everything alright?” Simmons asked, pausing.

“Someone is easily amused,” Steve informed the doctors, his face completely dead pan. Skye was still laughing, but she nodded her head in agreement. Bruce quirked a smile at Simmons.

“Steve, I'm going to kick you out now,” Bruce informed him, still smiling.

“Oxygen, Skye.” Simmons said firmly, holding out the oxygen tube for her to place. Steve helped her put it on, then hurried to do as Bruce asked.

“Okay,” Steve nodded, squeezing Skye's hand before removing himself from the bed. He pressed a kiss onto the top of her head and quirked a smile at her, “Don't forget to turn Jarvis off privacy mode when you're done, yeah?”

“Yeah, yeah.” Skye chuckled, trying to get a hold of herself. “Go find your kid.”

“He _is_ with Tony,” Steve winced, half running from the room. Skye's laughter followed him from the room.

“You're in good spirits,” Bruce observed, smiling kindly. Skye decided right then and there that she liked Dr. Bruce a whole lot better than she liked Dr. Simmons. She had liked Simmons when she hacked the Bus though, so she would have to give the woman another shot when she wasn't in charge of making her better.

“I feel a lot better,” Skye shrugged.

“You're healing at an accelerated pace,” Simmons inserted.

“I can send some images to your tablet,” Bruce offered, quirking an eyebrow.

“Are you going to try to take my tablet?” Skye asked, clutching it to her chest. “Cause then I'm not going to give it to you.”

“No, I'm not going to take your tablet.” Bruce replied, laughter bubbling up from his chest. “Tony gave it to you, Tony can deal with the consequences when you tinker.”

“Okay,” Skye grinned. “Send me some images.”

 

 

 


	20. 'm not scrawny

 

 

“Hey, creeper.” Tony smirked, coming up to stand beside Steve. He was watching Bruce and Simmons tell Skye about her results. Bruce was sitting on a stool near Skye, resting his elbows on his knees as he spoke to her. Every now and then he would point to something on her tablet or flick something from his onto hers. Skye still had privacy mode on, so he was watching through a little glass window between Bruce's lab and his back office.

“Can't hear anything, it's not creeping.” Steve replied easily.

“That's ridiculous and you know it,” Tony laughed. Steve smirked at Tony, shrugging lightly.

“I just don't want her to flip out on Bruce,” Steve admitted.

“I don't think it's anything too bad,” Tony replied. “Bruce would have let me know.”

“No, not necessarily.” Steve argued. “He takes the whole patient-doctor privacy deal very seriously, even if he's not _that kind_ of doctor.”

“Okay, fine. Look at her face. She's fine,” Tony argued right back.

“She's been _fine_ since she got here, minus that little freak out when she thought we were hallucinations.” Steve rebutted.

“It's going to sink in eventually,” Tony shrugged. “Give her time.”

“Did you finish her shower chair?” Steve asked.

“I did. Coulson insisted on delivering it to your floor.” Tony replied, grinning broadly. “Might want to make sure all your stuff is still there when you get back.”

“Coulson's not going to take my stuff,” Steve sighed.

“Eh, we'll see.”

“Do we have clothes for her?” Steve asked, nodding his head towards Skye. She had gone slightly pale, but still looked okay. “She's not going to want to put those back on.”

“Oh, those fuckers are getting burned.” Tony agreed. “I'll call Tasha. Have her pick up a few things on their way back.”

“Sir, Miss Skye has asked me to inform you that she is ready for her shower now.”

“Of course she is,” Tony grinned, pushing past Steve and into the room with his favorite Science Bro and surrogate daughter figure. “Sweetheart! I hear you're ready to get out of that garb.”

“I'm ready to get out of here,” Skye retorted quickly, huffing her frustration towards Simmons.

“You know how to convince me.” Simmons remarked pointedly, her tone stern.

“Let's get you in a shower, huh?” Steve asked, deliberately stepping between the ladies. “Tony already finished your chair and Coulson is delivering it as we speak.”

“And probably snooping,” Tony couldn't help but add, grinning. Steve sighed and tossed Skye's blankets back. She wrapped her arms around his neck, trying to pull herself up into his arms. Steve couldn't help but smile though.

“I can't go any faster, doll.”

“Sorry. I'm feeling unusually irritable.” Skye whispered back, letting Steve carry her from the room. Tony realized they had made their escape without him and ran to catch up. He didn't make it onto the elevator before it zoomed away though. Steve and Skye heard him shouting even as the elevator moved away.

“It's perfectly fine to feel irritable,” Steve smiled, holding her close to his chest. She snuggled into his chest, tickling him teasingly. “I'm not ticklish.”

“Lucky,” Skye muttered. “Where are we going for this?”

“My floor,” Steve replied, blushing.

“Oh, kinky.” Skye giggled, tracing her fingers along his collar bone. “Am I better enough for you after all?”

“Ha ha.” Steve snorted, stepping off the elevator.

“Skye!” Steven beamed, jumping up and down on the couch in the small living room. “You're out of the hospital!”

“{Steve broke me out, that rule breaker.}” Skye smirked, winking up at Steve.

“I'm going to learn this language, you know.” Steve muttered.

“Good luck!” Steven grinned, still jumping up and down.

“I would do better with a good teacher,” Steve grinned. “Or two.”

“No you won't,” Jack laughed from directly behind them.

“Shit, Jack.” Skye startled.

“Steve doesn't like bad language!” Steven reminded her, then spun a flip before landing on the couch.

“Good lord.” Jack muttered, resting his chin on Steve's shoulder. “What did you feed him?”

“You told him where the brownies were,” Steve reminded him.

“Nuh-uh, that was all Skye.” Jack scoffed.

“Before you two start making out, can I get dropped off in the bathroom?” Skye asked, smirking.

“He's only my boyfriend at headquarters.” Jack informed Skye with a light smack.

“And only when Ward _isn't_ around,” Steve nodded, stepping clear of Jack's hold. “Doll, you're going to have to tell us what you need here...”

“Just put me in the chair and we're good,” Skye smiled, rubbing her hands together in anticipation. “Oh, can I use your shampoo?”

“You can use anything you like,” Steve nodded. “I'll move it down so you can reach it.”

“Thanks,” Skye said softly, trying to play her gratitude off with a soft smile.

“You're welcome,” Steve smiled back, setting her down in the chair in his shower. He moved his shampoo and body wash within arms reach of the chair, then glanced up at Skye, deciding what to do next.

“Can I have a washcloth?” Skye asked softly, seeing his hesitation. Steve nodded and went to grab one, suddenly feeling awkward. “Is it cause I'm going to be naked?” Skye asked when he got back.

“What?” Steve laughed.

“It just got weird. Is it cause I'm going to be naked?”

“Nah. I am just trying to judge how stubborn you're going to be.” Steve retorted, desperately trying to ignore the blush that was spreading across his cheeks. There was a waterproof sheet sitting by the tub, so Steve draped it over her legs. They wouldn't be under the water itself, but they would get wet from the spray.

“Stubborn? Me?” Skye gasped, clutching her chest.

“And dramatic,” Steve told her dryly, then slipped into a smirk. “Guess I know where Jack learned it.”

“What?!” Skye screeched, laughing.

“You heard me.” Steve grinned. He got up from the edge of his tub and started closing the curtain on her. “Call me if you need help, yeah?”

“Uh huh.”

“Skye. Call me.”

“Okay.” Skye replied, but Steve could see the stubborn set of her chin. She wouldn't call for help, even if she needed it.

“God, you're so stubborn.”

“You say that like it's a bad thing,” Skye grinned, though she looked like she was fading. This had been the longest she had been awake thus far, so he wasn't surprised to see the exhaustion on her features.

“I'll be close,” Steve replied, shaking his head. “I'll be in and out, so don't be alarmed if you hear me.”

Skye hummed her understanding, but was too busy making the water the perfect temperature to actually respond. Steve grinned and closed the curtain completely. He left the bathroom and headed to his closet. He pulled a clean pair of sweatpants and a shirt from his own drawers, because he had nothing else to offer her. They would be giant on her, but they were clean, soft, and warm. Steve went back to the bathroom with an armful of towels and the clothes. It sounded like she was struggling.

“Sure you don't want help?” Steve asked, smirking at the shower curtain. “I can go get Simmons.”

“I'm fine,” Skye retorted, sounding distracted.

“What are you doing?” Steve asked.

“I should have taken my prisoner clothes off before I got them all wet,” Skye muttered. Steve laughed at her tone and leaned back against the bathroom sink. He heard a heavy splat from inside the shower and assumed Skye got the offending garment off. “Are you listening to me shower?”

“No, I'm listening to you struggle.” Steve replied easily.

“You could just join me,” Skye said breezily. “You need to clean up too.”

“Very funny,” Steve muttered. Skye poked her head out of the shower to grin at him.

“That blush is always worth it.”

Steve did a double take of Skye. She looked younger, and skinnier, with her hair plastered to her head. Her cheeks were rosy from the hot water, very hot, judging by the amount of steam in the room, which made Steve realize just how pale she still was. But she was grinning, like she hadn't been gone for two weeks. How much of Skye was sincerely okay with what happened, and how much of Skye was a mask to cover her devastation?

“It is pretty adorable, isn't it?” Jack agreed, coming to stand next to Steve. “Your kid conked out on the couch.”

“Aw, he's all paternal,” Skye cooed. Jack chuckled and nodded his head. “Why _is_ he staying here? I mean, aside from the programming.”

“Shield wasn't treating him right. I couldn't leave him there.” Steve replied briefly. “We can talk about it later. Right now, I just want you to worry about getting better.”

“Okay,” Skye replied, anger flashing briefly across her features before exhaustion won out. “I think I'm done here.”

“Okay. I'm going to leave Jack with you, in case you need help. Or I can call Simmons, if you're more comfortable.”

“I don't need any help,” Skye huffed, making grabby hands at a towel. Steve smirked and handed her one.

“So stubborn.” Steve informed Jack, shaking his head.

“What if I want _you_ to stay and help me dress?” Skye sassed, raising an eyebrow at Steve. He immediately flamed over, making her laugh.

“Hurry up. Stop picking on Steve. I want food.” Jack laughed, handing his sister another towel. Steve stepped out, feeling like he was violating her privacy. He peeked in on Steven, confirming he was asleep. The boy was on his stomach, draped across the couch like he had belly-flopped onto it and fell asleep. When he came back, Jack was waiting for Steve outside the bathroom. “You should carry her. I don't want to drop her.”

“I would murder you.” Skye threatened through the cracked door.

“Bless her.” Jack giggled.

“Could you not find any smaller clothes?” Skye asked, smirking at Steve. She waved the too long sleeves at him. Jack had rolled the pants at the waist, but they still hung well over her feet. Since she wouldn't be walking, it didn't matter that they were too long.

“Uh, those are mine.”

“I can tell. It smells like you,” Skye smirked, fighting off her own blush with humor.

“Sorry,” Steve shrugged. “Tasha's supposed to bring some clothes back when she gets back with Clint.”

“Are these yours, too?” Skye smirked, pulling up the waistband of his tightest pair of boxer briefs. He didn't have to respond; his vibrant blush answered her question. Skye's smirk morphed into a delighted grin. Thankfully, Jack stepped in and prevented Skye from verbalizing whatever was running through her head.

“Food!” Jack reminded, shoving Steve towards Skye. Steve ducked his head, smiling shyly.

“Is it okay if I take you?” Steve asked, shuffling his feet awkwardly. It wasn't weird before, but the situation was different. Now Skye was sitting on his bathroom sink, in his clothes, _in his boxers_ , smirking at him.

“Please, will you help me?” Skye asked, fluttering her eyelashes at him coyly.

“Did that hurt?” Steve laughed, stepping closer and dropping an arm under her knees. Skye wrapped her arms around his neck. Jack bopped impatiently by the door.

“I'm fucking starving.” He informed the two.

“I'll never admit it,” Skye replied to Steve, smirking.

“Food!” Jack groaned, shoving Steve into the elevator.

“Hush, you're going to wake the kid.” Skye reprimanded, smacking her brother lightly.

“Sorry...but I'm starving.”

“I think you'll survive.”

“I had to use my special medicine.” Jack told his sister abruptly, looking guilty. “I told them I didn't want to use it, but they did it anyway.”

“Good. That's what it's for.” Skye replied, reaching out to stroke his hair. “Jack, really it's fine. I'm glad you used it.”

“But you could use it more.” Jack replied. Skye laughed lightly.

“I'm going to be okay, Jack. Protocols should have kicked in by now.”

“Bruce wasn't sure you were going to be okay, Jack.” Steve added. “That's why he used it, even though you didn't want him to.”

“See? I'm glad you used it.” Skye repeated, leaning over to press an overly wet kiss to Jack's forehead.

“Oh, gross.” Jack moaned, practically running from the elevator. He bee lined it for the table, using a napkin to wipe his forehead down. Steve came from the elevator, laughing at Jack's theatrics.

“Finally,” Tony sighed.

“Relax, Tony.” Pepper interrupted, placing a hand on his arm.

“Yeah. Tony, relax.” Skye smirked, shivering slightly.

“You're still cold?” Steve asked, frowning.

“I'm fine. Cold, but fine.” Skye hurried to reassure. She blushed slightly. “Can I sit with you and steal some more body heat?”

“I don't think Steve would like that.” Tony told Skye, somehow managing to keep a straight face.

“Yeah. I think he definitely needs his space.” Fitz was quick to add.

“He did mention wanting to spend more time with me, while you were in the shower.” Jack nodded, catching on and playing along.

“Can I bother someone for a blanket then?” Skye asked the room, ducking her head.

“They're teasing, doll.” Steve whispered, sitting down on Tony's free side. Jack was quick to claim Steve's other side. Both scooted their chairs slightly closer, pinning Steve between them.

“Oh,” Skye blushed, ducking her head.

“You definitely can have a blanket though,” Pepper grinned, bringing one around the table. She draped it loosely around Skye, tucking it so her hands were free. “You smell like Steve.”

“Don't make it sappy,” Skye mumbled, pressing her heated face into Steve's shoulder. She wasn't as familiar with Pepper as she was with the other Avengers, and that made her shy. Pepper chuckled lightly and patted Steve's shoulder. Skye forced a deep breath and looked up at the woman, peeking over Steve's shoulder. Pepper stood behind Steve's left shoulder, a hand on Steve's shoulder and on Tony's. She seemed to realize Skye was assessing her, because she paused, swaying in spot as she stopped in place.

Skye's first thought was that she was very composed – definitely more professional than anyone else in the room. She looked like a woman that took no shit from anyone, which Skye immediately liked, but she also looked rigid. How in the world did this woman manage to live in the same place as her trouble maker friends? How in the world did this uptight woman bend to the shenanigans that Skye _knew_ went on in the Tower? Some flexibility was required.

Then Skye took a closer look, taking in the clear affection she had for Tony. Even as Skye looked her over, Pepper was caressing Tony's shoulder, putting him at ease. Pepper's eyes shot up as Bruce and Simmons joined them for dinner, smiling warmly at the pair. Skye couldn't help her own shy smile. Obviously, she was more flexible that she appeared. That, and Pepper loved the same people that she loved. How could they not get along?

“How in the world did Tony get so lucky?” Skye asked softly, directing her question at Pepper. Tony heard the question though and huffed loudly.

“That's rude, sweetheart.”

“He must have been very good in his last life,” Pepper retorted, shrugging lightly. Skye grinned and sat up a little straighter, a witty comeback all ready. Steve laughed at her excitement, grinning at Coulson. None of them understood Tony's relationship with Pepper.

“Food!” Tony interrupted loudly, passing some down to Skye. Everyone else already had food in front of them. The women exchanged a small smile and Pepper finally sat back down. Skye pulled the sleeves of Steve's shirt up past her elbows, freeing her hands. They immediately slid back down, making her frown. She tried the same thing three more times before huffing in frustration. There was a small chuckling sound which made her aware that the entire table was watching her.

“Oh, shut it.” Skye huffed, trying to cross her arms. The stupid sleeves were too long though and she ended up tangled. Bruce laughed and bit into his burger to muffle it.

“Can I help you?” Steve teased lightly. Skye frowned but nodded, holding her hands out to him.

“Please.”

“We got some burgers or there is salad, Mr. Healthy.” Tony informed Steve, making Skye chuckle.

“You've got super soldier metabolism and you don't eat anything you want?” Skye giggled softly. Her head hung heavily against Steve's shoulder, leaving a damp patch on his shirt. He made a mental note to get her back to her bed as soon as possible.

“Just because I can doesn't mean it's good for me.” Steve replied with a smile. He cocked an eye brow at Tony. “Pass me both, please.”

“Oh, shaking it up.” Jack chuckled, reaching over to steal one of Skye's fries.

“Oye! Those aren't for you,” Tony frowned, swatting Jack's hand away. “You have your own.”

“It's okay, Dad.” Skye laughed. “I'm not going to eat all of them anyway.”

“You need to eat.”

“I will, but I'm pretty sure Dr. Pokey 1 and Dr. Pokey 2 are going to keep me on a liquid diet for a bit. Haven't eaten in a while.” Skye replied. She was just barely loud enough for Tony to hear her on the last sentence. Tony frowned but nodded, acknowledging the truth in her statement.

“When are my assassins coming back?” Coulson asked into the awkward silence that fell over the table.

“They're not yours,” Tony retorted. “They're Steve's.”

“They're their own selves.” Steve denied, letting Skye steal an olive from his salad. She took a small bite out of the end, then set it down, testing the waters.

“Well, when are their own selves getting back?” Coulson sighed.

“Whenever they're done.” Tony shrugged.

“Where'd they go?” May asked. Tony made a face at her.

“Nope, we're not getting friendly.”

“Why?” Coulson asked, frowning. Sure, May was a little serious – but she was an excellent person to have on your side.

“I've filled my quota for Asian friends,” Tony replied back, then bit heavily into his burger.

“Filled your _quota_?” May asked, narrowing her eyes at him.

“Yeah. You sneaky little Asian bastards keep sneaking into my life.” Tony nodded, talking around his mouthful of burger. Skye winced at his table manners, but didn't comment because Tony was still talking. “Look,” Tony continued. “Sneaky Asian bastard one,” he pointed at Skye, “Sneaky Asian bastard two,” he pointed at Jack, “And there is a Sneaky Asian child somewhere.”

“Crashed on my couch.” Steve filled in.

“See? Asian quota filled.” Tony informed her. The table was dead silent for about two seconds, then Skye and Jack burst out laughing.

“Agent May can have the Asian bastard number two spot. My parents were married when they had me,” Jack offered.

“But where did Romanov go?” May pressed, choosing to ignore Tony's logic.

“Field trip,” Tony shrugged. “Her and Barton were going to steal your specialists, if they could.”

“Sir, there is an incoming transmission,” Jarvis chimed in.

“Put it up,” Tony replied. Tasha's face was projected onto a nearly blank wall, letting the entire table be part of the video call.

“Stark.” Tasha said by way of greeting.

“Romanov,” Tony replied. “When are you getting back? The Asians are wondering about you.”

“The Asians,” Skye repeated, grinning at May.

“Might take us a while, Tony.” Tasha replied, ignoring the whole Asian conversation. “They're more extensive than we thought, even with four of us.”

“You got the specialists with you?”

“Yeah, Ward and Trip are covering half of the tunnels.”

“So there are tunnels.” Tony nodded, mulling that information over.

“Yeah, we're going to get as far as we can, but we should plan on coming back with more people.” Tasha nodded. “How's our little ninja?”

“{ _Skye_ is fine,}” She frowned, emphasizing her name. Steve chuckled against her back, vibrating against her. “{Be safe and come back soon?}”

“{Of course, lil ninja,}” Clint chimed in, jumping into Russian easily, shoving in next to Tasha on the screen. Skye grinned tiredly and waved at him. “{Look, Nat. She's still in _cling to Steve mode_. I win.}”

“{I was cold!}” Skye defended.

“{And Steve was the perfect candidate to fix that,}” Tasha agreed, her face straight. Skye saw the humor behind her eyes though and grinned.

“{Ward's whining,}” Clint chimed in. “{We've got to go. See you later, gater.}”

“I would love to know what's going on,” Coulson sighed as the call disconnected. “Where are they?” Skye nodded her agreement. She felt, rather than saw, the look that Tony and Steve shared.

“They went back to the first place we looked for you. We saw you die and get dropped off at the Eraser, but...here you are.” Steve said slowly, trying to choose his words carefully.

“There are tunnels under the Eraser?” Skye asked softly, catching on quickly.

“It's how they got you out, so they could bring you to the second building – the one that we found you in.” Tony nodded. “Apparently there are a lot of them.”

“Maybe we could go back with my Dwarfs?” Fitz mused out loud. “We wouldn't have to walk each tunnel, we can just have the drones map them out.”

“We would have to adjust the programming,” Jack frowned, and the two fell into a hushed conversation about the Dwarfs.

“So, what about your birthday dinner?” Skye yawned.

“It doesn't matter.” Tony replied, waving off her concern. “Putting it off for a day or two won't hurt anything. I've already had my real birthday.”

“Hmm, 'kay.” Skye agreed, nodding slowly. Coulson was watching her with a soft expression, from across the table. She noticed and blushed, turning a little so she could press her face into Steve's collar bone.

“Coulson,” Steve warned, catching the interaction.

“What!” Coulson asked, tossing his hands up. “I didn't do anything!”

“Leave her alone,” Steve told him, tightening his grip on Skye from under the blanket. A corner of May's mouth twitched up and she shook her head slightly.

“I was just thinking that this is the least neurotic I've seen Mr. Stark, ever.” Coulson admitted.

"Aside from the Asian bastards," Fitz grumbled lightly.

 

0-0-0-0-0

 

“I think she's asleep,” Tony whispered, which seemed pointless considering how loud the table was.

“I'll take her to bed,” Steve nodded.

“No, not asleep.” Skye mumbled, blindly reaching out to anchor herself to the table. She ended up with Tony's arm instead. “I like listening.”

“You should probably sleep,” Jack informed his sister, making her blink her eyes open slowly.

“I can sleep all day tomorrow, _mom_.”

“Oh, damn.” Tony chuckled.

“You can't sleep all day,” Coulson practically begged. “You promised to fix my file.”

“You let Simmons tell you no,” Skye chuckled, letting her eyes drift shut again.

“But I got you that shower.” Coulson replied petulantly.

“Tony got me a shower,” Skye yawned.

“I got you that tablet!” Coulson retorted quickly.

“That you promptly got confiscated. Thanks a lot, AC.”

“Guess you're not done earning it yet,” May smirked.

“I hope he doesn't earn it.” Fitz half whispered to Simmons. “I want that monkey.”

“We have a visitor,” Pepper smiled, watching Steven sleepily get off the elevator.

“Steve?” He asked, rubbing his eyes.

“Hey, bud.” Steve smiled. “You hungry?”

The boy shuffled his feet, taking in the crowd of people in front of him. “I was alone.”

“You can come sit with me,” Jack offered, looking over at Steve's full lap.

“Or your favorite uncle,” Tony offered, making the table groan.

“No.” Steven pouted like only a sleepy seven year old could. Skye chuckled sleepily.

“I'll move.”

“No, don't move,” Steven frowned, coming around the table. He crawled onto Steve's lap, sharing the space with Skye. She giggled and moved her legs, giving the boy one half of Steve's lap. She untucked part of the blanket, holding it open for the boy to crawl under.

“Be careful with her,” Steve warned needlessly.

“I'll be careful,” Steven nodded, all business. He brushed a piece of Skye's hair back before settling next to her, being careful not to touch her side.

“I'm not that broken,” Skye chuckled, pulling the boy under her arm. He grinned up at Steve and adjusted against her, getting himself comfortable and removing any sharp angles from her ribs.

“Oh, he hates that.” Tony noted softly, sipping from his tumbler. Pepper grinned and bumped shoulders with her lover.

“I'm glad you're okay.” Steven informed Skye, letting his eyes flutter shut again. “Steve was really sad.”

“Steven was the reason we found you,” Steve informed Skye again, hoping to steer the conversation away from himself. Skye pressed a kiss to the top of the boy's head and muttered something in the mash-up.

“We all are,” Jack added, patting his leg.

“You don't smell like there anymore.” Steven mumbled. “Now you smell nice. Like Steve.”

Skye hummed her acknowledgment, but her own eyes were shut again too. Within minutes, it was clear the pair had fallen back asleep. Bruce was the first to break the silence.

“Good thing you have a super solider size lap,” He chuckled, breaking out his phone to take a picture. Steve was too busy looking at his load to notice the picture being taken. This was his precious cargo, all wrapped up in one disturbingly light package. Steve chuckled, shifting so he could settle back against his chair more comfortably. He would happily take all the teasing they would dish out.

“So, while Capsicle can't do anything to defend himself...what kind of shenanigans should we get into?” Tony grinned, rubbing his hands together. Pepper sighed beside him.

“Leave the poor man be.”

“For one night, at least.” May agreed, pushing back from the table.

“Thanks for putting us up,” Coulson nodded, taking another sip of his scotch.

“No problem. I'm going to take advantage of having you here.” Tony smirked, glancing at Fitz, who was chatting with Jack, and Simmons, who was chatting with Bruce.

“I'm going to call it a day,” Pepper smiled, excusing herself. “Though I had a pretty easy day. Tony's been so busy lately, he hasn't gotten into as much trouble.”

“Well, thanks for jinxing that.” Steve sighed. Jack and Tony grinned.

“I have been pretty good lately.” Tony nodded, tugging on the hair on his chin. “I should find some way to shake things up.”

“Please, no.” Pepper sighed.

“What about a ball?”

“A ball?” Simmons groaned.

“Your kid can't walk anyway,” Bruce pointed out, looking more relaxed than Steve had ever seen him. He idly wondered if that was Simmons' doing or if it was the lack of stress. Their main source of worry and tension for the last ten months was finally resolved. Steve ducked his head, hiding his grin. He was damn glad it was resolved. He would have been happier if Skye hadn't been hurt in the process, but he had her back now and she would be okay. Eventually.

He could live with that.

He would deal with the scientists another day.

“Like he's going to put her down anyway,” Tony rebutted, tilting his head towards Steve.

“He has a point there.” Jack nodded. “Skye will throw a legit fit though, if you try to make her dress up.”

“A legit fit?” Fitz grinned, nudging Simmons. He wanted to see that.

“Let's have a ball.” She agreed, suddenly on board.

“Stop it,” Steve laughed. “You two are incorrigible.”

“Why don't we worry about getting her better before we worry about celebrating it?” Bruce offered, as always the voice of reason.

“Speaking of which, we should probably hook her back up.” Simmons nodded, standing to look at her patient. She smiled at Steve when he pushed his chair back so she could get a better look at Skye. “She's freezing, still. Bruce, we may need to give her another pint of blood.”

“We're still not sure what was in that serum,” Bruce mused, joining Simmons. “I mean, besides the healing factor. Her latest scans don't have her that low for blood.”

“She had two and a half liters when she scanned her on the plane.” Simmons replied. The two were lost in their own little bubble.

“She's well over three now. Lower than I would like, but not dangerously low.” Bruce nodded. “We can definitely put her on a blood drip for tonight. I would like at least another liter in her.”

“She's just going to take it out,” Steve reminded them. “She only wanted the magic blood and we're fresh out of that.”

“She can't pull it out if she's asleep.” Simmons nodded, glancing over at Steve. “She'll need fluids, too. And a meal replacement.”

“Tomorrow...today? What time is it anyway?” Tony asked, looking around for a clock, “Today. Today, we'll go talk to those scientists.”

“We got the one from the security feed at the first building, right?” Steve asked. That was the one scientist Steve _really_  wanted to spend some time with. He was the asshole that stabbed Skye until she was dead. Well, temporarily dead? Simply put, he hurt Skye – and Steve couldn't let that stand.

“Oh yeah, we got him.” Tony nodded. Venom was clear in his voice as well.

“We're having another birthday dinner for you,” Pepper reminded Tony, giving him a pointed look. “Skye can't celebrate your birthday with you if you're in jail.”

“Well, I mean...she could be locked up with me.” Tony smirked.

“Let's get her to bed.” Bruce interrupted, hoping to stop that line of thought. “She'll heal better when she's hydrated and rested.”

“Back to your lab or a real bed?” Steve asked Bruce.

“I told her I would only make her stay the one night,” Bruce replied. “I think she's okay to get a real bed, as long as we can still hook her up to her Ivs.”

“There's an extra bed on our floor!” Jack shouted.

Bruce and Steve grinned at each other, “Well, he's not wrong.”

“She could tell us how to contact 47 and we could get her the tried and true healing factor,” Tony added, pursing his lips.

“Psh, that won't happen.” Jack scoffed. “She hasn't even told me, and we've been together...well, a long time.”

“Yeah, but has she ever been like this?” Tony argued, pointing his thumb at her.

“Not quite this bad, no.” Jack admitted. Steve and Fitz frowned at what he implied. Jack winced. “She takes protecting me very seriously.”

“Yeah, we noticed.” Tony dead panned.

“How bad has it been?” Steve asked.

“When there were still a few more of us, the retrieval team caught up to us.” Jack told him. “It's too hard, keeping a large group hidden. Especially when they won't listen to reason. Skye protected us from the whole team.”

“How many?”

“Ten combat ready guards, three more with weapons... Oh, and a sniper.” Jack suddenly laughed.

“Do tell,” Tony invited dryly.

“She was so fucking pissed. She handled the guards, no problem. I handled one of the ones with weapons, though honestly I'm not sure how. I kind of fell on him. The other kids teamed up on another. She threw a guard at the third. She had to climb the tree to get the sniper. He was shitting his pants...”

“Jack,” Steve sighed.

“He was pooping all over himself,” Jack corrected easily, not pausing in his story, “watching her climb up after him. He just saw her take out the whole team. He tried shooting down at her, but that was just stupid. Ended up shooting himself in the foot. I never laughed so hard in my life.”

“You said she was hurt.” Tony reminded Jack. He sobered.

“Yeah. But we didn't know it at the time. I thought she was just mad.”

“That's why you were upset when she couldn't take out all the guards at the bunker.”

“I was just surprised she was still on her feet!” Tony nodded.

“She would have been able to take all of them, no problem. If she was herself.” Jack frowned. “I'm going to bed. You guys are depressing me.”

“I'll go with you,” Steve nodded.

“Your lap falling asleep?” Bruce grinned. “Can I take the kid from you? I'll need to follow you down anyway.”

“You can try,” Steve smirked, looking at the grip Skye had on the boy.

“I'll grab your bag,” Simmons offered helpfully, grabbing the bag Steve hadn't noticed by Bruce's chair. Tony lifted the blanket from the sleeping pair, letting Bruce have access to them. They saw how tangled up Skye and Steven were and sighed. The boy's legs were tangled up across Skye's thighs and he was holding himself to her chest with a grip so tight that his knuckles were white. Skye, in turn, was holding him just as tightly. The tension visible in her frame and fingers wasn't visible on her features. She appeared to be sleeping peacefully. Only her death grip indicated otherwise.

“That's not going to work,” Bruce sighed. Steve laughed.

“Cover them back up. I can manage them.”

“Stupid super soldier,” Fitz huffed in mock frustration. Jack grinned at the comment, but Simmons shot him a look that had him cowering. She did not appreciate Jack encouraging Fitz.

“I think they weigh about a hundred pounds combined,” Steve frowned.

“You're exaggerating, right?” Tony asked, looking sad.

“Not by much.” Steve replied, shaking his head.

“She ate all of five french fries.”

“I'm kind of surprised she kept them down,” Simmons said softly.

“We can start a liquid diet tomorrow, if she feels up to it.” Bruce murmured, taking out a pad to take a note.

“She knows her limits.” Jack shrugged. “At least, she knows when people will have to come help her. She knows that if she was puking everywhere it would be an inconvenience for everyone.”

“Yes, it bloody well would have been,” Fitz grimaced, making Jack laugh.

“I'm usually the squeamish one.” Jack grinned, bumping his hip into Fitz.

“Yeah, well you can share that title with him.” Coulson smirked. “Remember that mission where Fitz...”

“I did not!” Fitz interrupted loudly, making Simmons giggle.

“He hit the floor so hard.”

“I thought Ward was going to have to carry him back to the SUV.” May nodded.

“Wait. He passed out!?” Jack asked, both eyebrows raised. Steve chuckled and lifted the sleeping pair, shifting Steven so his weight wasn't on Skye. She had said she wasn't that broken, but he had seen her move.

“I'll follow you out,” Bruce smiled, waving Steve ahead.

“It wasn't my fault!” Fitz huffed, making Jack laugh. “Ward wiggled the damn thing in my face and...”

“Jack seems better,” Bruce commented when the elevator doors closed, abruptly cutting off their conversation.

“He is.” Steve nodded.

“Where would you like them?” Bruce asked, standing at the junction of Steve's bedroom and his empty room. Of the four, Steve had one, Jack had one, and Steven had one.

“Um, the guest bed?” Steve offered, opening the door to his only empty room. The inside was covered in flour. Apparently, Steven hadn't thought to look in other rooms for cleaning. Bruce pressed his lips together and turned to look at Steve. “Okay, what about Steven's bed? They're going to sleep together anyway...”

“He's very comfortable with her, isn't he?” Bruce nodded, walking to the door that Steve indicated to.

“Well, at least it's clean.” Steve sighed.

“But there are no sheets,” Bruce chuckled, flipping back the comforter. There was a note on the bare mattress. Bruce read it out loud, “ _Don't freak. They're being washed_.”

“Jack's been sleeping in my bed,” Steve told Bruce with a resigned sigh. “I'm guessing that's where he'll end up again. We can just put Skye there too. Steven doesn't want to be alone so...”

“Wait. You've been sleeping with Jack?” Bruce interrupted, grinning.

“You tell Tony, you die.” Steve frowned, trying to look tough. He was pretty sure Tony already knew, but he liked seeing Bruce in his teasing mood.

“How am I supposed to pass this up?” Bruce laughed, tossing Steve's sheets back.

“I'll sic her on you when she's better,” Steve smirked, nodding his head towards Skye.

“Oh, God.” Bruce threw his head back and laughed. “Captain America is threatening me with his scrawny little girlfriend.”

“Hey, 'm not scrawny.” Skye mumbled, twisting slightly in Steve's arms. He set the pair down on the bed, giving Skye some space to get out from under Steven. She yawned and stiffly adjusted her hold on the boy, muttering in the mash-up.

“What'd she say?” Bruce smiled.

“Jarvis?”

“You hurt Steve, I'll hurt you.” Jack supplied helpfully, grinning.

“Aw,” Simmons smiled, walking in with Jack.

“What do we need to do to make her comfortable for the night?” Steve asked, ignoring Bruce's chuckling.

“I'll need to put her IV back in,” Simmons told Steve, pointing out different bags she brought with her. “Fluids, meal replacement, and blood.”

“I'm going to go shower during all of the...needles.” Jack winced, excusing himself.

“You might want to check your room.” Steve told Jack as he backed away. “The other room is covered in flour.”

“Is it really?” Jack grinned. “I've got to see this.”

 

 

 


	21. It's a Steve Sandwich

 

 

“Fucking A.” Tasha groaned softly, raising her phone to take a picture of Steve's bed. “I swear to God, I will puke.”

“Eventually, you're going to have to make good on that promise. Threat? Probably threat,” Clint grinned, leaning on Tasha. They were both dirty and tired, but watching the sleeping four with clear affection.

Steve, Steven, Skye, and Jack were cuddled up in Steve's bed. The boy had a firm grip on both Steve's shirt and Skye, though he was tucked in closer to Skye. Jack was on Skye's other side, his arm draped loosely over his sister. Steve brought up the far end, his arm draped across Steven and Skye. Skye was flat on her back, the arm with the IV draped across her face. Bruce had rigged a hook on Steve's headboard to hold her now empty bags. Well, the fluids and meal replacement were empty. The blood bag was still suspiciously full.

“You want me to puke on you?” Tasha asked finally, her warm smile turning into a smirk.

“No.” Clint said firmly. “What do you think Steve's going to do with that hook in his headboard once Skye is better?”

“Probably not what you think.” Steve muttered, his voice gravelly with sleep.

“I don't know. I have a pretty good imagination.” Clint laughed lightly.

“Get out of my room.” Steve sighed. “It's creepy sleeping with you watching.”

“Is it better than when Coulson does it?” Clint laughed.

“You never sleep this long.” Tasha offered in their defense.

“Yeah. It's like...six.” Clint nodded.

“I have some sleep to catch up on.” Steve groaned. “Go away.”

“Has Jack been wearing you out?” Bruce asked, walking in with new, full bags of fluids and meal replacement.

“You have no idea.” Jack giggled lightly. He paused to pull away from his sister. “Here Dr. Banner. You can have this spot, I need to use the bathroom.”

“Thanks,” Bruce smiled, using Jack's vacated space to reach and replace Skye's bags. He sighed when he traced her IV line down, seeing she had clipped off the blood flow sometime during the night.

“Let's wake Coulson's crew and get them in here too,” Steve muttered. “Don't want to leave anybody out.”

“What was that about Coulson's crew?” Simmons asked, walking off the elevator with her own bags of fluid. She saw Bruce had already replaced Skye's bags and frowned slightly at the bags in her hand.

“Let's take those back up to the lab,” Bruce offered. “When Fitz gets up, we'll have him scan Skye again. With her aversion to needles, it seems much simpler to do things the high-tech way.”

“God, I love the high-tech way,” Jack agreed.

“We were on our way to breakfast,” Clint smiled, moving to Steve's bedside table. “You joining us or should I bring you something back down?”

“I'll go with,” Steve replied, wiggling loose from Steven. The boy simply twisted closer to Skye. “He'll let us know when she wakes.”

“What about Skye?” Clint asked, scratching his forehead.

“She does have the liquid meal.” Tasha shrugged, watching Skye shift closer to Steven and his body heat. Tasha smiled slightly, watching Skye rub her face in the pillows. “She looks comfy.”

“Steve, I give your bed maker mad props.” Skye giggled tiredly. Everyone in the room startled at her voice, unaware that she had woken.

“Mad props?” Steve mouthed to Jack, frowning in confusion.

“It's a good thing.” Jack chuckled, patting Steve's shoulder. “You awake, sissy?”

Nothing. Jack shrugged at Steve.

“I thought we were getting food.” Steve laughed, ushering people towards the elevator. “Steven knows how to work Jarvis. They'll keep us up to date.”

 

0-0-0-0-0

 

“How'd last night go?” Tony asked, handing Steve a cup of coffee.

“Fine?” Steve shrugged. “Steven's flour bomb went further than he thought, so my bed was a little full. Everyone was asleep by the time I got out of the shower. I didn't hear anyone move, so I'm assuming they slept well.”

“Your bed was kind of full this morning,” Clint grinned, taking Tasha's phone to show Tony the picture she took.

“Aw, look at our dysfunctional little group.” Tony grinned, patting Steve on the back. “I think this goes without saying, but if you hurt her in any way...”

“...We'll all kick your ass.” Clint finished when Tony let his thought trail off. Tasha nodded her agreement.

“We may have to keep an eye on Ward,” Tasha commented blandly. Steve frowned into his coffee cup, knowing Tasha was trying to rile him up but was unable to hide his displeasure. Jack snorted lightly.

“Why is that?” Clint asked, more than willing to step in if Ward was out of line. He had sulked the entire time they were in the tunnels, wearing Clint's perpetual patience thin.

“Ward is fine.” Steve muttered. “Tasha is just being stupid.”

“Do tell,” Clint grinned, propping his face on his hands.

“Ward gave Skye his blanket on the Bus.” Tasha smirked.

“She was cold.” Steve sighed. “It's not the end of the world.”

“But I thought it was your job to keep her warm?” Tony grinned, catching on.

“Did she smell different?” Jack asked.

“He definitely didn't like how she smelled,” Tasha grinned.

“Hmm, super soldier super smelling.” Clint nodded.

“You guys are terrible.” Steve announced, getting up to leave the kitchen.

“Are you going for your run?” Clint called out.

“Later.” Steve called back, taking coffee with him. He stepped into the elevator and stuck his tongue out at Tasha. “Jarvis, take me to Bruce's lab, please.”

“Yes, Mr. Rogers.”

“Are you monitoring Skye's vitals?” Steve asked.

“Yes, Mr. Rogers. Her breathing pattern indicates she is still asleep. Steven is still sleeping as well, though recent changes in his breathing pattern indicates he may wake soon.”

“Steve!” Bruce greeted, rushing over to help with the coffee. He took two of the three cups, passing one off to Simmons.

“Hmm, thank you.” Simmons said politely, though she sat her cup on the counter almost immediately.

“What are you guys up to?” Steve asked, watching Simmons with a bemused expression.

“Going over Skye's scans.” Simmons chirped, clearly excited. “We're still comparing her blood samples to the sample we have left from 47's blood. We spent most of yesterday trying to figure out what was in her blood currently.”

“You look excited,” Steve prompted.

“I would love to see what was in 47's serum.” Simmons sighed, looking over the stack of papers Bruce had already accumulated on the subject.

“We have Gamma's folder.” Steve pointed out. “Skye only stole the one from Delta.”

“We do have Gamma's folder, you're right.” Bruce nodded. Simmons pulled it up on the screen. “But it only vaguely mentions the serum. Major components are missing from the formula, though it still looks close enough to the other serum formulas that a non-scientist wouldn't notice the difference.”

“We bypassed reading the scientific stuff,” Steve nodded. “We just flagged it and sent it your way.”

“Which means we don't know if the file itself is missing data or if Skye deleted it.” Bruce concluded.

“And, there is no mention of a child with the number 47.” Simmons added.

“She's thorough.” Jack frowned, stepping off the elevator.

“Then Skye's been deleting data,” Steve sighed. “Gamma's folder definitely mentioned child 47.”

“Maybe she'll get in contact with him. If they have the same serum, he could tell us if there are going to be any negative side effects.” Bruce agreed, looking upbeat.

“She won't.” Jack sighed. “You can try. But she won't.”

“She's stubborn.” Steve agreed.

“There's something else...” Simmons smirked.

“Shush!” Bruce grinned. Steve and Jack both raised eyebrows at that. “It's a secret. A surprise?”

“For Tony's re-birthday dinner.” Simmons grinned.

“But that's not until later!” Jack groaned, stomping his foot. “Just tell us now. We can keep a secret.”

“Nope. I want to see your expressions.” Bruce laughed.

“Our team is staying for a few more days,” Simmons said softly. “Mr. Stark offered and with Skye's condition, we weren't sure what to expect medically. Seems safer to stay a little longer and keep an eye on her.”

“I have the new readings,” Fitz declared sleepily, walking into the lab with his drones hovering lazily behind him. His hair was sticking up all over, like Simmons hadn't given him a chance to shower before taking Skye's readings. He took a startled double take when he noticed how many people were in the lab. “Uh. Hi. Good Morning.”

“We never have to share our lab space,” Simmons explained with a shrug. “Fitz isn't really a morning person. Our team has learned to stay away.”

“Yeah, well, stay away from Jack in the mornings too.” Steve smirked, giving Jack a friendly shove. “I'm not sure how he's so _awake_ right now.”

“I think last night was the best sleep I've had in...years.” Jack smiled shyly. “Skye's back, the scientists are done for...I don't have to worry about anything right now. That's more than I could say for, well, pretty much my whole life.”

“These are actually pretty good, considering.” Bruce mused, pointing something out to Simmons on the scan.

“Oh good. I can't do gore this early in the morning. You guys have enough stories to hold over me.” Jack moaned with relief.

“I could always share some childhood pictures,” Steve grinned.

“You wouldn't!” Jack gasped.

“Well, then behave.” Steve smirked.

“You better behave or I'll add another theory to the internet!” Jack shot back, frowning. Simmons and Fitz cocked their head at the same time, making Bruce laugh.

“Skye was kind enough to enlighten us to some rather...interesting...stories about Steve's...er...”

“Refractory period.” Jack offered. Steve was by his side in an instant, slapping his hand over the man's mouth. Clint giggled from the air vents, drawing all of their eyes upwards.

“Should I enlighten Coulson's team?” Clint laughed, knowing he was safe in the vents.

“Yes, please!” Fitzsimmons agreed, nodding rapidly.

“NO!” Steve all but shouted, making the room laugh.

“Well, now you have to tell us.” May smirked, startling everyone but Bruce, who had seen her get off the elevator.

“Clinton Francis Barton, don't you dare!” Steve shouted, struggling to keep Jack in place without hurting him.

“Oh, breaking out the full names?” Tasha laughed. “What'd he do?”

“Skye shared two theories.” Clint told Fitzsimmons, ignoring Steve trying to get to him. Jack was dangling from his back, trying to hold him back.

“The first one is my favorite!” Tasha grinned, bumping her hip into May's.

“And that is?” May smiled. She enjoyed seeing this side of people. She didn't often get to see people in their comfort zones.

“Care to share?” Clint offered.

“You all suck!” Steve huffed, giving up on trying to reach Clint. Simmons was giggling and hiding behind Bruce, who had carefully stepped away from the chaos. He had superb control, but it wouldn't do to test things unnecessarily. Fitz was helping Jack from the floor where Steve had thrown him unceremoniously. He tried for the elevator, but May and Tasha were casually blocking it.

“Her first theory,” Tasha started.

“The internet's theory!” Steve corrected loudly.

“The first theory is that when Steve has his first, _first?_ , ejaculation...”

“Oh, God. Don't say the word.” Steve groaned, burying his face in his hands. His face was a painful shade of red.

“It'll be this huge, gigantic wad of seventy year old cum.” Tasha finished, grinning. “You know, cause it all built up during his time in the ice.”

“Kill me.” Steve muttered. “Kill me now.”

“The second theory is less dramatic,” Clint stage whispered. “But I think probably more realistic.”

“What is it?” Simmons asked, grinning.

“Increased libido.” Clint said simply. “Or, as Skye put it, seventy years of libido all shoved into ten years.”

“You horn dog,” Tasha laughed.

“I'm leaving now.” Steve said pointedly, gently pushing the ladies aside. He waited until he was in the elevator before turning back to the group. “I'll be seeing you soon, for my revenge.”

“Sure thing, Cap!” Clint chuckled, pulling himself from the vents.

“Did you see his face?” Fitz was giggling with Jack. “I've never seen a human turn that color before!”

“My friends suck,” Steve muttered to himself. He needed to run and get breakfast before Steven got bored.

 

0-0-0-0-0

 

“How are you doing?” Tony asked, letting himself into Steve's room. Steven was still by Skye's side, though now he was propped up on the headboard. She was tucked in close to him, her face pressed into his hip and her arm thrown over him.

“I'm okay,” He shrugged. “A little hungry.”

“I figured you'd be hungry.” Tony smirked. “You didn't really eat dinner last night. There's breakfast upstairs. Why don't you go get some and watch some cartoons? Jarvis can help you find something you like.”

“That's okay. I don't want Skye to be alone.”

“You're not on babysitting duty,” Tony smiled. “I'll stay with her. You go get food.”

“You promise not to leave? I don't want Skye to be alone.”

“Go get some food, Steven.” Tony said firmly. He smirked and pulled the boy from the bed. “I promise I won't leave.”

“You better not.” Steven replied just as firmly. He pointed a finger at Tony's chest. “I'll be watching.”

“You got it boss.” Tony replied, struggling to keep a straight face.

He wasn't going to lie, when he first heard Steve was stealing a kid...he wasn't too pleased. Kids were hard and messy and terrible. They got into everything and ruined everyone's fun. They had no place in his Tower. But he had softened when Clint told him what Shield had done. He kept on softening towards the boy at every turn – his amazement at his inventions, his enthusiasm for helping, his protective nature, and most of all, his cheek. Even after his "bad day", the kid was still worth all the mess. This kid could be the exception for his Tower.

“He will be watching,” Skye giggled softly.

“Thought you were sleeping.” Tony smiled, taking Steven's spot on the bed.

“Hmm, I'm a light sleeper.” Skye replied, not moving at all.

“How are you feeling? I can get you anything you need – morphine, food...”

“I'm fine.” Skye mumbled, snaking one hand out to grab Tony's.

“Christ, how are you still cold?” Tony gasped, feeling her icy fingers enclose around his. “Jarvis, could you ask someone to bring more blankets down whenever they have a chance?”

“I'll be okay,” Skye yawned. “Now shush it. I'm trying to sleep here.”

“Sorry, sweetheart.” Tony grinned, pulling her fingers to his mouth for a light kiss. He waited until he was sure she was asleep again before pulling out his tablet. He was still reviewing the footage from Skye's time at the second building.

“You look frustrated,” Steve commented, stepping into the room quietly. Tony startled visibly.

“Make some noise, will ya?” Tony grumbled.

“Hey, it's my room.”

“In _my_ Tower.”

“What are you trying to do?” Steve asked, stepping in closer.

“It's footage from the second building. Trying to figure out some of our mysteries. It's an added bonus that I'm getting myself nice and angry before we go see those scientists.”

“When are we doing that?” Steve asked. He stripped off his sweaty shirt and used it to towel his face dry. “I wouldn't mind seeing those scientists, either.”

“Maybe tomorrow? I want to go today, but Pepper is _super_ worried that we're going to end up in jail and miss my fake dinner.” Tony sighed, waving the tablet around. “Go shower before you give me a complex.”

“Another one?” Steve smirked, heading towards his wardrobe to grab fresh clothes.

“Yes, another one. Get out of my sight.” Tony replied flippantly.

“Get out of my room,” Steve countered easily. He cocked an eyebrow at Tony, then closed himself in the bathroom.

“Damn super soldiers,” Tony grumbled, adjusting against the headboard. Skye pulled herself closer to Tony's side, seeking his heat in her sleep. He frowned and kicked his shoes off, sliding under the top covers to let her access his body heat. He untangled her IV line from her other arm, letting her curl her arms up like she wanted to. He noticed her fluids were running low so he pulled up an app on his tablet to send a message to Bruce. He could have just asked Jarvis to relay the message, but he would have risked waking Skye.

“Being in my room wasn't enough?” Steve asked dryly, stepping out of the bathroom.

“What?” Tony frowned, pulling up the report Bruce just sent him on Skye.

“You have to be in my bed too?” Steve asked, shaking his head.

“She's cold.” Tony shrugged unapologetically.

“Still?” Steve frowned, sliding into his bed on the opposite side from Tony. He slid over to Skye's side, feeling her chill before he reached her. “Why didn't you say?”

“Jarvis is relaying a blanket order.” Tony shrugged.

“Is that Skye's report?” Steve asked after a minute. Skye was breathing deeply between the two, finally warming.

“Yeah.” Tony grunted. “Bruce just sent it to me. I can't believe the bastards took chunks of her.”

“And did nothing to patch her up.” Steve nodded. “I'm kind of glad she has the healing. I mean, I'm concerned...but until something negative shows up, I can't see a downside to the increased healing speed.”

“I need to get in contact with 47.” Tony said firmly. “They're running on the assumption that the serum was pretty much the same between Skye and 47. He could tell us about negative side effects. The more prepared we are, the better.”

“Crack that code.” Steve agreed. Skye snorted lightly, shifted closer to Steve's heat, and let out a long breath.

“She's laughing at me and she's not even awake.” Tony moaned. Steve laughed at his expression. He shifted down, laying flat under the covers instead of leaning against the headboard. His bed really was very comfortable; though, it took a while to get used to.

“Learn anything else interesting from Bruce?” Steve smiled.

“Her blood level is rising surprisingly fast. Like, she's in the low range of normal,” Tony shrugged. “I guess her healing is accelerating blood cell growth. I can't complain about that.”

“Can we just have the healing for a few more days and then have the serum flush out?” Steve joked. “I just want her better.”

“She says she's okay.” Tony sighed.

“But you've seen her move.” Steve agreed. “She's definitely not okay.”

“God, you guys talk a lot,” Skye mumbled.

“Sorry,” Steve murmured. Skye shifted towards him, pulling herself to his side with a wince.

“Your heat makes up for it.” She smiled, blinking rapidly. She gave up her struggle and let her eyes drift back shut.

“Well, I feel surplus to requirements, so I'm going to...” Tony smirked, sliding away from Skye.

“Hmm, no.” Skye moaned, snaking her arm towards him. She snagged his pants and gave a gentle tug. “Stay. Cuddling is good for the soul.”

“There's nothing wrong with your soul.” Tony snorted.

“Are you willing to bet on that?” Skye chuckled. “Five minutes? Please, I need five minutes. For my _soul_ , Tony.”

“God, you're needy.” Tony sighed, giving in with an ill disguised smile. He slid back in until he was pressed against her side again.

“Needy for body heat.” Skye agreed.

“You are ridiculously cold.” Steve agreed.

“Don't worry,” Skye mumbled. “You're doing a good job fixing that.”

“I feel like I just walked in on a supervised date.” Bruce commented from the doorway. Simmons was smiling fondly behind him. Bruce was carrying new bags of fluids and another meal bag, and Simmons had a few blankets in her arms. They had given up trying to give Skye new blood; her own levels were high enough that they decided it wasn't worth the trouble. Tony snorted his amusement, looking over at Steve and Skye laying next to each other. He was still sitting against the headboard, working on his tablet.

“Hmm, cause this is what I would do on a date.” Steve sighed. He tried to bite back his words as they flew from his mouth, belatedly realizing he was opening himself up to jokes. Surprisingly, it was Skye that giggled.

“You don't bring your dates back to your bed?” She asked, amusement clear in her voice. Tony grinned at Steve from over her head.

“He hasn't yet, at the very least.” Tony smirked. “But maybe he's just using his seventy years of libido to take care of things in an alley somewhere...”

“You're disgusting.” Steve interrupted. He was red again, embarrassed that his sex life kept being brought up.

“Keep embarrassing him,” Skye giggled, squirming closer to his side. “He gets deliciously warm when he's embarrassed.”

“Did you hear that Steve?” Jack laughed from behind Simmons. “You're delicious.”

“You would know.” Steve muttered. “Being my boyfriend and all.”

“Oh no!” Skye giggled. She shivered so Steve opened his arms, letting her squirm closer to his heat. She pulled herself close and draped her arm over his torso. “I can't believe you got to go to headquarters.”

“That's where the kids are.” Jack nodded.

“Still?”

“Still. There are a few that are sick, still. Also, I don't think Shield has a definite plan for the kids yet.” Steve informed her.

“Not the system.” Skye insisted. “That plan won't work. They'll be the freak kids with weird technology fused to their bodies and stupid medical conditions. They'll never get out.”

“I know. I've told the Director.” Steve murmured softly. Reassured, Skye released the tension she didn't realize had been building in her body. Steve grinned and shot Jack a smirk. “Your brother also likes making Ward very uncomfortable.”

“Have I met Ward?” Skye asked. Tony got up from his spot on the bed, taking advantage of her distraction. Before Jack could take his place, Bruce knelt on the bed so he could replace the bags.

“He's on my team.” Simmons nodded.

“I know. I picked him.” Skye smiled. “I just don't know if I've met him.”

“He was at the loading dock on the Bus...that you don't remember.” Jack nodded.

“He's the one that gave you the blanket when you were sleeping,” Steve helped remind her.

“You make him uncomfortable?” Skye asked, smiling.

“My sister wasn't around to make me promise to be normal.” Jack replied cheekily, turning his (now forgotten) grief into a joke.

“Jesus, Mary, and Joseph.” Clint drawled, staggering into the room. “Will you let the poor girl go?”

“I started it,” Skye informed him, trying to hide the faint blush that stole across her cheeks. “Would it make you feel better if I told you I'm only using him for his heat?”

“Only?” Clint asked, grinning. “I don't think you're _only_ using him for his heat.”

“Help!” Steven yelled, pushing through the crowd of adults blocking the doorway. Just before he was free, a hand reached through and grabbed him. “No! Skye, help!”

“Oh, kid. What did you do?” Clint asked, amused. Tasha hauled the boy over her shoulder and headed for the elevator.

“Steve!” Steven called out again, reaching back for him. Steve laughed and shook his head.

“I can't believe you were dumb enough to start something with her.” Steve replied, offering no help.

“Trip and I just wanted to watch cartoons!” Steven shouted back. Tasha growled playfully and all but dropped Steven to the floor, catching him at the last second.

“There's nothing wrong with my cartoons!” Tasha informed the boy, tickling him mercilessly.

“Stop!” Skye shouted, sitting straight up really quickly. She regretted that decision immediately, clutching her torso and breathing slowly through the pain. Steven scrambled from the floor, taking advantage of Tasha's distraction. “Don't tickle him. Ever,” Skye said firmly, though she was gasping a little from the pain.

“Can I...?” Steven asked, working to slip behind his mask. Everyone in the room saw the panic in his eyes before the mask was able to slide on properly.

“Come here,” Skye nodded, flipping the sheets back. Steven didn't hesitate; He dove onto the bed and scrambled up it, burying his face in Skye's side. Skye twisted away from Steve, wincing painfully, to wrap her arms around the boy and pull him flat. She murmured to him softly, though only Steve could hear the mash-up she was whispering.

“Jack?” Tasha asked softly. Jack shook his head.

“She's just reassuring him. It's okay.”

“I don't understand what I did wrong,” Tasha said softly.

“I'll explain it outside,” Jack muttered, drawing her from the room. “Give her a minute with him.” Clint and Tony followed, eager to hear his explanation. Bruce and Simmons hesitated, lingering over Skye.

“Why don't you come back in a little bit?” Steve suggested softly.

“Are you okay, Skye?” Bruce asked softly. She didn't stop murmuring to Steven, but smiled up at him and nodded. Bruce nodded and grabbed Simmons' hand, leading her from the room. With the room cleared out, Steve could hear the boy's rapid breathing. Skye was muttering to him quietly in the mashup, her voice low and soothing. She was running her hand through his hair and would occasionally press a gentle kiss to his forehead. Steve reached over Skye to rub his back, offering support in the only way he knew how.

“I'm okay.” Steven muttered after a minute.

“Wanna tell me what happened?” Steve asked softly, giving the boy the choice. Steven unburied his face from Skye's chest, looking up at her with a questioning expression.

“I can tell him, if you don't want to.” Skye offered. Steven pulled away, sliding away from Skye so he could crawl over her. He settled himself between their bodies, humming contently. Skye grinned and adjusted against him to make herself more comfortable.

“Cuddling is good for the soul.” Skye laughed lightly.

“They didn't like us touching.” Steven whispered.

“Well, I'm a cuddler.” Skye grinned tiredly, tapping his nose. “Any time you want a cuddle, I'm down.”

“Any time?”

“Absolutely.”

“Okay,” Steven whispered, struggling to hide a grin. “Can you tell Steve about the whole...tickling thing?”

“Sure thing,” Skye nodded, smoothing the boy's hair down. She looked over at Steve, obviously considering where to start. “Um. Well, tickling is a panic response. There are different theories, so you have to take it with a grain of salt, but the scientists believed in two theories. One being that your ticklish areas are the most vulnerable – so you have to be trained to protect them. It goes hand in hand with their other theory, that tickling helps develop combat skills. So they would train the children to develop defensive skills and evasion skills through tickling. For some, tickling creates too strong of a panic response – that's why some people are more ticklish than others.”

“So no tickling?” Steve asked, smiling softly at Steven.

“Please, no.” He replied, smiling shyly.

“You could just tell me things like this.” Steve pointed out. “Save us all from learning the hard way.”

Steven shrugged. “We don't get touched much.”

“I'll be fixing that.” Skye said confidently. Steven giggled and nodded his agreement.

“Okay.”

“Is that what happened in the lab with Bruce?” Skye asked, her eyes lighting with recognition. “They said they were looking at your spine.”

“I don't know,” Steven replied, wincing. “I just kind of panicked and...then I was in the vents and I didn't know how I got there...”

“Anything else I should know, while we're on the subject?” Steve asked, reaching a long arm across the two people sharing his bed.

“Like what?” Steven asked.

“Anything. Allergies, things I shouldn't do, things that freak you out.”

“Allergies?”

“Jack can't have strawberries,” Skye explained. “When he eats them, his face swells up and he has a hard time breathing. But sometimes an allergy is less severe; you might just get a rash or feel sick.”

“I don't think I have anything like that.” Steven shrugged.

“Good. One less thing to worry about.” Steve grinned.

“I don't like being alone.” Steven added after a minute of thought. “We were always together, so being alone meant a test was coming.”

“I can't promise you won't ever be alone,” Steve said softly. “But I can promise there won't be any tests, ever.”

“Except with Not-Doctor-Bruce?” Steven smirked.

“Only when I'm worried about your health,” Steve grinned. “But we both know that's not the kind of test you were worried about.”

“No, it isn't.” Steven agreed. “I don't like needles.”

“You'd be crazy if you were,” Skye laughed lightly.

“Skye doesn't like them either,” Steve whispered like he was sharing a secret.

“I don't like sleeping at night.” Skye said softly, adding her own confession. “Jack and I were on the run for a long time. They usually caught up to us at night.”

“Why were they after you?” Steven asked, frowning.

“I helped Delta after tests, remember?” Skye asked. The boy nodded.

“You brought them 47's blood.”

“Right. Well we call it the Magic Blood.” Skye smiled softly. “It makes people better. Helps you heal. But because I kept healing Delta, the scientists thought their serum worked really well. So they were really mad when I broke Delta out. They thought I was stealing away all of their hard work. They thought they finally made the perfect serum.”

“We should call 47 so he can give you some blood.” Steven commented. Steve grinned at Skye's exasperated expression.

“Smart kid,” Steve laughed, messing up the boy's hair.

“I don't need blood.” Skye frowned.

“You need to get better.” Steven said firmly. Steve laughed loudly.

“I'm fine.” Skye huffed.

“You could be better.” Steven huffed back, mocking her annoyance. Steve was laughing behind the boy, enjoying their back and forth. “You took care of Delta, let us take care of you.”

“I'm not good at that either,” Skye sighed.

“Practice makes perfect,” Steven recited.

“Steve, your kid is ridiculous.” Skye huffed, looking past the boy to Steve's amused face.

“Hey.” Steve retorted. “He's perfect.”

“Just perfect,” Steven agreed, tossing his hair with a satisfied smirk. Skye laughed out loud.

“Just how much time have you been spending with Jack?”

“Not that much.” Steven shrugged.

“How long have you been at the Tower?”

“Steve brought me here a week ago.” Steven grinned. “They needed some help finding you.”

“Desperately.” Steve nodded. “We had nothing.”

“Hmm, my knight in shining armor,” Skye mumbled, tucking in closer to her boys.

“We'll always save you.” Steven whispered. He twisted slightly, looking at Steve. “Skye's safe now, right? I mean, we can keep it that way?”

“Of course,” Steve nodded. “I'll do everything in my power to keep the both of you safe.”

“Sappy.” Skye mumbled, sounding half asleep. Steven grinned at Steve, amused by Skye's assessment.

 

0-0-0-0-0

 

Skye stayed asleep for most of the day, only waking briefly when new people came into the room. Finally Jack huffed and told the entire team to stay in the room or get out. Skye was too light of a sleeper to sleep through their entrances, however quiet they tried to be.

“I was super quiet!” Clint argued in a loud whisper.

“Yeah, well she's got thirty five years of running from the bad guys.” Jack argued back. “She's learned to sleep light. Don't argue with me Clinton.”

“She needs to rest.” Tasha nodded. “Let's go get food and a shower. You can come watch a movie or read by her later.”

“This is stupid.” Clint pouted, letting Tasha drag him from the room. “Jack was way louder than I was.”

“He's got a point.” Skye had called out tiredly. “You are way louder than the others.”

“Hmm, but you know my noises.” Jack replied, slipping into bed with his sister. Steve had taken Steven to the gym, showing him some of the more kid appropriate exercises he could do to help burn his seemingly endless stockpile of energy. Skye wrapped her arms around his waist and tugged him closer to her side. He smiled and ran a hand over her head, “Go to sleep, sissy. I got you.”

“There's a sappy bug running amuck in this tower.” Skye muttered before doing as he ordered.

 

When Clint came back an hour later with a book and a defiant expression, Jack didn't have the heart to tell him no. Skye had grinned sleepily and curled up around his body, eagerly seeking his heat and stability.

 

0-0-0-0-0

 

The next time she woke, Steve was holding Steven up in the air while laying on his back. Skye bit her lip, watching their interaction without commenting. Steven pulled a roll of duct tape off his arm and taped it to the ceiling. He had two smaller pieces that he used to secure the roll. Skye bit back a giggle when Steve slowly lowered him down. He was obviously trying to be quiet, but the tape was loud – especially in the excruciatingly silent room. It didn't help that he was unrolling it as slowly as he could, trying to mask the noise. Skye successfully bit back her laughter until Steven had secured his iPad to the roll of duct tape and had laid down at Steve's side.

“Sorry.” Steve winced. Her giggling had given her away. “Were we too loud?”

“We tried to be quiet.” Steven nodded, unknowingly mirroring Steve's wince.

“Are you watching a movie?” Skye chuckled.

“My arm got tired.” Steve nodded. Skye's chuckle turned into a giggle.

“So you taped it to the ceiling?”

“We had to use the tools at hand.” Steven informed her defensively. Skye bit her lip and nodded seriously. She wasn't going to ask why Steve had duct tape on hand.

“You're very resourceful.” Skye agreed.

“I know.” Steven replied, entirely self-assured. “Wanna watch with us? Steve's letting me cuddle.”

“Am I allowed to cuddle?” Skye asked, faking a pout.

“What? Of course you are!” Steven exclaimed, shocked that she was even asking. “Steve, move over! Let Skye cuddle!”

“Sorry,” Steve apologized, smiling at the boy and his theatrical disapproval. “Skye, of course you're welcome to cuddle.”

“Okay,” Skye grinned, pulling herself to Steve's side. She still winced, but her movements were more fluid. Steve took that as a good sign. She padded herself in with pillows, making herself comfortable against Steve's side and shoulder. “What are we watching?”

“We're in between movies.” Steve replied. “What do you want to watch?”

“Lilo and Stitch.” Skye replied instantly.

“We don't have that.” Steve laughed.

“Gimme.” Skye retorted, reaching for the tablet. Within a minute, the movie was playing. The only issue was the tablet was spinning ever so slightly in the air.

“Can you get car sick without being in a car?” Steve asked, lightly joking. Skye giggled against his side, rotating her head in time with the twisting of the tablet.

“We need a support beam.” Steven sighed. “Steve, can I climb you again?”

“Sure, buddy.” Steve laughed, handing him the roll of duct tape. He scaled Steve's legs, then balanced himself on the bottom of Steve's feet. Skye laughed at Steven's efforts – he suspended another strip of tape from the ceiling to use two points of contact for the tablet. With the extra line, the tablet no longer swung in place.

“Hey, Steve?” Skye whispered, trying to hide her amusement. Steve turned his attention to her with a smile, instantly seeing the amusement twinkling in her eyes.

“Yeah?” Steve replied, shifting to keep balancing Steven on his feet.

“I think I'm feeling better now.” Skye informed him, losing grip of her composure. She tried to hide her smile by pretending to scratch her lip, but Steve saw through it.

“Is that so?” Steve replied, grinning. He missed playful Skye.

“Yeah.”

“Did Dr. Pokey promise you a sucker when you're better?” Steve bantered back. Skye's grin burst out from under her hand.

“No.” Skye laughed. “I was promised something else, though.”

“Hmm, don't remember promising.” Steve replied, drawing her closer anyway.

“It was implied.” Skye said softly, licking her suddenly dry lips. Steve smirked and pressed a long kiss onto her forehead.

“I'll keep that promise.” Steve grinned, seeing Skye's outraged face. “When you're _all_ better.”

“Um...Steve, are you going to let me down?” Steven asked loudly, balancing his core on the bottom of Steve's feet.

“Yep.” Steve nodded. “Right now.”

“You should see your hair,” Steven grinned at Skye.

“My hair?”

“Clint was in here for a while,” Steve informed her.

“Take a picture? I'm not getting out of bed for a mirror.”

“You gonna show me what a selfie is?” Steve smirked.

“The _right_ way,” Skye nodded, flashing him a bright smile when he handed his phone over. “Smile!”

“Is it a groupie if there's more than one person?” Steven asked with a thoughtful frown.

“Oh, we gotta get Steve a lot of groupies,” Skye jumped in, making Steve blush. “Steve _really, really likes_ groupies.”

“We can have a groupie every day!” Steven suggested, making Skye and Steve laugh. The adult content was going way over his head. Thank goodness. Skye found the picture on his phone and showed the other two.

“It's a Steve Sandwich,” Skye murmured. “With Sneaky Asian bread.”

“Sneaky Asian bread?” Steve laughed. He had forgotten about Tony's sudden adversion to Asians.

“Clint did your hair good,” Steven smiled, looking at the french braid that ran along the left side of her head. Skye nodded her agreement, fingering the braids with careful touches. They settled back, finally ready for the movie.

“Tony is going to throw a fit when he sees this.” Skye giggled.

“And then buy a giant TV to replace it.” Steve agreed, sighing.

“This is much cozier.” Steven added, snuggling into Steve's free side. He peeked over Steve's chest to look at Skye. “We're going to do this more often. He cuddles way more when you're around.”

“Shh,” Steve whispered, using the start of the movie as an excuse to shush them. Skye grinned at Steven and nodded her agreement.

She was asleep again five minutes into the movie.

 

 

 


	22. She has a tattoo?

 

 

 

“...rainbows and lollipops.” Tasha's whisper woke Skye from her slumber next.

“That's getting old.” Steve whispered.

“Not as old as you,” Skye muttered, tightening her grip around Steve's waist. She felt his laughter rumble through his chest. Steven shifted against Steve's other side. He had fallen asleep as well.

“You really are a very light sleeper.” Steve murmured. “Sorry, doll.”

“It's okay.” Skye smiled, pushing away slightly. “I think I'm ready for the facilities.”

“I'll take you.” Tasha offered, catching on immediately. Simmons had informed her that Skye was re-hydrating very quickly.

“Think I can sneak there without Simmons seeing me walk?” Skye asked in a whisper, pulling the IV from her arm with a grimace.

“Not a chance!” Simmons huffed, appearing behind Tasha. Skye groaned and flopped back against Steve, trying to hide the IV line as she did so.

“It's like she can apparate.” Skye moaned to Steve.

“I don't...” Steve shrugged, completely confused.

“Oh, ha ha.” Simmons retorted, laughing sarcastically. “Just because I'm British, you have to pull out the Hermione jokes?”

“It's not cause you're British.” Skye retorted. “It's cause you just _poof_ appear. Maybe you're my boggart. Hmm, what should I turn you into?”

“You're trying to distract me.” Simmons smirked. “And it's not going to work. We can get you to the _facilities_...why are you calling them facilities?”

Skye shot Steve a sideways look and pointed discretely to him. Steve laughed.

“What? They are facilities!”

“Guys...I really just have to pee, and I don't much care what you call the room I do it in. Just...move.” Skye grumbled, shifting away from Steve.

“Yes,” Simmons nodded. “Bathroom, then we're checking those bandages. Your bodyguards have been keeping us away. Ugh, did you remove your IV line again?”

“Sorry.” Skye smirked, her expression giving away just how not sorry she was.

“You get the award for worst patient,” Simmons sighed, nudging Tasha forward. “And I work with Agent Ward.”

“Is he a bad patient?” Tasha grinned.

“The worst.” Simmons sighed. “I caught him in the washroom once – sewing a bullet wound shut on his shoulder.”

“That sounds like something Tasha would do,” Steve grinned. She narrowed her eyes at him, but they both knew she wouldn't do anything about it. It was the truth, after all.

“Girlfriend...I know you're like scary and assassin-y...but if you drop me, so help me...” Skye threatened.

“Oh shut up.” Tasha laughed, tossing back Steve's sheets to get at Skye.

“No laughing while carrying me!” Skye argued, inching away. “Laughing means less muscle control which means I end up on the floor.”

“Does she always whine this much?” Clint asked, peering into the room.

“Archer!” Skye called out, waving enthusiastically.

“You look like you're feeling better.” Clint grinned. Skye twisted back to Steve, barely wincing.

“See, Steve? Even Archer can see it.”

“Sorry, doll. I stand by my word.” Steve laughed.

“I thought you had to use the facilities.” Simmons sighed. Tasha nodded and took Skye from the room.

“I know you're making fun of me.” Steve informed her. Bruce laughed lightly from the elevator.

“Oh, you caught that, did you?” Simmons grinned.

“Leave our Resident Grandpa be, Jemma.” Bruce said, grinning warmly.

“I can pick a new team of super-heroes to hang out with.” Steve informed the room. “Or maybe I'll just hang out with Steven. He's always nice to me.”

“You are kinda old, though.” Steven mumbled, stretching. Steve sighed and playfully shoved the boy off him.

“And then there were none. I have no friends.” Steve grumbled.

“Ohana means family,” Steven giggled, easily catching Steve's playful mood. “We won't leave you behind.”

“Oh good, you made it further than I did.” Skye grinned from Tasha's arms. Tasha shook her head, but grinned at Skye's good mood. Skye, in turn, decided to take advantage of her position in Tasha's arms. She wrapped her arms around her neck, pushing her red hair back behind her ear. She lowered her voice and whispered seductively, “Thanks for carrying me over the threshold, love. But shouldn't we be doing this in your room?”

“You want some private time?” Tasha murmured back, playing along easily.

“Stop!” Clint shouted, striding into the room to smack lightly at the girls. “There are children present! And men masquerading as children!”

“Speak for yourself.” Steve laughed.

“You're not a man!” Clint retorted heatedly. “You're a grandpa.”

“I thought a grandpa was when your kids had kids?” Steven asked, frowning.

“It is.” Bruce laughed. “Have you had kids, Steven?”

“What? I'm seven!” Steven gasped. The room laughed at his expression.

“What'd I miss?” Tony asked, striding into the room with a grin.

“Tasha and Skye got married in the bathroom.” Steve replied.

“How did that make you feel?” Tony asked, smirking. He plopped himself down at the edge of the bed. “And what the hell is this?” Tony asked, poking the tablet suspended above the bed.

“It's cozy.” Steven told him with a finger pointed at him sternly. “And you're not allowed to replace it with a giant TV. We need our cuddles.”

“Like I need clothes that fit,” Skye replied distractedly. She was trying to roll the sleeve up that had fallen down. She frowned at the bandages around her wrists. She wasn't sure when she had gotten bandaged again.

“That I can fix.” Tony grinned at Skye. He was ignoring Steven's comment. Of course he was going to replace the suspended tablet. Duct tape was not a decorating tool.

“You were picking at your scabs,” Steve explained, catching her frown. She made a face and nodded her understanding.

“Jack said the van is here. I have a stash of clothes there. Can I just grab them?” Skye asked softly. No one answered her. “Okay, rephrase. Either someone takes me to my van or I'll get myself there. Yes – I will face the wrath of Hermione.”

“I just don't get it,” Steve huffed, reaching up to smooth his bed head. Tony laughed.

“Don't worry, we'll add some movies to your list.”

“No!” Skye half yelled. “The books. Steve, you have to read the books first.”

“Me too?” Steven asked. Skye nodded enthusiastically.

“We can read them together.” Steve nodded.

“Like bedtime stories?” Steven asked hopefully.

“Whatever you want,” Steve agreed. Reading was always a choice, as far as he was concerned.

“Guys, trying to get you to do something is like herding kittens. Clothes. Please. Can I have my clothes?” Skye huffed, looking exasperated.

“Do you often feel like a kitten wrangler?” Clint grinned at Steve.

“That is a perfect description of my job.” Steve nodded.

“And we're off topic again.” Skye groaned.

“We need to check your bandages, then we'll switch your clothes out.” Simmons agreed.

“Oh, and a shower?” Skye asked hopefully.

“Let's see how those scabs are doing first.” Simmons hedged.

“Deal.” Skye said confidently. Simmons gave her a half-hearted glare, trying to figure out her angle. “I mean it, check my legs. I would love to take these bandages off.”

“You're not helping your case.” Simmons murmured, still looking suspicious.

“Jack can show us where your stash is, while she does that.” Steve offered.

“I kinda just want an excuse to see my baby.” Skye replied shyly.

“Of course you do.” Tony nodded. “Bandages first, then we'll go visit your van.”

“You're my favorite.” Skye grinned, squirming in Tasha's arms. “Put me down, please. Let's get this over with.”

“You seem too excited.” Bruce commented. Skye cleared her throat and worked to make a sad face.

“Wifey, would you put me down so Meanie Simmons can remove the itchy bandages from my legs?” Skye asked, working her sad eyes. Tasha laughed and set her on the edge of the bed.

“They're itchy already?” Tasha asked. “I put lots of ointment on them.”

“You took very good care of me.” Skye nodded. “But I think my body is taking better care of itself than you can.”

“It did replenish your blood supply alarmingly fast.” Bruce nodded. The last two scans they had taken had shown her marked improvement. Her blood levels were normal and the scar tissue on her organs was all but gone. She was also rehydrating faster than Bruce would have believed possible, considering just how dehydrated she was before. “Never thought I'd say this – but I'm kind of glad they gave you that serum.”

“At least until side effects start showing up.” Simmons agreed. “Your healing is definitely a good thing.”

“I would have had side effects already,” Skye murmured, adjusting on the bed so Simmons could get to the bandages.

“It happens that fast?” Steve frowned.

“Dude, you went from a scrawny runt to Mr. America in like a minute.” Skye retorted. “Of course the results are fast.”

“My serum didn't have side effects like this serum does, though.”

“Skye is right.” Bruce interjected, watching Simmons start to unwrap her legs. “In all of the files, the side effects happen within the first twelve hours. The more severe ones happened way more quickly. The orange stuff started burning her immediately. We're definitely going to monitor this, but she might be in the clear.”

“Well, color me impressed.” Simmons whispered, running a finger down Skye's shin bone. Skye giggled and squirmed away from her hand.

“Oh, you're ticklish?” Steve smirked.

“Not usually.” Skye replied.

“This is all brand new skin.” Simmons grinned up at Bruce. “Look at this. The scabbing is practically gone.”

“That probably explains why she's ticklish,” Bruce mused. “That new skin is going to be extra sensitive until it toughens up.”

“So, that means I can shower!” Skye all but shouted. She wiggled in place, doing her happy dance. “Oh, a proper shower. Can I _walk_ to the shower?”

“No!” Simmons and Bruce responded immediately. Skye frowned.

“The bottom of your feet are still scabbed over.” Bruce added, seeing her face fall.

“Can I scoot on my butt then?” Skye asked. Bruce grinned and shook his head. Skye huffed and crossed her arms. “I don't know why I'm asking permission here.”

“You wanna take on the Hulk?” Bruce countered easily, crossing his arms right back. He worked with Tony – he knew just how to handle her threat. “Take him on with damaged feet and healing organs? You're just begging for extra bed rest.”

“This is dumb!” Skye moaned, tossing herself backwards onto the bed. Steven plopped himself next to her chest, giggling at her dramatics.

“You should listen to Bruce. He's not like a doctor-doctor. He's nice.” Steven offered softly.

“Not a doctor-doctor?” Bruce asked, raising an eyebrow at Steve. He just shrugged.

“What? He doesn't like doctors.”

“No one likes doctors,” Skye muttered, glaring at Bruce.

“He prescribed me ice cream.” Steven whispered.

“Okay, I might have to give not doctor Bruce a shot.” Skye giggled.

“Good thing I'm a physicist then.” Bruce grinned. “If Steve could take a _proper_ video, you would know that about me already.”

“Is that what was going on in the background?” Skye laughed.

“It was supposed to be his Science Bros introductory video.” Tony nodded, laughing along with Skye. “Grandpa here got the cameras mixed up.”

“I know, I saw.” Skye replied, sharing a smile with Steve. They were the only ones that knew he did it on purpose.

“Tasha may or may not have caught on.” Steve whispered to Skye. Tasha grinned and nodded.

“Definitely did.”

“Did what?” Clint asked.

“Definitely need some food.” Tasha retorted easily.

“Oh, food. It's dinner time. What are we eating?” Clint grinned, rubbing his hands together.

“Pizza!” Steven shouted immediately. He cleared his throat, realizing how loud he had been. “I mean...pizza would be good with me.”

“Pizza is good with me too,” Clint laughed. “But we just had that.”

“I didn't,” Steven muttered.

“That was your fault,” Steve replied, ruffling his hair.

“Birthday boy, on your honorary birthday, what would you like?” Skye asked Tony.

“We haven't had chinese for a while...” Tony shrugged. “But I don't really care.”

“Anything but schwarma.” Bruce moaned softly.

“Whiner.” Tony giggled.

“I'm gonna want to hear about this later,” Skye informed them both, grinning.

“Clint and I can go get the chinese.” Tasha volunteered.

“Can Steven come?” Clint asked Steve.

“Fine with me.” Steve shrugged. “Steven?”

“I can leave the Tower?” The boy asked, eyes wide.

“You're not our prisoner.” Tony retorted.

“I think Dr. Bruce needs you to fill that ice cream prescription, while you're out.” Simmons grinned. Steve frowned but didn't say anything. He would set Steven loose in her lab later, when all that sugar hit him.

“Where's Jack?” Skye asked, reaching back to pull her loose hair up into a ponytail.

“Something with Fitz.” Tony replied.

“Checking out the drones?”

“I don't know. They said something about Steve's comm set.” Tony shrugged. “I wasn't invited, so I don't care.”

“Oh, you care all right.” Skye laughed.

“Come on, munchkin.” Tasha grinned, holding a hand out for Steven. “Let's get you dressed so we can go get dinner.”

“Sweetheart, I'll take you to your van.” Tony offered. “See? I can remember to stay on topic.”

“This is why you're my favorite.” Skye giggled, stretching her arms up like a toddler asking to be picked up. Tony grinned and lifted her easily.

“Even more than Steve?” Tony asked.

“Definitely more than Steve.” Skye retorted, grinning conspiratorially with Tony. “I will admit he's a pretty good heat source though.”

“Hey Capsicle, Skye likes me more. Just saying.” Tony smirked.

“Meh, I'll change her mind later.” Steve shrugged, refusing to rise to their bait.

“When I'm better?” Skye asked.

“Of course.” Steve agreed. He grinned at her frown.

“You're just making this harder for yourself.” Skye informed him darkly.

“Hey, I always did like a challenge.” Steve grinned.

“I'm not wearing this outside!” Steven shrieked from two rooms down. Tasha's laughter could barely be heard. A minute later, Steven came strutting into the room in a leopard print muscle shirt, super skinny black jeans, and boots up to his knees. He tossed a frilly scarf over his shoulder, walking like he was on a catwalk.

“Whoo!” Skye cheered, prompting the boy to stop and pose. “Work it boy!”

“I guarantee your brother picked that one out.” Steve sighed.

“Can I take it off now?” Steven called out the door.

“What if I get you extra ice cream?” Tasha laughed.

“There is not enough ice cream in New York.” Steven informed her, pulling the shirt over his head. He winced slightly as the motion pulled on his ribs.

“Was this Shield?” Skye asked Tony, looking at the bruising on the boy's torso. The bruising had faded into dull yellows and greens, but the handprint bruise on his arm was still visible.

“Told you they weren't treating him right,” Steve said softly.

“I'm going to have words with them.” Skye announced.

“If they're lucky, maybe they'll just stay words?” Tony smirked.

“When can we go?” Skye asked. “I want this resolved. Yesterday.”

“How about when you can walk again?” Steve offered. “Somehow, I don't see you taking getting wheeled around very well.”

“That sounds fair.” Skye agreed. “So maybe tomorrow? Hmm, nope. That's your birthday dinner.” She kissed Tony's cheek. “Don't worry, I won't kick their asses on your honorary birthday. We'll go the next day. But can we call and have the staff changed?”

“Sure thing, sweetheart.”

“Steve already told the Director off for it,” Clint grinned.

“Okay.” Skye beamed. “Clothes now, please.”

“I'm waiting here for you.” Simmons responded. “Go get your clothes, but I want to take the rest of your bandages off before your shower.”

“Deal.” Skye agreed. “Forward ho!” She yelled, pointing to the door.

“You calling me a ho?” Tony laughed, pretending to drop his armful.

“No!” Skye giggled, holding onto his neck tightly. “But if the stories are true, you do qualify as a man whore.”

“There are children present.” Clint laughed. He handed Steven some less _fabulous_ clothes, which he changed into gratefully. “We're out. Enjoy your shower.”

“Oh, I will.” Skye hummed.

“Steve, you coming for chinese or staying behind?” Clint asked.

“I'll stay. Should check in with Jack.” Steve replied.

“Later.” Clint called out, tossing Steven over his shoulder.

“You know, I'm a boy, not a rag doll.” Steven protested, hanging upside down.

“Van.” Skye sighed.

“Van.” Tony agreed, leaving the room.

“Bring her back here!” Simmons called after them. Skye shook her head lightly.

“Of course I'm coming back for a shower.”

“We could run away.” Tony grinned. “Find you a shower someplace else.”

“They may stroke out.” Skye giggled. “As appealing as that sounds, they are trying to help. No matter how frustrating it is.”

“Now you sound a little more like yourself.” Tony murmured, bouncing on the balls of his feet in the elevator. He shifted her in his arms, jiggling her weight. “You lost a lot of weight, Sweetheart.”

“Most women would react badly to weight comments,” Skye commented.

“You're not most women. And it's an observation. A fact. You've lost a _lot_ of weight.”

Skye tapped his arc reactor, frowning thoughtfully. “I would have thought you could fix this.”

“I can.” Tony shrugged, seeing her blatant topic change. “I mean, Bruce and Simmons could – probably fairly easily. But the recovery time is too long. Iron Man can't be out of commission for that long.”

“There is a whole team of people who can step up for you.” Skye pointed out.

“Yeah, but can they fly?” Tony shot back.

“I bet Fitz and Jack could build them something.” Skye mused.

“We can discuss this another time.” Tony said firmly. “It's not your job to worry about me.”

“You can't tell me what to do.” Skye whispered in his ear.

“You're supposed to listen to your dad.” Tony retorted.

“Oh, my baby!” Skye gasped, opening her arms to her van. “She's dented. Why is she dented!?”

“Steve.” Tony sighed. “When Jack plugged in the flash drive, Steve thought he was going to get to see you and was a bit...enthusiastic.”

“I'm going to have words with that man.” Skye informed Tony.

“You do that sweetheart.”

“Okay, so...can I have like five minutes of privacy in my van?” Skye asked softly.

“You going to run away?” Tony asked.

“No. I won't. I promise.” Skye said truthfully. “I've been surrounded by people and cameras for way too long and I just need a minute to myself. To regroup? Please?”

“Steve will murder me if you run away.” Tony said again, though now he was grinning.

“Tony, I promise. I'm not running away. I won't even go in the driver's seat! You can have the keys. I just...This is my home, okay?”

“Okay.” Tony nodded. “I don't get it, but I kind of understand.”

“I won't get you in trouble, I promise.” Skye smiled, kissing Tony's cheek. “Well, at least not today. You may get in trouble after I talk with Shield.”

“Psh, I'm not Shield. They don't scare me. The others may get a talking to, though.”

“Guess I'll have to make it worth it then.” Skye grinned. Tony opened the side door and set her inside.

“Want me to close it?”

“Please. Just for like five minutes.” Skye repeated, pulling herself further into the van.

“Holler when you're ready.” Tony shrugged. “I'm going to go tinker with one of my cars.”

“Thanks, Tony.”

“Any time, sweetheart.”

 

0-0-0-0-0

 

“You guys are taking for ever.” Steve commented, letting himself off the elevator.

“Sorry.” Tony replied, wiping his hands off. He gently closed the hood to his favorite car and met Steve by the van.

“You lost her?” Steve asked, looking around for Skye.

“Grandpa, she can't walk.” Tony pointed out.

“She's expert at loopholes.” Steve rebutted. “Where is she?”

“Having some alone time.” Tony replied, nodding towards the van. Steve knocked lightly on the side door.

“Skye?” He asked. Nothing. He glared at Tony, knowing that she was gone. She left herself a loophole and she had escaped. He wasn't sure how, but he was certain. Suddenly, he was regretting not kissing her when he had the chance.

“God, you're so dramatic.” Tony groaned. “You're always assuming the worst.”

“She doesn't want to be here.” Steve retorted.

“And if you smother her, she won't stay here.” Tony replied easily. He opened the side door and poked his head into the van. He smirked and pointed inside, “Oh, Tony...she's gone. She's run from me and she's never coming back! Oh, Tony, please, teach me how to be with women. They're scary and intimidating...”

“Shut up, Tony.” Steve sighed, poking his head inside the van as well. Skye was curled up in the bottom bunk, clutching a faded blanket. She had changed out of Steve's clothes and was now wearing a purple flannel shirt and black yoga pants that stopped at her knee.

“Seriously though,” Tony whispered. “She's independent. If you smother her, she won't stay. And if you regret not kissing her so much, you should just do it. Pretty sure she's not going to mind.”

“What?” Steve asked, frowning.

“You heard me.” Tony smirked. “Also, you said that bit outloud while you were angry with me for losing her.”

“Cause you're such an expert on women.” Steve replied softly.

“Nope. Never said that.” Tony said, shaking his head quickly. “But I understand. I get what it means to be a free spirit.”

“Free spirit.” Steve sniffed.

“You know it's true. I do what I want, when I want to.” Tony grinned. “She's the same.”

“I thought I was the grandpa of the group.” Steve smirked. “You gonna keep giving me worldly advice?”

“Only when you need it.” Tony laughed. “And you're also the only freaking virgin of the group.”

“That is not something you know about me.” Steve rebutted. “Nor are we going to talk about it. Ever. Food is ready upstairs. You going to grab her?”

“Nah,” Tony shrugged, shoving his hands in his pockets. “Her boyfriend might get jealous.”

“Eh, Ward's upstairs.” Steve smirked, crawling into the van to get Skye from her bunk.

“Oh, now you can joke about it?” Tony laughed.

“Hey doll,” Steve whispered, rubbing a circle on her back. “Wanna go get some food?”

“Hmm, am I allowed to eat it?” Skye murmured, stretching lightly.

“That's up to you.” Steve replied.

“Can I walk up there?” Skye yawned.

“What if Hermoninie catches you?”

“Hermoninie.” Skye chuckled. “You're so old.”

“Food, doll?”

“Uh huh.” Skye nodded. “By the way,” Skye said softly, letting Steve pull her from the van, “We're going to have words about this.”

“Your van?” Steve asked.

“The big effing dent in my van!” Skye retorted, her anger getting lost in her sleepy tone.

“I told her how you got over enthusiastic.” Tony stage whispered.

“Oh, we're definitely having words over this.” Steve informed Tony, who just smirked. “After chinese.”

“Food!” Skye nodded. She adjusted in his arms, yawning into his shoulder. She hummed contently. “God, you're comfortable.”

“Thought you were just using me for heat,” Steve teased.

“Can't use you for anything else.” Skye retorted, smirking. “ _Apparently_ , I'm not better yet.”

“I don't think I want to know.” Tony sighed, stepping into the elevator with the two.

“Simmons got tired of waiting.” Steve told Skye. “We'll eat and then she can remove your bandages.”

“Skye?” Tony asked, peering around Steve's broad shoulders. He relaxed and smiled up at Steve, “She's asleep.”

“She was just awake!” Steve scoffed, trying to look at Skye's face. The fact that she didn't correct their third person usage told Steve what her face couldn't.

“Well, she's out now.” Tony laughed softly. Skye mumbled and adjusted her grip on Steve's shirt. The bandaging on her exposed wrist was twisted oddly, the tape barely holding the gauze to her wrist. “I kinda wanna look,” Tony admitted softly.

“I looked at Jack's,” Steve admitted back. “Confronted him about it when we went to get the van.”

“Well, he's still talking to us,” Tony smirked, then pulled the bandaging free from her wrist. Steve looked away, choosing to believe that she hadn't lied to him – and that if she _had_ , she would fess up to it on her own time. “Oh.” Tony gasped. Steve groaned and looked back down at Skye's wrist. His curiosity was going to get him killed.

“She has a tattoo?” Steve asked softly, pulling her hand free from his shirt so they could inspect her wrist. Her hand twisted in his, transferring her grip to his hand.

“Jack said she didn't have a tattoo.”

“It's too long.”

“It's binary.”

“Yeah, I don't know what that means.”

“It's _binary_.” Tony repeated.

“Yes, thank you. That cleared everything right up.”

“It says _Skye_ , in binary.” He explained. “See? 01010011, that's S. 01101011, K. 01111001, Y. 01100101, E.”

“She couldn't have just gotten a tattoo that said _Skye_?” Steve asked, making Tony chuckle.

“This is more her.” Steve just shook his head and shrugged lightly. He had no idea what Tony was talking about. He made a mental note to ask Skye about it. “Binary is used for coding, among other things.” Tony explained a little further.

“Ah, this _is_ her.” Steve agreed. “God, that smells delicious,” Steve murmured when the elevator doors opened at the common floor. Skye didn't seem to notice. She was breathing deeply on Steve's shoulder.

“I think she's asleep.” Tony whispered.

“She was awake ten seconds ago,” Steve countered, trying to get a look at her face.

“She can sleep anywhere, anytime.” Jack called from the table. “Wave the soup under her nose. That'll wake her up.”

 

 

 


	23. Share my affections with Captain America?

 

 

Steve stretched lightly, coming awake a little bit at a time. His room was dark, so it was early. Too early. Why was he awake? Steven twisted next to him, curling up into a ball against Steve's side. Steve ran a hand down his head until he was sure the boy was asleep again, then gazed around the room trying to figure out what was off. He stretched his hand over Steven's body, reaching for Skye. He kept stretching, finding nothing but fabric. Skye was gone. She had kept her word...she may have slept through Tony's "honorary" birthday dinner, but she was there for it. He felt stupid; he really should have seen this coming.

“Crap.” Steve whispered, carefully untangling himself from Steven's hold. The boy didn't wake, just shifted and gripped Skye's blanket tighter, so Steve slipped free from the bed. Skye was definitely not in bed. Jack had still been up when Steve called it a night. It looked like he claimed a room of his own. The extra room farthest from his own room was closed. Steve smiled lightly at that. Good, he didn't have to have the awkward _get the hell out of my bed_ conversation. He closed the door to his room before peeking in the two unoccupied rooms. Nothing. Steven's bed had been slept in, although briefly. The boy had snuck in between Skye and himself, so he knew Skye was still around at that point. He would need to talk to Steven about his nights. Was he having nightmares or was it just being alone that bothered him?

“Jarvis?” Steve asked softly. “Do you know where Skye is?”

“Yes, Mr. Rogers.”

“Where is she?” Steve sighed.

“In the building.” 

Steve couldn't help but feel relieved. It was too straight forward of an answer to be an evasion, but also vague enough to make her feel better.

“Jarvis. I want a straight answer.”

“I am unable to elaborate.”

“How are her vitals? Is she okay?” Steve asked, rubbing his eyes. He was tired and frustrated. He knew it was going to be a challenge, convincing her to stay...he just hadn't expected she would want out so fast.

“Miss Skye is perfectly alright, Mr. Rogers.” Jarvis responded, sounding amused. “She informed me that she's in lockdown mode and that you should go back to bed.”

“So she's in her van?” Steve asked. Jarvis was silent. Steve groaned and threw his arms up. “Will you let me know if she needs anything?”

“Of course.” Jarvis agreed. Steve groaned and rubbed his face. He was too worked up to go back to sleep. He could either hit the gym or start his run early. He checked the clock – 3am. Too early for a run. He would do an hour of gym time before doing his run. Maybe by then, Skye would have reemerged from her van.

 

0-0-0-0-0

 

Steve was cooling down from his gym time when Clint ran into the gym looking panicked.

“Shit, Steve. I looked everywhere. She's gone.” Clint rambled quickly. Steve's mouth quirked up at his panic.

“Clint, she's okay.” Steve replied calmly.

“Don't fucking tell me that! I don't know what Tony has been telling you, but she isn't just going to fucking stay. Jesus, Steve, did you hear me?” Clint yelled, shaking Steve by his shoulders. Steve smiled and stopped Clint from shaking him.

“She's in her van. Lock down mode.” Steve told him firmly, but kindly. He certainly understood his friend's panic.

“Why the fuck is she in her van?” Clint yelled, tossing his hands up. “Do you know how easily she could just drive away?”

“Tony has the keys.” Steve rebutted.

“Like she can't figure out how to hot wire her van.” Clint dismissed.

“She wouldn't ruin her van like that,” Steve snorted.

“I want to know how she got to her van,” Tasha added softly, stepping into the gym.

“Don't let...damn...Simmons. Don't let Simmons find out.” Steve frowned.

“It's Hermione.” Clint grinned, elbowing Steve cheerfully. “Can we go check? I would feel a hell of a lot better if we checked.”

“Sure,” Steve agreed, pretending like he was doing Clint a favor. Tasha chuckled lightly at his response. He wanted to confirm Skye's presence just as much as Clint did.

“And then breakfast, because I'm fucking starving.” Clint added.

“Maybe we should hide from Tony today,” Tasha muttered. “He's going to be impossible. Apparently yesterday didn't count because Skye was asleep.”

“Jack did show me the cloaking device,” Steve shrugged, leading the assassins from the gym.

“Wait, they have a cloaking device?” Clint asked, rushing up to Steve's elbow.

“Duh. How do you think Jack got away in a giant, blue van?” Steve retorted, smirking with pride that he knew something Clint didn't.

“Does that mean you figured out how Skye got out, smart stuff?” Clint retorted easily.

“Yes,” Steve lied easily. “But it's a secret.”

“You're terrible.” Tasha laughed, stepping off the elevator with the other two. She practically skipped over to the van and tapped lightly on the door.

“You guys are awful.” Skye called tiredly. “Who panicked first?”

“Clint.” Tasha and Steve replied instantly.

“Like Steve didn't panic.” Clint huffed, crossing his arms.

“I didn't panic!” Steve defended. “I just asked Jarvis.”

“Oh, yeah, cause she can't control every aspect of Jarvis' day.” Clint shot back.

“Boys.” Skye sighed. Tasha opened the side of the van, revealing a very tired Skye.

“Christ, how long have you been up?” Tasha asked, climbing into the van with Skye. Skye set a tablet aside and let Tasha under her blanket.

“I'm almost ready for bed.” Skye shrugged.

“Night owl.” Steve murmured, putting the pieces together. She had confessed it to Steven – she didn't like sleeping at night. They always caught up to them at night. She smiled her agreement, so he smiled back, “We're just heading to breakfast. Would you like something before bed?”

“I'll try something.” Skye nodded, looking considerably more chipper. She had braced herself, like they were going to be angry with her. She visibly relaxed at Steve's smile. Did she think he was going to yell at her?

“We can make you a protein shake.” Clint offered. “If nothing else, that'll come back up easier than something solid.”

“Gross,” Skye muttered, crinkling her nose in disgust.

“Why are you hiding a gun under your blanket!” Tasha asked, exasperated. Skye winced but didn't explain. She just shoved the gun under the pillow on her bunk.

“Skye, I know you don't believe us, but you're safe here.” Steve told her seriously.

“Although, technically, you would be safer if you were with...say...a super soldier – if anything were ever to happen.” Clint chimed in helpfully. Skye giggled lightly at the look Steve gave Clint.

“He's got a point. The garage is kind of isolated.” Tasha agreed, hooking her arm under Skye's knees to pull her from the van.

“Can't I walk?” Skye whined.

“How did you get here?” Tasha replied.

“Can I show you?” Skye grinned.

“Are you going to hurt yourself?”

“No! No, I promise. No feet necessary.” Skye hurried to reassure.

“This I have to see.” Clint smirked. Skye returned his smirk playfully.

“Might not make it as far this time.” Skye warned. “I'm tired.”

“Why don't you just let me help you, until you've slept?” Steve asked, shaking his head.

“No, thanks.” Skye replied flippantly. “I can definitely make it to the elevator.”

“After you,” Clint murmured, waving an arm towards the destination. Skye grinned and pushed herself to the edge of the van.

“Stop frowning, Steve.” Skye giggled, falling forward from the van.

“Shit, Skye!” Clint cursed, stepping forward to catch her. Skye found her balance, then straightened her legs above her head. Without further ado, she walked on her hands to the elevator.

“You've got to be kidding me.” Steve muttered, following Skye. “This is easier than being carried?”

“You bet it is,” Skye smirked. Her face was turning red from being upside down, but her smile was genuine. “Tasha, can I ride you up?”

“Only if I can watch,” Clint smirked. Steve elbowed him in the side, stepping aside so Tasha could get closer to Skye. She adjusted herself, backing her body up to Tasha's back. She dropped her legs over Tasha's shoulders and pulled herself up onto the assassin's shoulders. Tasha braced her by holding her knees. Skye giggled at Steve and Clint's expressions. She was hunched over, because the elevator was too short for her to sit straight. She rested her chin on Tasha's head.

“I think I'm better.” Skye smiled.

“Says the crazy lady walking around on her hands!” Clint argued. Steve just smiled and shook his head. He knew what Skye was telling him.

“You promised the lady a protein shake,” Tasha reminded Clint, stepping off the elevator. “Skye, do you like peanut butter? Clint makes a mean peanut butter protein shake.”

“Oh, yes please.” Skye grinned, straightening up on Tasha's shoulders. She looked over at Steve and sniffed distainfully. “Short stuff.”

“The two of you _together_ are barely taller than me!” Steve laughed.

“But we wouldn't need to break a sweat to kick your bottom.” Skye said succelently.

“Bottom.” Clint laughed from the other side of the bar.

“Steve, wanna grab her?” Tasha asked, bending down slightly.

“Trust fall!” Skye giggled, toppling over backwards. Steve caught her easily and set her at one of the bar stools.

“You're impossible.” Steve murmured into her ear, running his hand down her back.

“Gotta show you my worst before you get all...attached.” Skye replied, waving her hands around vaguely.

“Is that what it's going to take to make you feel better about this?” Steve asked softly.

“Clint, let me help you with that.” Tasha said loudly, stepping away from the pair. Steve and Skye both shot her an exasperated look at her obviousness. When Skye didn't respond to Steve's question, he tried again.

“If we're still here after you show us your worst, will you stay?” Steve asked again, rephrasing his question. Skye shrugged. She was clearly uncomfortable being called out; she didn't intend to make this into a conversation. Steve frowned but pulled Skye in for a hug. “You can try your worst. I'll still be here. Remember, I lived with your brother for two weeks.”

“Jack's not that bad.” Skye laughed, taking his offering with gratitude.

“He's not.” Steve agreed. “But you're far less...bad?”

“The grammar police are gonna come after you,” Skye teased.

“I'm not afraid of grammar police,” Steve laughed lightly. He tapped the watch on Skye's left wrist. “I thought you had yours on when you were taken?”

“I did.” Skye nodded. “This is a spare. Well, more like a prototype. I always have one on. I'm afraid it's kind of like a security blanket. I feel better knowing I have tools at my disposal.”

“You'll have to show me sometime.” Steve smiled.

“Okay,” Skye grinned, hiding a yawn beneath her hand.

“All I'm asking is where you ended up!” Simmons sighed, stepping off the elevator. Fitz's answer was cut off by the loud whirring of the blender. Skye turned to Steve, excitement clear on her face.

“I forgot to tell you.” Skye whispered. “I heard Fitz and Jack talking last night.”

“Oh yeah?” Steve smiled. “Anything interesting to share?”

“Nah, I wasn't listening.” Skye shrugged. “I didn't hear Fitz leave though.”

“Oh.” Steve replied. Then he placed Simmons' voice asking Fitz where he ended up and it clicked. “OH!”

“Are you going to answer me?” Simmons said firmly, crossing her arms.

“Save him,” Skye whispered, nodding her head towards the two. Fitz had one hand on his hip and looked decidedly uncomfortable.

“I called Fitz away this morning.” Steve called to Simmons. “I needed his help.”

“With what?” Simmons frowned.

“That, ma'am, is between Fitz and me.” Steve replied with a similar frown. She seemed to realize she was putting herself where she didn't belong and flushed.

“Sorry, sir.” She said softly.

“Quite alright.” Steve replied. Fitz all but ran to Skye and him, taking advantage of Simmons' distraction.

“Christ.” Fitz muttered, slipping between Skye and the counter.

“That's a terrible hiding spot,” Skye told him softly. He winced and met her eye, relaxing visibly when he saw her warm smile.

“But it's a safe one?” Fitz replied, smiling softly.

“Oh, I will definitely keep you safe.” Skye replied, tossing her arm around his shoulders. “On the condition that I get a hug.”

“You can have as many bloody hugs as you want, as long as you keep her off my back.” Fitz replied dully, wrapping his arms around Skye's middle. 

"Would she have an issue with it?" Skye asked softly, trying not to frown.

"I don't know. I don't want to know, not yet." Fitz winced, as if he was remembering he was talking to Jack's sister. Skye just smiled and nodded her understanding.

“We will need to make a cover story,” Steve said softly. “Just in case.”

“Hey,” Jack called, stepping off the elevator. Skye shook her head quickly, catching the gleam in his eye. Obviously Fitz wasn't as comfortable telling everyone as Jack was. To his credit, Jack caught on quickly and abandoned his train of thought. “Good morning everyone. Sissy, what are you doing up?”

“I'm going to bed.” Skye replied tiredly. Jack helped himself to the stool on the other side of Skye. He and Fitz exchanged a soft smile.

“After drinking my masterpiece.” Clint interjected, setting the protein shake in front of Skye. He pushed a straw into the drink, grinning proudly.

“Thank you,” Skye smiled. Clint waited, watching Skye. She glanced around, unsure what he was waiting for.

“It's better in your mouth.” Clint said finally. Fitz and Jack dissolved into giggles. Even Steve cracked a smile. Clint groaned and smashed his hand against his face. “God. I'm surrounded by children.”

“You're a filthy hypocrite.” Tasha muttered.

“Nah, horny adults.” Skye chuckled, taking a sip of Clint's shake. “Oh, God. This is delicious.”

“Thank you,” Clint smiled.

“Can I have another one later?” Skye asked taking another sip. “Or...the recipe? Can I have the recipe?”

“That implies there is a recipe.” Tasha murmured from behind Clint.

“I just kind of eyeball it.” Clint shrugged. “But I will make you as many as you want.”

“You're my favorite today.” Skye grinned. Clint laughed and punched his fist in the air.

“I beat Steve!” Clint chortled, dancing in place.

“Beat me?” Steve asked, smiling.

“Well, yeah. I was her favorite yesterday.” Tony smirked, strolling into the room. His hair was almost straight up, making Skye frown.

“What have you been doing?” She asked softly.

“Could ask you the same thing sweetheart.” Tony replied, pushing Steve over so he could give Skye a hug. “Jarvis alerted me to your night time activities.”

“I didn't leave.” Skye reminded him, giving him a tight squeeze back.

“You scared me.”

“You worry too much.”

“Too much?” Tony snorted. “With you, there is no such thing.”

“I beg to disagree.”

“Did you clear this diet with Doctor Banner?” Simmons asked, watching Skye idly sipping on the shake.

“It's been cleared.” Skye nodded.

“With who?” Simmons asked, narrowing her eyes. Skye grinned and took another drink.

“Me.”

“You're not a doctor.” Simmons said firmly.

“I think she's okay to make judgement calls about food,” Tony sighed, pressing bread into the toaster. Jack and Fitz exchanged a smirk. Steve raised his eyebrow at them, but they both shook their heads. Skye missed the exchange.

“Archer, I'm not going to hurt your feelings if I don't drink this whole thing...will I?”

“Skye, you drink as much or as little as you like.” Clint replied. “I will be much more offended if you puke all over the kitchen.”

“Yeah. No puking!” Fitz added, nodding firmly.

“Can I save it for later?” Skye smiled.

“Course. I'll stick it in the fridge.” Clint grinned. “You ready for bed?”

“Hmm, few more minutes.” Skye replied, stifling a yawn.

“As long as you don't fall off the stool,” Clint replied, smiling warmly at her. Tasha snorted.

“Steve has fast reflexes.”

“What the fuck did you do to my toaster?” Tony groaned, pulling his breakfast out of the toaster. Skye started laughing, which set the whole kitchen off. “It's not funny.”

“I wonder who did it?” Skye asked, seeing Jack's name burned into the side of his toast.

“I wonder.” Tony replied dryly. Fitz and Jack exchanged a subtle high five.

“Fitz!” Simmons sighed, sounding disappointed. “It's very bad manners to tamper with our host's things.”

“Simmons, relax.” Tony sighed. “They'll get what's coming to them.”

“Oh yeah, old man?” Jack retorted, still laughing at how well his name had transferred over.

“Yeah.” Tony replied, turning to get a coffee mug. “When you least expect it.”

“Can I get a picture with you and your toast?” Jack asked, grinning.

“No! You may not!” Tony replied instantly.

“Ready for bed now?” Steve asked softly. Skye was drifting off in her chair, absently watching the interaction between Tony and Jack.

“Okay.” Skye nodded.

“Can I take you?” Steve asked. Skye seemed to take stock of herself and sighed softly.

“Probably a good idea.” She wrapped her arms around Steve's neck. “Night, everyone.”

“Good night,” Her friends chorused. Tony made a point of peeking out the window.

“It's like...5am.” Tony pointed out.

“You do the same thing, Dad.” Skye retorted. “At least mine is on purpose.”

“Later, Tony.” Steve smiled, taking Skye from the room. “Jarvis, my floor please.”

“Thank you for taking me,” Skye yawned.

“It's absolutely no problem.” Steve replied. Skye nodded and rubbed her face on Steve's shoulder.

“You're very good to me.”

“Good night, doll.” Steve murmured, setting her down on his bed. He was careful not to jostle the little boy that was still sleeping in his bed. He would be up soon.

“Can we go to the park later? Just for a little bit?” Skye yawned, adjusting until she was comfortable.

“Sure thing,” Steve replied, smiling at her fondly. She was asleep by the time he had her covered. He pressed a kiss to her forehead and headed back upstairs for breakfast.

 

0-0-0-0-0

 

“Dude, I think she sleeps all the time.” Steven announced to the kitchen. It was less than an hour later. Skye had woken when Steven did, but he convinced her to go back to sleep while he headed upstairs for breakfast.

“Nah, she actually doesn't sleep very much.” Jack replied around his mug of coffee. “She's just sleeping a lot because she's healing. I would bet she's going to go back to her sleepless ways here soon. She's doing a lot better.”

“And scary fast too.” Fitz commented, pushing the last of his cereal around his bowl.

“Very fast.” Steven nodded. “I wish I could heal up that fast.”

“Well, if we do our job right, you won't get hurt any more.” Jack commented, smiling warmly at the little boy.

“There are lots of ways to get hurt.” Steven shrugged. “Where's Steve?”

“On his run,” Tony answered, coming back into the kitchen for a refill on his coffee. “Why, you looking for something to do?”

“I'm always looking for something to do!” Steven grinned. “But...can I eat first?”

“They didn't feed you?” Tony sighed, giving Jack a pointed look.

“Tony would love to make you some toast.” Jack offered, smirking.

“There's that.” Fitz agreed with a shoulder shrug.

“What's with the toast?” Steven asked, narrowing his eyes at Jack.

“Toast it is!” Jack replied, jumping up from his spot.

“He should be your least favorite uncle.” Tony sighed.

 

0-0-0-0-0

 

“Park?” Skye asked, hopefully. She was still in the process of towel drying her hair.

“Simmons is going to freak when she finds out you've showered.” Steve smirked, leaning against the open door frame. Skye was standing in front of his vanity, which was strictly forbidden, but she didn't look uncomfortable so Steve let it go.

“She'll get over it.” Skye grinned, catching Steve's eye through the mirror. Tasha had brought her some new clothes to wear, swearing they would go clothes shopping as soon as she felt up to it.

“Will she?” Steve smirked.

“Probably. At least I used my shower chair again. I checked my scabs. They're all fallen off, but naturally. No water damage.” Skye smiled. “Are you still up for a trip to the park? I need some vitamin D.”

“I bet Bruce has some pills.” Steve smirked.

“No!” Skye sighed dramatically. “I need sunlight. Please. Face Plant, please?”

“You already know I'm going to take you.” Steve laughed. “But, to be clear, you're not walking around.”

“Are you a doctor, too?” Skye frowned.

“Yes. Doctor Rogers.” Steve nodded.

“Ugh, you suck.”

“Carried to the park or vitamin D from Dr. Banner.” Steve shrugged.

“Those aren't even good choices!” Skye huffed good naturedly.

“I was always told to give two options that I would be okay with.” Steve grinned.

“That's for children!”

“I'm okay carrying you and I'm okay leaving you here.”

“Fine!” Skye sighed, tossing the towel down. “You win.”

“Jarvis, you recorded that, right?” Steve asked, grinning.

“Yes, Mr. Rogers.”

“Great. Is Steven still in archery practice with Clint?”

“Yes, Mr. Rogers.”

“If he asks, we'll be back in a little while. I'll have my phone, if anything comes up.”

“You worry too much,” Skye smiled.

“Can't help it.” Steve smiled back. “I always worry about the people I care about.”

“I used to be able to count on one hand the people I care about.” Skye replied softly.

“You're not alone anymore,” Steve replied back, tentatively wrapping his arms around her waist. She ducked her head, embarrassed, but peeked up through her eyelashes to catch his eye in the mirror again.

“I don't think I know how to _not_ be alone.” Skye replied, leaning back slightly into Steve's chest.

“I'll teach you,” Steve offered, smiling.

“You can teach me anything you like.” Skye smirked. “So long as we do it at the park.”

“You just want out.”

“Yes.” Skye replied instantly. “But not to run.”

“You wouldn't make it very far.”

“I would make it farther than last time.”

“You let me catch you?”

“Of course I did, silly man.” Skye snorted. “You had Jack. I needed in. You escorting me was way easier than trying to hack in.”

“We're going to test that theory, when you're better.” Steve chuckled. There was no way she was faster than him. He _was_ Captain America, after all.

“Eh, there are other things I want to do first.” Skye admitted, biting her lip.

“If I took care of that now, would you be up to a race in a few days?” Steve asked, twisting Skye in his arms. He lifted her easily onto the bathroom sink, bringing her closer to his eye level. Skye swallowed hard.

“I'm totally up for beating you.” Skye nodded, trying to be snarky but failing.

“That means you're feeling better?” Steve confirmed, bracing himself on opposite sides of Skye's body. Skye made a weird squeak in the back of her throat. She cleared it quickly, nodding her agreement. Steve inched his face closer to hers, looking for any sign of discomfort. “Does that mean I should follow through with my promise?”

“You can try.” Skye croaked. Steve grinned and closed the distance between them. Tony was right. If he wanted to kiss her, he needed to just do it. Her hands came up to cup his face, caressing his skin, and he couldn't help but smile and push into her hands. She rubbed her nose against his, taking a breath of his exhaled air. “Hmm, on second thought...maybe we should race first.”

“You're teasing, right?” Steve asked, holding back a disappointed groan. Skye grinned and cocked her head at him.

“I'm just not _sure_ that I'm completely better yet.”

“Is this payback?” Steve groaned.

“You started it.” Skye smirked. She leaned forward and pressed a kiss to his cheek. “But I fully intend to finish it.”

 

0-0-0-0-0

 

“Where did you want to go, doll?” Steve asked, watching Skye as she assessed their surroundings. He fought a frown at her vigilance. She needed to relax. He could take care of her while they were out.

“My park. Please.” Skye grinned, running a fingertip down Steve's ear. He grunted and rubbed his ear on his shoulder.

“I'm going to drop you if you keep doing that.”

“I'll tell Simmons on you,” Skye giggled. “You would be in so much trouble.”

“You wouldn't get hurt from this tiny drop.” Steve retorted.

“She wouldn't know that.” Skye laughed. “I can play up my injuries.”

“Skylar Elizabeth!” Steve gasped, pretending to be shocked. “I expected more out of you.”

“Hmm, then I guess you better not drop me, huh?”

“Is this you at your worst?” Steve teased. “Cause I'm not running.”

“Oh, honey.” Skye sighed. “You haven't seen anything yet.”

“Okay, that worries me a little bit.” Steve admitted, smiling softly.

“Smart man.” Skye smirked. “For serious though, you're allowed to run. Rather, you're allowed to let me run.”

“Not going to happen.” Steve retorted instantly. He winced and corrected himself. “I'm, _we're_ , not going to force you to stay with us...but we really, really, really, really would like you to.”

“Really?” Skye asked, and Steve couldn't tell if she was teasing him for his excessive use of _really_ or if she was actually asking.

“Especially me.” He replied softly. “Tony comes in a close second. Family is very important to him...but he doesn't have any. You are more important to him than almost any other person. Our team included.”

“Not Pepper.” Skye whispered.

“That's different and you know it.” Steve replied, pressing a kiss to her temple.

“I don't understand _why_.” Skye commented. “I haven't known you guys for very long. Really, no time at all.”

“You make very strong first impressions.” Steve grinned. “To be fair, Tony was super annoyed with you at first. I guess he was in his suit when the twerking Iron Man got on his screen. He said he almost crashed.”

“He didn't!” Skye asked, looking shocked.

“He did.” Steve confirmed. “But he saw how you were with Jack. He liked how protective you were of him. And, it goes without saying, considering he offered you a job, but he was really impressed with your skills. But what really did him in, I think, was your sense of humor.”

“He didn't find our theme music amusing.” Skye pointed out.

“I beg to differ.” Steve replied, finally arriving at “Skye's Park.”

“He didn't!”

“He did. Even Jack saw it.” Steve nodded firmly. “I was still mad, but even I found it amusing. Aside from my own song, of course.”

“Of course.” Skye agreed, smirking. “Why were you mad?”

“I had this...crush...on you.” Steve stuttered. “I was going to ask you out, but then Tony hit the alert because Jack had put up Humping Man and I had to go...”

“You were going to ask _me_ out?” Skye squeaked.

“You don't understand how unique you are, Skye. You're so totally different from other people. It explains why we are so taken with you.” Steve nodded.

“You were mad?” Skye whispered. “At me?”

“I thought you were a terrorist.” Steve admitted softly. There was a beat where Skye processed his words, then she started laughing. After a second, Steve joined her in quiet laughter.

“A _terrorist_?” Skye laughed, smacking his chest lightly. “A terrorist!”

“Why else would you hack Tony? Why would you know _how_ to hack Tony?” Steve chuckled.

“I'm not a terrorist.” Skye laughed. “Are you still mad at me?”

“I was done being mad before you left the building.” Steve reassured. “Heck, before we even left the interrogation room.”

“Is that why you let me kiss you?” Skye asked shyly.

“Not the only reason why...” Steve murmured.

“I didn't really give you a chance to say no.” Skye muttered, looking embarrassed.

“Don't worry, I wouldn't have declined you anyway.” Steve laughed. “I remember being an active participant in that kiss.”

“You picked me up.” Skye grumbled.

“You should be used to that by now.” Steve laughed.

“Psh, yeah I should.” Skye snorted. “I can't wait until I can walk again.”

“Tree?” Steve asked, wandering over anyway.

“Aw, you remembered my tree.” Skye cooed, ducking Steve's chin lightly.

“This is where we had your memorial.” Steve admitted softly. “Jack said you wouldn't want a funeral. Not that we had a body to bury anyway.”

“Oh Jesus. I bet you guys were all sorts of sappy.” Skye groaned, turning the confession into a joke. Steve smiled knowingly, seeing past her humor. She didn't want to talk about her memorial. He was more than glad to oblige her; he didn't want to talk about it either. Steve settled at the base of the tree, keeping Skye on his lap. Skye sprawled out on top of him, her back to his chest, throwing her arms and legs out to catch as much sunlight as possible.

“Okay.” Skye sighed softly. “Now I can die happy.”

“Let's leave the dying part alone, huh?” Steve chuckled.

“For now.” Skye laughed, nodding her agreement.

After a moment of silence, Skye twisted her face up to look at Steve. His head was resting against the tree and his eyes were closed. He looked like he was enjoying the sun as much as she was. The only difference between their positions was that Steve had one arm wrapped around her waist. He cracked his eyes open to peer down at her, smiling softly.

“So...you had a crush on me, huh?” Skye asked softly. She couldn't help the teasing smirk on her face. Steve laughed loudly.

“That implies it was past tense.” Steve smirked back.

“Still?” Skye asked, blushing despite her best attempts.

“I really would think that's obvious.” Steve replied, running his finger down her red cheeks.

“You're not just teasing?” Skye asked softly.

“I would never toy with your affections.” Steve replied seriously. “Assuming, of course, you decided to share them with me.”

“Share my affections with Captain America?” Skye giggled. “I'm not sure the groupies would like that very much.”

“First, Skye...” Steve said, pulling her closer to his chest. “I don't give a rat's behind what anybody thinks – much less my “groupies”. Secondly, I'm not asking you to share with Captain America. I would, however, very much like to get to know you better, as Steve.”

“Captain America is a bit of a hard ass.” Skye nodded, mulling over his words. She smiled up shyly at Steve. “I think I would like to get to know Steve.”

“Yeah?” Steve confirmed.

“Yeah.” Skye nodded. Steve hummed contently and rested his head back on the tree. Skye looked around the park, noticing the groups of people that were clustered around them. She wasn't familiar with any of them. She had been gone from her park for too long. Skye laughed lightly against Steve's chest.

“What are you laughing at, crazy?” Steve asked, not opening his eyes.

“You're going to have to get used to being in trouble, if you're getting to know me.” Skye laughed. “I get into lots of trouble.”

“Huh. Surprisingly, that is something I already figured out about you.” Steve teased.

“Can we prank Tony again?” Skye grinned.

“I was always told there is no such thing as stupid questions.” Steve commented dryly. “You have just proven all those people wrong.”

“Hey!” Skye laughed, smacking his thigh. “That hurts.”

“Of course we can prank Tony.” Steve laughed. “Clint and I already have one planned.”

“With me?”

“Oh, no. I'm not going to tell you what it is. I want to see your face.”

“But...but...” Skye pouted, pushing her lip out dramatically. Steve laughed and flicked her lip lightly.

“It'll be tonight. You won't have to wait long.”

“I didn't get Tony anything.” Skye mused out loud, tugging her lip between her teeth.

“He loved the pillow, if it makes you feel any better.” Steve offered. Skye perked up at that.

“Dude, who knew sewing was so effing hard!”

“Aren't you supposed to use a thimble to keep from stabbing yourself?”

“Well, smarty pants,” Skye sassed. “I didn't _have_ a thimble.”

“Maybe you should get one.” Steve teased, bopping her nose.

“You can get me one next time I decide to make a sewing project.” Skye laughed.

“You're a cheap date.”

“I'm very resourceful when it comes to fun.” Skye nodded.

“Are you going to let me take you out on a date?” Steve asked, checking the area around them for ease droppers. Skye seemed unusually alert to their surroundings.

Skye shrugged, averting her eyes. “I don't need it.”

“You don't need a date?” Steve asked, raising his eyebrow.

“No. I don't need anything special.”

“You're special.” Steve smiled, twisting Skye in his lap. She tucked her legs up against his side and rested her head on his chest. He pressed a kiss to the top of her head and wrapped his long arms around her. Despite the warm day, she still felt a little chilled. “So, _if I wanted to_ , I could take you on a date?”

“Like...a date date? Like getting all dressed up and formal and spending too much money?” Skye asked, crinkling her nose.

“I'm taking that as a no.” Steve laughed, “What if it's _not_ a “getting all dressed up and formal and spending too much money” date?”

“Okay.” Skye grinned, peeking up at Steve.

“Yeah?”

“Yeah.”

“I've heard paintball is fun.” Steve mused.

“I've never played.” Skye replied.

“I bet you could beat all of us. Maybe we should save that for a group activity. It will be more fun with teams.”

“I don't know about beating you.”

“Okay, all but Clint.” Steve amended.

“Still no.”

“Why not?” Steve laughed. “They won't hold hard feelings. Okay, well, Tony might. He will pout.”

“I've never shot a gun before.” Skye shrugged.

“You have a gun in your van!” Steve gaped.

“It's not loaded. Never used it. It looks scary though.”

“How come you've never shot a gun?”

“No one ever taught me to.” Skye shrugged. “Besides, I'm a little scared of them.”

“Cause you got shot?” Steve asked, tapping her shoulder.

“God, Jack has a big mouth.” Skye sighed.

“He was justifying the reason behind your tattoo.” Steve replied, squeezing her tighter for a minute. “I can teach you to shoot. If you want to. I mean, obviously you've managed just fine without weapons training...but if you _wanted_ to...I could teach you.”

“Hmm, I'll keep that one on the back burner.” Skye smiled, dodging the offer.

“You just say the word.” Steve agreed. “I can see why you like this park so much.”

“I'm comfortable here.” Skye smiled. “I can see people coming. There's cover. Not too busy, so I can reduce collateral damage if anyone comes for us. Easy exits into alleys and shops...”

“You only like coming here because tactically it's safe?” Steve interrupted with a frown.

“Well, I mean...the park itself is pretty awesome, too.” Skye replied softly, ducking her head. “At least if you're around I'll have some backup.” Skye joked.

“Sometimes you need to be able to relax.” Steve muttered.

“Hey, you may have been born first, but I've lived longer than you.” Skye told Steve with a raised eyebrow and a finger in his chest. “Don't go telling me how to relax.”

“Maybe you're too old and you don't know how.” Steve laughed. His phone buzzed loudly, making him roll his eyes and Skye laugh.

**Your child is moping around the Tower**

Steve sighed and showed Skye the text from Tony. Skye laughed and shook her head.

“He's probably not even moping.”

“I would be very surprised if he were.” Steve agreed. “We should probably get back though.”

“But it's so nice.” Skye groaned, stretching her arms up to soak up more sun.

“Five more minutes,” Steve compromised, texting Tony back to let him know they would head back.

“Six and you have a deal.” Skye grinned, peeking up at Steve again.

“Fine.” Steve laughed. “But if Steven dies of mope-dom, you're responsible.”

“I would be more worried about Tony trying to cure said mope-dom.”

“Oh, God. We have to go. We have to go now.” Steve groaned, picking Skye up as he did.

“No!” Skye giggled. “It hasn't been six minutes.”

“Nope, you brought up Tony. Your fault and you know it.” Steve retorted, shifting Skye in his arms as he walked.

“Stupid Tony.” Skye grumbled lightly.

 

 

 


	24. She threatened me first!

 

 

“I'm bored!” Skye and Steven moaned at the same time. They grinned at each other, then laughed at their synchronization. Steve groaned and rubbed his eyes. He really needed to get his solid four hours in that night.

“What do you want to do?”

“Walk.” Skye admitted, pursing her mouth. “Go convince Simmons that I can walk.”

“Your feet are all cracky though,” Steven interjected.

“Who's side are you on?” Skye asked gasping in fake betrayal.

“Yours.” Steven grinned, cozying up under her arm. “Always yours. But you're important to me, and that means that I need to make sure you're not hurt.”

“You're laying the guilt trip on thick here,” Skye muttered dryly. Steven peeked up at her and smiled winningly.

“That's what Steve told me when I didn't want to go to the doctor.”

“Hmm, should have picked up on that.” Skye groaned, rolling her eyes at Steve. He was on the opposite couch, letting Steven have some time with Skye. Steve grinned and shrugged.

“It's the truth.”

“Note to you two,” Skye smiled, tapping Steven on the nose. “I don't take being mother henned very well.”

“Then it's a good thing I'm a rooster!” Steven laughed jumping up on the couch, crowing like a rooster. Tony walked in mid-jump and cocked his head at the small boy acting like a rooster.

“Do I even want to know?”

“Cock-a-doodle-doo!”

“You gave him ice cream, didn't you?” Steve dead panned.

“No. It's my birthday, so _I_ had ice cream.” Tony replied, shrugging. “It's not my fault I couldn't eat it all.”

“Happy _honorary_ Birthday,” Skye giggled, holding her arms out for a hug. “Again?”

Steve still couldn't get over how tactile Tony could be with Skye. If anyone else wanted a hug from him, Steve could only imagine his response. Pepper, of course, was the exception – Pepper and Steven. Tony plopped himself down on the couch next to Skye, dropping his arm around her.

“As birthday boy, I get to pick the movie.” Tony announced grandly.

“We may need to go burn some energy beforehand. I don't think we're going to get him to settle down.” Steve muttered.

“Well, if Clint had trained him _properly_ ,” Skye said extra loudly, “He would have burned more energy during his archery practice today.”

“Properly?” A disembodied voice asked from above them. The vent dropped open, revealing Clint's annoyed face. “I'll have you know that I am an excellent trainer.”

“Yes. I can see that. I would like to enter into evidence: Rooster Boy.” Skye grinned, waving a hand at Steven, who was _still_ jumping on the couch.

“Oye, Rooster Boy.” Clint called.

“Hi-ya, Vent Man...Guy...dude?” Steven called back. Skye chortled lightly at the nickname.

“Did you learn anything during archery practice today?”

“You wouldn't even let me hold the bow!” Steven retorted. Skye pressed her lips together and glanced up at Clint. Clint shot her an unimpressed look and turned back to Steven.

“Yeah, but did you _learn_ anything?”

“I already know about physics.” Steven shrugged. He glanced down at Skye. “Apparently, it has a name though. Archer's paradox.”

“See! He learned the name!”

“Yeah, Archer. That's going to be very useful if he's ever on Jeopardy.”

“Ugh. Steven, you didn't learn anything?” Clint sighed, lowering himself out of the vent.

“Um...” Steven frowned, falling onto the couch to think. “I learned that you make this face when you're trying not to laugh.” Steven twisted his face to resemble Clint's amused expression. “And you get frustrated when I...”

“Steven.” Skye interrupted, effectively stopping him. “Come here.”

A look of fear flashed across his face for half a heartbeat, then was gone. Steven hurried to her, settling himself gently on her lap when prompted. Skye pulled him close, wrapping her arms around him. Then she started talking to him in the mash-up.

Steve frowned, wondering which unspoken rule they had broken this time. He was suddenly very glad Skye was here, more glad than he was before, because the boy obviously adored her and she was good at talking him through things. He wasn't sure how he would have handled the boy otherwise. It wasn't like he was projecting his issues – with the exception of the whole tickling occurrence. Skye had stopped it before it could get bad, though. He didn't want to know what Steven would look like in full panic mode.

Tony looked up at Clint mouthing _what did you do_? Clint shrugged. No one knew. Steven started replying to Skye in the same language; It was clear that the boy wasn't as fluent as Skye. His words were slower, better enunciated. Steve could catch a few of the words the boy used, he had picked up on a little bit of French and German during the war, but not enough that he knew what was going on between Skye and his kid. Occasionally, he would point over his shoulder to point at Steve or Tony. When Steven started crying, Skye shooed them from the room discreetly. The boy was ashamed of his tears – he was hiding his face in Skye's neck.

The three filed from the room like three teens leaving the principal's office.

“What are we doing tonight?” Steve asked.

“Meh, you know me. I don't need much.” Tony shrugged. Clint and Steve exchanged a look and then burst out laughing. “That hurts guys.”

“That's the falsest thing I've ever heard in my whole life.” Clint giggled. “And I'm a spy.”

“Okay, but really. What are we doing?” Steve chuckled.

“Just a quiet dinner at home.” Tony shrugged.

“What about when Skye gets better?” Steve smirked.

“Well, then we will have to reassess the situation, now won't we?” Tony grinned.

“Yeah, that sounds more like the Tony I know.” Clint laughed.

“So what do you think we did?” Steve asked into the silence. Two pairs of shoulders bobbed up and down.

“You didn't do anything.” Jack answered, walking into Tony's lab with Fitz in tow.

“Are you sure?” Steve asked, frowning. “Something happened.” Jack cocked his head and blinked slowly at Steve.

“She's explaining a few things.” Jack said cryptically.

“Like what?” Steve prompted. Jack hesitated, glancing at Fitz like he could give the answer. Fitz looked just as perplexed as Steve. “Look, Jack. If he's going to live with me, if he's going to be mine, _my kid_ , then I need to know how to help him.”

“You want me to be yours?” Steven asked softly. The elevator doors were open, revealing Skye and Steven. His face was still tear tracked and his eyes were puffy, but he didn't appear to be crying any more. Skye was standing behind him, resting her hands lightly on his shoulders.

“Of course, I do!” Steve replied immediately. Steven rushed forward, all but tackling Steve.

“Why are you on your feet!” Tony half shouted at Skye, giving the two Steves a minute of privacy.

“Just a little bit?” Skye replied, trying to mask her sad smile. Tony rushed over and hauled her over his shoulder. Jack wheeled a chair over and Tony dumped her on it unceremoniously. “I'm fine.”

“It's my birthday and that means you have to do what I say.” Tony told Skye, wagging a finger in her face. She smirked and tried to bite his finger. Tony snatched his finger away, looking scandalized.

“She almost got you old man.” Clint chuckled, crossing his arms.

“Yeah. _Old man_.” Skye added, smirking. The sass in her tone was nearly tangible. Tony opened and closed his mouth, trying and failing to come up with a response. Skye grinned at Clint. “I'm hungry. Can you wheel me back up to your protein shake?”

“Can I take a chair too?” Clint grinned. “We can race after you eat something.”

“Oh, you're so on.” Skye laughed, eagerly agreeing.

“Dibs on Steve.” Clint called loudly.

“Dibs?” Skye giggled.

“Yeah, for a pusher.” Clint clarified. “It's not like you can push yourself. We can each have a pusher. I call Steve.”

“Dad, you gonna be my pusher?” Skye asked, grinning up at Tony from the chair. They stepped onto the elevator, moving over so Fitz and Jack could join them. They had silently agreed to give Steve a minute alone with his boy.

“Eh, I've got some stuff...”

“...first, you can't work on your birthday, honorary or not.” Skye interrupted, looking sternly at Tony. “Second, I'll help you with hacking, if that's your work. If it's that important, we can get it done fast and then enjoy the rest of today. Third...”

“Okay! Fine. You win.” Tony sighed, throwing up his hands. Skye grinned and wiggled her butt in the chair, grinning up at Tony. He couldn't keep his exasperated expression on his face though, and laughed with her. “You're impossible.”

“I've been hearing that a lot lately.” Skye smirked. “I think you guys might be easier to break than you care to admit.”

“We live with Tony.” Clint drawled. “We're not that easy.”

“Hey!” Tony huffed. “It's my birthday. Doesn't that mean you have to be nice to me?”

“Only if you make me win.” Skye bargained, smirking.

“Hey Ward, Trip.” Clint grinned, pushing his chair and pulling Skye behind him into the kitchen. “When did you get in?”

“An hour ago,” Trip replied.

“I can't see!” Skye complained. She twisted and grinned at the two men in the kitchen. She knew who they were, of course, but she hadn't really had a chance to meet them yet. Clint spun her chair towards the men. “Agents.” Skye said formally, bowing slightly from the waist.

“Hacker.” Trip replied easily, returning her bow. Skye's eyes lit up.

“Oh, you're fun. I like you.”

“Antoine Triplett, at your service.” Trip grinned.

“Skye. Would you service me to a stool, please?” Skye asked, trying to hide her shy blush. She knew asking for help was easier when done flippantly.

“Ma'am, I would love to.” Trip grinned, walking over to scoop Skye from the desk chair. “What's with the chairs?”

“Clint and I are going to race!” Skye beamed, trying not to wiggle in Trip's arms.

“After you eat.” Clint amended.

“You need a little meat on your bones.” Trip agreed, settling Skye on a stool and backing away.

“I'm working on it.” Skye retorted dryly. Clint set her half finished shake in front of her. “Thanks, Archer.”

“You're welcome.” Clint shrugged, turning back to the fridge to find his own meal. Skye peered over at the other man at the breakfast bar.

“Hi, Chatty Kathy.” Skye smirked.

“He's the strong and silent type.” Trip smirked.

“Agent Ward.” He smiled.

“I hear my brother has been...” Skye paused, searching for the right word.

“Difficult?” Clint supplied, peeking up from the fridge to grin at Jack. The man in question huffed and stuck his tongue out at him.

“Flamboyant?” Tony grinned. Fitz pointed at Tony, silently agreeing with that statement.

“Distracting?” Jack smirked, waggling his eyebrows at Ward.

“...all of the above?” Skye grinned. Ward smiled slightly, deliberately avoiding Jack's eye.

“He's been no problem.” Ward informed Skye softly.

“You didn't try very hard.” Skye informed her brother.

“Hey! He was helping us get you back! I couldn't scare him away.” Jack defended.

“Yeah, well, she's back now.” Fitz told Jack softly, smirking at Ward. Ward shot him a fierce glare, making the small man step behind Jack. Skye didn't miss the exchange.

“I've adopted Fitz into the family,” Skye told Ward casually, stirring her shake with the straw. “So you better be nice to him or you'll have me to answer to.”

“I'm not afraid of you changing my file.” Ward replied. Fitz peeked out from behind Jack; feeling brave, he stepped out from behind him and went to sit next to Skye – keeping her between him and Ward. Jack pressed his lips together and shook his head at Ward, trying to warn him off. Clint stopped rummaging through the fridge and turned to watch the exchange. Tony just smirked and leaned against the breakfast bar. Ward realized the entire kitchen had frozen to watch him and frowned.

“You think that's the worst I can do?” Skye smirked, propping her chin up on the bar.

“I'm not scared of you.” Ward shrugged. Trip saw the gleam growing in Skye's eye and caught the anticipatory silence in the kitchen.

“Um, you might want to stop while you're ahead.” Trip warned him, nodding towards the rest of the kitchen. Ward glanced around, noticing the same thing Trip had. Unfortunately for Ward, he was too confident in himself. He didn't heed the other specialist's warning.

“There's nothing on my file that everyone doesn't know.” Ward shrugged.

“Maybe I'll just kick your ass then.” Skye replied, quirking an eyebrow. Ward threw back his head and laughed at that. Trip got up and moved away from Ward, removing himself from the danger zone. Skye smirked at Trip, “You're a smart man.”

“I was mostly raised by women.” Trip grinned. “I have a healthy fear of strong, angry women.”

“Oh, I'm not angry.” Skye replied.

“You wouldn't like that.” Jack whispered loudly.

“Guys, she's a little bitty thing!” Ward laughed, shaking his head.

“So is the Black Widow.” Clint smirked.

“And May.” Trip added, frowning at his new team member's stupidity.

“Yeah, but she's had training. Skye's a computer nerd.”

“Sweet baby Jesus,” Jack muttered, pulling Fitz away from Skye. “This man really doesn't know when to stop.”

“Should I warn Coulson one of his specialists might be out of play for a while?” Fitz grinned. Jack had shown him some footage of his sister in action.

“Who is going to be out of play and why?” Coulson asked, stepping out onto the floor with May and Tasha.

“Ward, cause he's fucking stupid.” Clint offered instantly.

“What'd he do?” Tasha asked, taking in the weird tension in the kitchen.

“Apparently itty bitty computer nerds don't frighten him.” Tony grinned. Coulson frowned at the grin. If Tony was this amused, nothing good could come from it.

“Ward?” May asked in her typical stern tone.

“She threatened me first!” Ward replied, ducking his head when the kitchen laughed at him. He sounded like a whiny little boy.

“I did not.” Skye retorted. “Did I threaten him?”

“Not first.” Tony smirked. He looked at Coulson, “She just warned him off Fitz. Really, if he gets hurt, it's his own fault.”

“She can't even walk!” Ward sighed, waving his hand towards Skye's lightly bandaged feet.

“Ward, you really should take the entire kitchen's advice and stop.” Steve said firmly, walking off the elevator with Steven in his arms. Tasha smirked at his annoyed tone. The boy's head was on his shoulder and his arms were wrapped around his neck, but he was smiling.

“All good?” Skye asked, directing her question at the boy. He smiled and nodded. “Good.”

“Why are there chairs?” He asked softly.

“Clint and I are going to race!” Skye grinned, bouncing in place with excitement. She turned her back on Ward, forcing him to drop the previous conversation.

“Steve, I called dibs on you being my pusher.” Clint agreed, pulling various leftovers from the fridge.

“Pusher?” Steve smirked.

“Yeah. Our little ninja can't push herself yet. We have to make it fair!” Clint grinned at Skye.

“Little ninja.” Skye scoffed.

“Who's pushing you?” Steve smiled, settling down in the stool Fitz had been in.

“Tony.” Skye grinned. “Dad, we better win.”

“Dad?” May smirked. Tony and Skye exchanged a smile, but neither replied to May.

“We'll win.” Tony smiled. “Even if I have to put my suit on.”

“Hey! No cheating!” Clint groaned.

“No offense Dad,” Skye smirked at Tony, “But Clint, you called dibs on the super soldier. You're already cheating.”

“Fine. I get Nat. You get Tony.”

“That sounds more fair.” Steve agreed.

“Eat your breakfast.” Clint urged, heaping random foods onto a plate and shoving it into the microwave.

“I had breakfast _hours_ ago.” Skye snorted. “This is lunch. Or an afternoon snack.”

“Fine. Eat your lunch or afternoon snack.” Clint laughed.

“You're going to eat all of that?” Skye asked, cocking her head at the microwave. The plate was really full.

“What? I'm hungry.” Clint shrugged.

“Did everyone else eat?” Tony asked the kitchen. There was a chorus of “no” and “coming for food now.” “Perfect. I'll order us something.”

“Aw.” Clint frowned, looking at his leftovers.

“I'll help you eat that.” Skye grinned, sensing his disappointment.

“You gonna puke it back up?”

“Archer. Do you have so little faith in me?” Skye giggled.

“Eh...” Clint winced.

“Hey!” Skye giggled. “I finished this!”

“That's true.” Clint grinned, taking the empty glass from her. “But it was only half full.”

“Daaaad, Clint's being mean.” Skye pouted towards Tony. Tony threw back his head and laughed.

“We'll get our payback when we win.” Tony offered.

“Deal.” Skye grinned.

“Jesus, you're hard to find.” Bruce sighed, walking off the elevator with Simmons. They each had a bag – Bruce of fluids and Simmons of meal replacement.

“Jarvis would have told you where she was.” Steven replied softly, crawling off Steve's lap and onto Skye's. He saw her expression when she noticed the bags. Skye softened, wrapping her arms around the boy.

“I thought we were done with those.” Skye frowned.

“No.” Simmons sighed, “You just removed your IV.”

“But...I don't need them.”

“Skye, you've lost a lot of weight. We need to help you put it back on, in a healthy way.” Bruce said gently, correctly reading her anxious expression.

“I'm fine. I don't need it.” Skye rebutted stubbornly.

“I thought she was already re-hydrated.” Tony stepped in, nodding towards the bag of fluids.

“She's considerably better than she was, but she's not at her peak yet.” Simmons replied.

“What if we just do the meal bag?” Clint asked. “Skye can promise to drink plenty of water.”

“I don't want the meal bag either.” Skye muttered softly, ducking her head into Steven's hair.

“You need to let us take care of you, remember?” Steven whispered back. Trip and Steve smiled at each other, watching the boy comfort Skye. Skye frowned at the boy and grumbled her annoyance.

“Fitz can do another scan,” Jack stepped in. “We can base your medical decisions on those scans.”

“Fitz...” Simmons sighed.

“What? You would do the same thing. You can't force medical procedures on someone without knowing that they need it.” Fitz grumbled, forcing himself to stand tall for Skye's sake. She protected him, had called him family...he needed to return the favor.

“It's not a medical procedure.” Bruce smiled.

“It's just fluids!”

“And needles.” Skye grumbled. Steven wrapped his arms around her neck.

“I'll keep the needles away from you.” He offered.

“Okay.” Skye smirked, taking him up on his offer.

“You know,” Steve said casually, “You're setting a bad example. What happens when Steven needs a procedure he doesn't like? You going to tell him he doesn't need to do it either?”

“I never said I was a good example.” Skye retorted, though she could see his point. “He's seven, _tops,_ and I'm an adult.” When Steve still wasn't swayed, she groaned loudly and threw her hands up. “Compromise. Fitz does his little robot work...”

“They're Dwarfs!” Fitz and Jack interrupted at the same time.

“Sorry, Dwarfs...” Skye corrected, grinning. “Then we look at the results. If they're borderline okay, then no bags.”

“But if they're not okay then you have to let us help you.” Bruce agreed instantly. Skye grimaced but nodded her agreement.

“To the lab!” Fitz shouted, rocketing his finger into the air. Skye giggled at his theatrics; He must have been spending more time with Jack than she realized.

“Chair or warm transportation?” Steve grinned, grateful to Fitz for making her giggle like that.

“If we take the chair, can we get a super soldier spin?” Skye grinned, clutching Steven.

“You gonna puke your shake back up if I do?”

“Half strength super soldier spin?” Skye amended. Steve laughed and nodded his agreement.

“I'm assuming _we_ includes this little guy?”

“My favorite little guy.” Skye nodded.

“Hey! I thought I was your favorite!” Jack huffed.

“You're not little!” Skye chuckled. “You've been bigger than me since you were like...12.”

“That was a crazy growth spurt, huh?” Jack nodded, grinning.

“You're stalling.” Simmons pointed out.

“I can't wait until you're not my doctor anymore.” Skye sighed.

“Hey!” Simmons huffed, crossing her arms.

“Then maybe we can be friends.” Skye amended. “This whole hovering Hermione thing isn't working for me.”

“Hermione!” Trip laughed. “Cause she's British?”

“No. Cause she always pops up when I'm trying to get into trouble.” Skye frowned. “To clarify, she's first year Hermione.”

“... _or worse...Expelled._ ” Trip quoted.

“I knew there was a reason I liked you.” Skye grinned.

“No spoilers.” Steve sighed. “Some of us haven't gotten that far yet.”

“The old man is still playing catch up.” Skye chuckled. “He thinks her name is Hermoninie.”

“Oh, man!” Trip laughed. “I've got to remember that one.”

“Hey, I have that picture of you from the plane, remember?” Steve threatened playfully.

“Now I understand what Skye meant about herding kittens,” Simmons sighed softly to Bruce. Bruce laughed and scooped Skye and Steven off the stool and deposited them in the closest office chair. Skye grumbled at the treatment but stayed in the chair.

“To the lab!” Fitz tried again. Steve laughed and pushed Skye and Steven into the elevator.

 

 

 


	25. You're lucky I like you

 

 

“You know, I had plans.” Skye grumbled, thoroughly annoyed. They had agreed she hadn't needed fluids, but the meal bag had been attached to her arm for the last hour and a half. Steve had taken Steven to the garage when the needles made the boy go pale. He tried to argue, but Skye convinced him to help set up the race track. There was no reason they both had to be uncomfortable.

“The office chairs aren't going anywhere.” Bruce smiled, adjusting the drip rate.

“I had a protein shake.” Skye sighed. “ _And_ I didn't puke it up.”

“You need more than one protein shake to make you better.” Bruce replied, patiently.

“How many do I need?” Skye retorted cheekily.

“To be determined.” Bruce replied, smiling.

“I need a goal. Give me a number.”

“We'll monitor your improvement,” Bruce replied, looking over her new scan information again. “Nutritional replacement will be a must.”

“Nutritional replacement?” Skye frowned. Bruce smirked and opened his fridge to show her it was stocked with Ensure. Skye crossed her arms with an annoyed huff. “Dude, no. Those are for old people.”

“Dude, no - they're not.” Bruce chuckled. “They're for people who aren't eating well. It will help fill in the nutritional gaps that you're missing until we can work you back onto a solid diet.”

“So if I do the protein shakes and the Ensure, I don't have to do this any more?” Skye sighed, resigned to her fate. Hell, if it got her out of the lab and away from needles, she would take it. Eagerly. Bruce nodded, pointing to the meal bag she was hooked up to.

“Unless something happens. If you take a turn for the worse,” Bruce agreed.

“Deal.” Skye agreed.

“Glad to see you're cooperating.”

“Apparently I have to set a good example for a certain little someone.” Skye replied softly.

“Steven's fear of needles rivals yours.” Bruce agreed, just as softly. “Is that because of the facility?”

“I don't think you understand how many tests they run.” Skye whispered, frowning.

“I have the files, remember?”

“Yeah...but paper doesn't do it justice.”

“Wanna explain that comment?” Bruce asked, pulling a stool over to sit by Skye. They were the only two in his lab and he intended to use that privacy well. She was ridiculously hard to get alone and there were some questions he wanted to ask. Questions he suspected she could answer for him.

“The files are...” Skye sighed, struggling for the right words. “They're deceptively vague. It might say _Blood Sample Drawn_ on the file, but it doesn't say how they got the blood sample...or what they did before drawing it.”

“I noticed there are letters in the files that don't belong to anything.” Bruce nodded, bringing a tablet over to show her. Steven's group file was up.

“See this B?” Skye asked, pointing it out on the tablet. Bruce nodded. _B3 Blood Sample Drawn_. “A means the child was unconscious for the draw. B means the child was frightened. C means he was angry. D means nutritionally depleted. E means...well, I'm sure you get the picture.”

“And the number?”

“That's how many days before hand they elicited that response.” Skye whispered. “For this test, they probably injected the children with something to heighten their perceptions and then scared them – for three consecutive days before the blood draw.”

“Why would they do that?” Bruce asked, frowning.

“Because they can.” Skye smirked bitterly. “Also, you of all people should understand how much your emotions can affect your bodily state. They needed to know how the serum works under different circumstances.”

“Which letter means happy?” Bruce asked, smiling softly. Skye laughed lightly, but swallowed hard and shook her head.

“Good soldiers aren't happy.” Skye recited by rote.

“Is that why you're happy all the time?”

“I've forgotten what it means to care for a child,” Skye said softly. “But once upon a time, I had a whole group in my care. Steve was right – it's important to set a good example. If I was happy, they were happy.”

“Even if you were just pretending?” Bruce asked softly. Skye shrugged her shoulders.

“My kids...they were so messed up.” Skye whispered, swallowing rapidly. “They were so busy, _I_ was so busy, putting them back together... Their health, their happiness was always more important than my own.”

“You've taken care of others for so long,” Bruce said gently, taking her hand in his. “You've forgotten what it means to be taken care of. Didn't you have someone to take care of you? Even as a child?”

“I don't need to be taken care of.” Skye replied stiffly.

“Why didn't you ask for help?” Bruce asked. “Steve said you know 47. Knew him before you broke the kids out.”

“I took the children out. They were my responsibility.”

“Skye...”

“I think my bag is done.” Skye interrupted, trying to ignore the sadness she could see in Bruce's eyes.

“Few more minutes,” Bruce replied, shaking the bag. There was a little bit left in the bottom. “I have another question.”

“Of course you do.”

“Why are you healing like 47?”

“They gave me something,” Skye shrugged.

“But if you've been taking 47's blood, shouldn't you have the serum already?” Bruce asked.

“It doesn't work like that. In the blood, it's super diluted. The serum has been absorbed by his muscles, his tissues, his cells. 47's blood...when Jack uses the medicine, it stays in his system long enough to repair and strengthen him...but it doesn't become part of him. It's not concentrated enough to take over. Besides, he's got his own serum to protect him.”

“What happens if someone who doesn't have serum takes the blood?”

“My kids all had the serum.” Skye shrugged.

“And you?” Bruce pressed softly. “Does it affect you?”

“Makes me better,” Skye offered with a small smile. “And I don't use the magic blood often.”

“Always saving it for someone else?” Bruce asked kindly.

“47's blood is good at attacking viruses,” Skye said, deviating the course of the conversation again. “You can test Jack's medicine for the response, then test mine. I want to know if it's the same.”

“Which virus?”

“Psh, I can't say it. Don't have a doctorate in immuniology. But I'll write it down for you.” Bruce was quick to offer her his note pad and she scribbled down a name. She also listed the items he would need to run the test. Beneath that, she drew a rough sketch of the cell before and after. “Sorry, I'm not an artist.”

“You've done this before.” Bruce stated.

“Yeah. I mean, I wasn't going to give Delta blood if it would make things worse.” Skye scoffed. “At that point, the Eraser would have been kinder.”

“This is more recent. They didn't have technology to do tests like this in the 80s.”

“I broke them out in 1980, but they were getting blood before that.”

“That's right. I forgot. Jack mentioned it, I think. But that doesn't explain anything. They couldn't do this,” Bruce waved the note pad around, “In 1975, either.”

“Dr. Pokey, I've got a race to get to and you have a test to run. Let's let details be details,” Skye dismissed, waving him off. “Look, my bag is empty.”

“I'll take you.”

“No, I want to try this,” Skye said firmly, dropping from the table with a little wince. She pulled the needle from her arm before Bruce could do anything to stop her and all but ran to the elevator. Safe in the elevator, Skye could admit walking wasn't a good idea. Not yet anyway. Her feet cracked painfully where the new skin wasn't strong enough to support the force she was exerting on it. The elevator pinged open and she all but ran off it – straight into Clint.

“Skye.” Clint grinned, scooping her off her feet.

“Clint.” Skye teased, grinning back. “I was promised a race.”

“I'm going to win.” Clint laughed, taking her back to the elevator. “Tasha and your boys are setting up a course in the garage. Is your boyfriend going to be mad you're in my arms?”

“He's not my boyfriend.” Skye laughed.

“He wants to be.”

“I thought it was Tasha's job to be matchmaker.”

“Yeah, well...I fill in in her absence.”

“You're terrible at it.”

“I am not!” Clint laughed. “Steve is...well, this is going to sound cheesy has all hell, and he would beat my ass if he knew I was telling you this, but he's head over heels for you. I've known him for long enough that I can see that. And you, missy, are not oblivious to him either.”

“God, you have no respect for personal boundaries, do you?”

“Nah. Never saw the point.” Clint laughed.

“Daaaad, Clint's being mean.” Skye shouted the second the elevator opened. “We need to knock him down a few pegs by winning this race!”

“Oh, we're going to win.” Tony laughed, rescuing Skye from Clint.

“We'll finish that conversation another time.” Clint promised her. Skye frowned and stuck her tongue out at him.

“Not if I can help it.”

“Skye!” Steven grinned, running up to her with a chair. “Steve doesn't think you can win!”

“Traitor!” Steve called from the other end of the garage where he was setting up cones.

“Why can't we win?” Tony growled playfully.

“Cause you're old and Tasha actually uses her muscles.” Steven laughed.

“Hey!” Steve groaned. “I told you that in confidence.”

“I don't know what that means.” Steven whispered to Skye. She grinned as Tony set her in the chair.

“It was supposed to be a secret.”

“If it's a secret, you need to tell me that!” Steven huffed, running down to Steve.

“What happened with him upstairs?” Tony asked, pushing Skye to the starting line.

“You guys didn't do anything wrong.” Skye replied, smiling up at him. “We're just working on getting out of the facility state of mind.”

“I don't know what that means.” Tony laughed.

“In the facility, the better you can read emotions – read a person – the better your day can go.” Skye shrugged lightly. “Steven's been trying to do the same thing here.”

“He's reading us?”

“He's figuring out who he needs to be to make you happy.” Skye replied. “With you, he probably expresses interest in your gadgets, your technology. He can see how much you like it when he's cheeky. He works hard to be happy around Steve, because he knows Steve doesn't like it when he's not.”

“Gotcha.” Tony nodded. “So he doesn't really like my tech?”

“Oh, I think he definitely enjoys it.” Skye grinned. “Jarvis, for sure. And the new stuff will keep his interest until he figures it out. Beyond that, I don't know. He's got a damn good mask.”

“Yes, he does.” Tony agreed. “You ready to win this?”

“I don't know. Are you ready to use those muscles?” Skye laughed.

“Hey! I have muscles.”

“You do.” Skye placated. “But Steve has a point. Tasha uses hers. You're in your suit all the time.”

“You haven't even seen me in my suit!” Tony retorted.

“That's true.” Skye agreed. She grinned up at him. “Can I see you twerk in your suit?”

“I can't twerk without my suit.” Tony retorted.

“Okay. Can I see you in your suit sometime?”

“I'm sure you will, sooner or later.” Tony nodded.

“You ready to go down?” Clint asked, sitting on his chair backwards, his feet dragging on the ground.

“Cheater!” Skye laughed, pointing at his feet. “You can't use your feet to steer.”

“Aw, come on!” Clint sighed, getting up from the chair.

“Dude, the whole point behind the pushers is so that it would be fair!” Skye pointed out, tossing her hands up.

“I'm fixing it!” Clint retorted, manuvering to sit in his chair the same way Skye was. He couldn't help but mutter, “Whiner.”

“No cheating, Clinton.” Skye said firmly. “I will beat your ass if you cheat.”

“You're the one that's going to cheat,” Clint retorted. “Let's be honest, you have zero chance of winning.”

“And why is that?” Skye asked, raising an eyebrow at him. Clint smirked and nodded in Tony's direction. He was trying to kick a cone into better position, but he kicked too hard and the cone went flying. He fell right onto his knee.

“FUCK!” Tony groaned loudly, holding his knee. Skye sighed and turned back to Clint. He didn't even have to say anything, he just waggled his eyebrows at her.

“Agent Triplett!” Skye called out loudly, staring Clint down. His jaw dropped at her replacement pusher. Trip was at the other end of the course chatting with Steve, but both of their heads whipped up at her shout. She leaned forward to whisper loudly to Clint, “I almost called Ward.”

His outraged expression was totally worth it.

“What's going on, girl?” Trip asked, jogging her way. Skye sighed exaggeratedly and waved towards Tony, who was still on the ground holding his knee.

“My pusher has injured himself.”

“Need a stand in?” Trip offered, grinning.

“Do you mind? Clint will be insufferable if he wins.”

“He's going to be insufferable if he loses too,” Tasha muttered quietly.

“It would be my genuine pleasure to help you take down Agent Barton,” Trip grinned.

“Steve, would you get the decrepit old man off the course?” Skye called out to Steve. He grinned at Tony's squack.

“You're kicking me off your team?” Tony asked, trying to work sad eyes.

“Dude! You can't even walk!”

“You can't even walk,” Tony retorted. Skye and Trip laughed at that.

“True, but that's why I need a pusher that _can_!”

“Alright, _Agent Barton_ ,” Trip teased, making a show of stretching his muscles out. “What happens when your ninja and I win?”

“You're not going to win,” Clint scoffed. He looked back at Tasha, “They can't win.”

“Then you won't mind having some stakes in this,” Trip grinned. Skye glanced down the course to Steve, flashing him a wide smile. She really liked Trip.

“Steven needs a bow,” She offered up to Trip. “We could always ask for Boudica.”

“Aw, no! My bow!” Clint moaned loudly.

“Girl, you're evil.” Trip chuckled, offering his knuckles. She fist bumped him with a grin. “I like it.”

“Fine!” Clint blustered, “But when you lose, you have to...Nat, help me out.”

“When you lose you have to submit yourself to training for a month.” Tasha offered easily. Skye laughed long and loud.

“I wouldn't be laughing at that,” Trip muttered softly.

“That's cause Tasha wants to train with Skye,” Steven jumped in, launching himself onto Skye. She rearranged him easily, letting him settle onto her lap.

“Yeah, that's the scary part.” Trip agreed.

“Nah. Tasha wants to train with Skye to learn some of the tricks.”

“Really?” Trip asked, raising an eyebrow. He knew Skye was a force to be reckoned with, judging by everyone's reaction in the kitchen, but if the _Black Widow_ wanted to train with her – train _with_ her, not _train her_ – then she must be pretty bad ass.

“Don't tell Ward,” Clint begged. “I really want to see him get his ass kicked.”

“Ward what?” He asked, stalking over. May and Coulson had given him a dressing down for his attitude and, as a result, he was feeling a little surly.

“Ward's just a little ray of sunshine!” Skye replied with a chipper smile.

“We accept,” Trip told Tasha, “On the condition that I get to watch at least one session.”

“Deal!” Tasha agreed, ignoring Clint's blubbering about his bow.

“Secrets don't make friends,” Ward grumbled. Steve and Tony exchanged a grin at Skye's responding laughter.

 

0-0-0-0-0

 

“What do you mean, you haven't seen the gym?” Skye asked, her eyes narrowing dangerously at her brother.

“I mean, I haven't seen the gym.” Jack shrugged, playing it cool.

“You mean, the _whole_ time I was gone, you've done zero of your workouts?” Skye asked softly. Steve wasn't deceived by the quiet tone of her voice. She was angry.

“I didn't realize he had...” Steve stepped in, trying to spare Jack.

“No. Steve, no.” Skye cut him off. “This is on Jack. Not only has he used two bags of blood in two weeks, but he's fallen off his strict diet _and_ exercise regimen. That's on him.”

“Skye!” Jack huffed. “You were gone! What was I supposed to do!?”

“You were supposed to take care of yourself!” Skye shouted.

“But...Skye...if I took care of myself, what incentive would you have to come back?” Jack asked softly, his eyes downcast.

“Nuh uh,” Skye retorted, shaking her head quickly. “You don't get to play that card. Go change. Now.”

“Skye!” Jack whined, dropping his shoulders and pouting.

“Now!” Skye responded firmly.

“I'm sorry,” Steve offered, once he was alone with Skye again. “You told me to keep him to his routine and I didn't even think to ask him what his routine _was_.”

“Steve, I'm not mad at you.” Skye smiled, squeezing his hand gently. “Jack is old enough to take care of himself. I need to get better about letting him take care of himself.”

“Right after you whip him back into shape?” Steve asked, hiding his smirk. He wasn't sure if there was any residual anger hanging under the surface.

“Psh, of course.” Skye grinned. “I better go change too. I need to ease back into this.”

“Carefully, right?” Steve asked softly.

“Yes, Steve, carefully.” Skye retorted, pulling herself onto his lap for some heat before she left to change into workout clothes. He grinned and wrapped his arms around her, letting her shift until she was comfortable.

“Comfy?” Steve asked, raising an eyebrow at her. She lifted her head from his chest long enough to shoot him a cheeky smile.

“It's not my fault you're all...perfect.” Skye shrugged.

“I'm not perfect,” Steve sighed, rolling his eyes.

“Pretty damn close,” She muttered softly, pulling herself closer to him. Steve didn't know how to respond to that – the idea of being perfect, of _anyone_ being perfect, was laughable – at best. He definitely wasn't perfect, but he also didn't want to argue the point. After a few minutes of silence, he tried to peek down at her face, but she had slipped just enough that her face wasn't visible. He smiled softly and shook his head.

“You sleeping on me?” Steve asked softly. He didn't want to wake her if she was sleeping.

“No,” Skye mumbled, shaking her head lightly. But instead of getting up to go train, she pulled a blanket off the couch and onto her lap.

“Liar,” Steve grinned, reaching out to grab the blanket from her. Skye just shushed him and let him adjust the blanket to cover her.

 

0-0-0-0-0

 

When Jack sulked back into the room, nearly half an hour later, he squawked at the scene in front of him. Steve was reading, leaning back in the recliner. Skye was curled up on his lap, her face clear and innocent on his chest.

“Are you kidding me? She's sleeping?” Jack asked in a surprised whisper.

“Take it as a gift,” Steve smiled. “Training's postponed until tomorrow morning.”

“Fuck yeah,” Jack sighed and hurried from the room.

“He's lucky you're so damn comfy,” Skye muttered against Steve's chest.

“One more afternoon won't kill either of you.”

 

0-0-0-0-0

 

“How do you like your new bow?” Trip asked Steven, laughing as he struggled to pull the cord back.

“I need more muscles,” Steven grunted. Slowly but surely though, the cord was inching back.

“I bet Tony would love to make you a smaller bow,” Clint muttered. He was pouting in his dinner chair, waiting for Steve and Skye to come back from Bruce's office. He had stolen Skye after her “not nap” on Steve, saying he was going to stick her feet in a hydrating gel for a few hours to help the cracking go away. She had grumbled but let Steve take her to the lab, again.

“It's squishy,” Skye giggled, wobbling into the room. Steve had her elbow, shaking his head with fond exasperation. She was in knee high boots filled with whatever gel Bruce said would help hydrate her skin and heal the cracking. She jumped up and down lightly, wincing slightly. “Steve, it's squishy!”

“I know, Skye.” Steve replied patiently. “You've told me five times now.”

“Clint! Get over here and feel this!”

“No, you stole my bow.”

“You accepted the terms.”

“Nat accepted the terms!” Clint retorted loudly.

“Tasha!” Skye called out, choosing to ignore Clint. “Come feel this!”

“Is it squishy?” Tasha asked dryly. Her eyes betrayed her amusement though.

“Come feeeeeel!” Skye moaned. “Steve won't stick his finger in there.”

“Maybe he doesn't think you're ready yet,” Tasha retorted, seeing Steve's blush blossom. Skye rolled her jaw to hide her amusement, which only spurred Tasha on.

“Maybe we need to go see Bruce about adding a little more lube.” Skye replied, scratching her chin thoughtfully. “Maybe he's afraid of hurting me.”

“He does have pretty big hands.”

“You know what they say about big hands.”

“No, what do they say?”

“The bigger the hands, the bigger the...”

“Stop!” Steve interrupted, smacking his hand over Skye's mouth. “Please, don't finish that sentence.”

“Heart, Steve. The bigger the hands, the bigger the _heart_. God, who has the dirty mind now?” Skye sighed. Tony laughed and walked over to Skye, taking her from Steve. He guided her to the table, plunking her down at the spot next to his.

“How's that gel treating you?” Tony asked, blocking Steve from her view so she had to focus on him.

“Good,” Skye shrugged. “It's squishy.”

“So you've said,” Tony smirked. “Anything else?”

“It's cold.”

“Does Skye know how big your _heart_ is?” Trip asked Steve with a grin, patting his shoulder. Steve groaned and buried his face in his hands.

“Stuff it, Trip.” Steve muttered.

“Would you like to stuff it...”

“Stop!” Steve hissed, shoving Trip playfully.

“Hey, man. Cool it,” Trip grinned, holding his hands up in defeat. “I'm just trying to help a brother out.”

“We're not brothers,” Steve smirked.

“You're my brother, from another mother.” Trip denied.

“And century,” Ward teased, wandering past the pair.

“Your momma is old,” Jack smirked, following Ward just a little too closely. That explained Ward bee-lining for a chair. Fitz stopped next to Steve, trying to contain his smirk. Now that he knew Skye was on his side, he felt a little braver around Ward. Steve grinned and shook his head at Jack.

“Clint, are you too mad to make me another shake?” Skye asked, fluttering her eyelashes at him.

“I'll make you another shake when you give my bow back.” Clint frowned.

“ _I'll_ make you a shake, sweetheart.” Tony announced grandly, sweeping into the kitchen. Steve glanced over at Clint, who subtly nodded and tapped his nose. “I'm not going to pretend like I've done this before, so you're gonna get what you get.”

“Don't you drink a shake every day?” Skye asked.

“Eh, not really a shake.” Tony frowned, shaking his head. Skye narrowed her eyes at him, so he waved her off and added a banana to the blender. Once there was an odd assortment of items in the blender, he added milk and put the lid on. He went to flip it on, but the power flickered and the blender went crazy, exploding the contents all over Tony and the kitchen. There was a full ten seconds of silence, then Skye broke it with her giggles. She snorted, then slapped her hand over her face.

“Twenty bucks says she did it,” Trip muttered to Steve.

“WHAT THE FUCK!” Tony shouted, holding his hands out from his chest. He was covered in half blended banana, peanut butter, and whatever else he had in the blender. Jack was laughing just as loudly as Skye.

“Don't know when she would have done it,” Fitz muttered back, grinning. “She's been surrounded.”

“Except at night,” Steve objected.

“True.” Fitz nodded. “Jack always wants to check the van in the middle of the night.”

He seemed to realize what he just admitted and blushed. Steve grinned and pulled Fitz to his side, trying to reassure him without drawing any extra attention.

“I think Steven checks on her too,” Steve whispered.

“Nuh uh,” Steven argued, appearing out of nowhere as he dropped to Trip's shoulder's.

“Christ, boy!” Trip startled, hurriedly grabbing the boy before he could fall. Steve glanced up, noticing the open vent was several feet away. He tried to catch Jack's eye, to see if that was something normal for a serum infused child, but caught Skye's instead. She was shaking her head lightly, a soft smile on her face. He instantly relaxed; if Skye wasn't worried, he wasn't worried.

“{Looks like someone else gets to join us for training, Jack.}”

“{What'd he do? I missed it.}”

“{Was that wrong?}” Steven frowned, stilling on Trip's shoulders.

“{If you can only do it once, maybe,}” Skye grinned. “{You can give Jack some pointers. He's primarily defensive.}”

“Wait, she knows their...whatever they speak? I thought she spoke Ukrainian?” Ward asked over his shoulder. Trip raised his shoulders in a shrug.

“Try it,” Trip offered.

“{I thought you spoke Ukrainian?}” Ward asked in said language.

“I'm going to go...change.” Tony sighed. This was his favorite suit.

“{I do speak Ukrainian.}” Skye replied with a smirk. “Oh, sushi!”

“What's sushi?” Steven asked, twisting free from Trip. He hurried to Skye and climbed onto her lap. “Hi. I missed you.”

“You napped with me!” Skye giggled, handing him a piece of sushi from Tony's plate.

“I thought you didn't nap,” Steve grinned, walking around the table to take the chair beside Skye.

“Shh, Steve.” Skye admonished lightly. Steven chuckled and pushed the whole piece of sushi into his mouth. He chewed carefully and grimaced at Skye.

“It's squishy.”

“That's what she said!” Clint chortled, pointing at Skye. “It's funny cause it's true!”

“He's such a child,” Skye grinned at Steve, reaching over to steal a piece of sushi off Tony's plate for herself.

“If you puke that back up, I will not talk to you for the rest of the night,” Jack put in severely.

“What if I don't puke by you?” Skye smirked. She popped the sushi in her mouth and moaned deeply.

“Nope, sissy. No puking. Period.”

“Okay, so how many languages do you speak?” Ward asked, catching a lull in the conversation.

“I don't know,” Skye shrugged. “A few.”

“More than a few,” Jack retorted.

“English. Mash up. Russian?” Clint asked. Skye nodded.

“Ukrainian.” Ward added.

“Mandarin,” Jack sighed. “French. Spanish. Latin. Three dialects of Chinese.”

“Good God, woman.” Tasha muttered.

“Like you don't know that many,” Skye retorted. Tasha shrugged; she was good at languages, but she didn't know as many as Skye.

“Didn't Jarvis say the mash up was like thirteen languages?” Clint asked.

“When did he say that?” Coulson asked.

“Wa-a-ay back in day one,” Tony grinned, strolling back into the room. He had changed out of his suit and was now wearing (essentially) his pajamas and an animal print silk robe.

“We can change the topic any time now,” Skye offered, reaching over for a second piece of sushi.

“Hey! My sushi!” Tony yelped, hurrying to his seat to smack her hand away. Skye giggled and shoved it in her mouth.

“Don't worry, I'm done.”

“You're lucky I like you,” Tony muttered darkly. Skye just grinned at him, her cheeks pushed out widely.

“I like you, too.”

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next up, Tony gets a birthday surprise. (I've been waiting FOREVER to post the next chapter)


	26. Girl, that was falling.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Because I have no self-control and because this whole time change thing is really terrible - here's an early update!

 

 

“Please, can't we tell them now?” Simmons whispered loudly to Bruce, bouncing excitedly in her seat.

“Well now that you've drawn all of their attention, we kind of have to.” Bruce replied dryly, though he smiled warmly at her. He handed over a thin file. “Why don't you do the honors?”

“But...”

“Hey, you found it. You share it.”

“You're killing us here.” Jack pointed out. The entire table was watching their interaction. Skye nudged Steve and smirked at him.

“She's never in doctor mode around him.” Skye whispered.

“Think if we lock them in a closet, they'll kiss?” Steve whispered back, grinning broadly.

“Worth a shot.” Skye giggled.

“What are you giggling about?” Tony asked, nudging Skye's knee.

“Nothing.” Skye replied, making her face innocent. Too innocent. Tasha cleared her throat loudly.

“That's what your innocent face looks like, Steve.”

“I'll work on it,” Steve replied, chuckling.

“Okay,” Simmons said loudly, getting the attention of the room again. “As you know, Bruce and I have been taking a closer look at Skye's blood...”

“No shit.” Clint muttered. Simmons frowned and shot him a look. Clint looked shocked and pointed at Jack. Jack frowned and shook his head.

“That wasn't me.” Jack defended. “But, it is kind of obvious.”

“If you'll let her finish...” Bruce interrupted, making Coulson chuckle.

“As I was saying,” Simmons started again, straightening her blouse. “We've been looking into Skye's blood. And we found something interesting.”

Simmons waited, filling the room with a pregnant pause.

“Do share,” Ward called dryly.

“Well, since it's Mr. Stark's birthday...we thought this would be the perfect time for him to meet his sister.”

“Half sister.” Bruce interjected quickly.

“Wait, what?” Jack asked, his head whipping over to Tony. “I didn't know you had a sister.”

“I don't.” Tony replied, crossing his arms. “This isn't a very funny joke.”

“Give him the file,” Bruce grinned, nudging Simmons. Simmons grinned back and passed the file down to Tony. Skye leaned over Tony's shoulder and they read the papers inside together. Suddenly Skye bust out laughing, clutching her torso tightly. Her face turned red and she struggled to draw a breath.

“Skye, breathe.” Steve reminded her, wrapping an arm around her shoulder to keep her in her chair. Skye nodded and tried to compose herself. “What does it say? Who is his sister?”

“I'll have to stop calling you dad, little brother.” Skye giggled, shoving Tony's shoulder lightly.

“Little brother?” Tony huffed, looking indignant. “I'm older than you, thank you very much.”

“Jack, what year were you born?” Skye giggled.

“1970.” Jack replied instantly.

“Oh, no.” Steve gasped, his eyes wide with shock and amusement.

“I don't see how that makes me the little...oh, my God.” Tony gasped.

“I don't get it.” Ward sighed.

“Jack was born the same year as Tony.” Pepper explained, catching on quickly.

“In January,” Skye was quick to add, before Tony could argue that he was older.

“So?” Coulson asked, frowning. He was missing something big.

“Skye broke Jack out when he was 10.” Steve explained. “She was 18.”

“No. Way.” Trip gasped, grinning widely. “This is some real science fiction stuff.”

“So, little brother, how's your birthday?” Skye asked, grinning over at Tony. Tony looked like he was still shocked. His mouth hung open and he was visibly computing facts in his head.

“I think I need a minute.” Tony whispered, pushing back from the table. The table fell silent as they watched Tony stalk off.

“I'll go,” Pepper volunteered, setting her fork down.

“No, I'll go.” Skye interrupted. “Sorry. I mean, I'll go – if that's okay.”

“Go talk to your brother,” Pepper smiled warmly. She helped Skye stand, watching her wince slightly. She pulled her into a hug, “Welcome to the family, by the way. Not that you weren't family already, but now it's official.”

“Thanks, Pepper.” Skye whispered, blushing. She glanced at Bruce and Simmons then leaned back in to whisper to Pepper. “I'm waiting for them to admit it was all a joke.”

“Bruce wouldn't joke about this.” Pepper whispered back.

“Simmons might.”

“Trust me.”

“Okay,” Skye nodded. “Jarvis, where did he go?”

“The roof, Ms. Stark.” Jarvis replied, making the table bust into laughter. “Sir has prepared a chair for you, if you'd like?”

“A chair?” Skye frowned. A wheel chair came around the corner as she asked, making her huff and cross her arms. “No. No way.”

“I can take you.” Steve offered, trying to hide his grin behind his hand.

“I can walk.” Skye replied curtly, shuffling off for the elevator. The chair followed her, making her huff and lash out at it.

“Sir designed it not to topple.” Jarvis offered when she couldn't fling the chair over. Skye growled her frustration and stepped onto the elevator, trying and failing to keep the chair out as the door closed. She ignored the laughter coming from the table, concentrating instead on what she was going to say to Tony. Her anger at the chair only increased as the elevator shot upwards. It nudged the back of her knees, almost making her fall into the chair. So the neat little speech that she had planned flew out of her head when she found her brother sulking at the top of the Tower.

“Your God damned chair won't leave me alone, Anthony!” Skye all but shouted, limping out of the elevator.

“Well then get in the damned thing!” Tony growled back, hurrying over to her. “Why are you on your feet? They're still toughening up.”

“My brother ran off on me,” Skye replied, pulling herself to Tony for a hug. He sighed and hugged her back, letting his frustration seep out into the cool night air. “Are you mad?”

“No, I'm not mad.” Tony replied, scooping Skye up and carrying her over to a swing. “But I do wish you weren't so damned stubborn.”

“Just a little bit,” Skye dismissed with a smirk. Tony growled and sat down next to her. “You seem frustrated.”

“I can't wrap my head around this.” Tony admitted, hanging his head. Skye reached over and rubbed circles on his back.

“What part throws you the most?”

“I've wanted a family since...” Tony started. He sighed and ran his fingers through his hair aggressively. “My parents...our parents? I'm so confused...they died while I was still young. Growing up, all I wanted was my family back. Now I learn that all this time, I've had one that I didn't even know about and I almost lost it. We thought we lost you, Skye. Jack, especially, down plays it. But we thought you were dead. We grieved you. I grieved you. I didn't understand what drew me to you so strongly, but now it turns out you're my sister and it all makes sense. Somehow, I must have known you were family and...”

“Jesus Christ,” Skye muttered dryly, shoving Tony. “I'm going to stop you before you get any more sappy.”

“I'm not being sappy,” Tony argued, finally picking his head up. Skye gave him an amused look and he laughed. “Fine! I was being a little sappy.”

“A lot sappy.” Skye amended.

“Do you think they're messing with us?” Tony asked softly, sitting back. “Messing with me?”

“I asked Pepper the same thing. She assured me Bruce wouldn't do that. I don't know him well enough to make conclusions.”

“I don't think he would, but he's different around Simmons.”

“Oh good.” Skye laughed lightly. “I didn't know him that well, but I definitely got that impression, too. She's never in doctor mode when he's around.”

“Doctor mode?” Tony asked, grinning. Skye shivered slightly, so he dropped his arm around her shoulder and pulled her close.

“She's scary in doctor mode.” Skye nodded.

“So...we're family?” Tony asked softly.

“How do you feel about being the little brother?” Skye asked, softly. Seriously.

“Conflicted.” Tony said thoughtfully. “I feel like you should be the little one. I feel like I should take care of you.”

“Doesn't mean you can't.” Skye said softly.

“Would you let me? Take care of you?” Tony asked, raising his eyebrow.

“I feel like you already are,” Skye confessed. “I love Jack, but it's always been pretty one sided. I mean, I know he loves me. It's not like that. I just never let him take care of me; I like to think I can manage on my own. Out here, between the two of us, I can admit that that's not always the case.” She pointed a finger sternly at Tony, “But if you repeat that, I will deny ever saying it.”

“You make it hard.” Tony nodded. Skye giggled and nudged his shoulder.

“Jarvis called me Ms. Stark. Guess being difficult runs in the family.”

“Ms. Stark.” Tony smiled, rolling the name around his mouth. He quirked his lip up and tightened his hold on her. “You're taking this well. Like, surprisingly well.”

“Oh, don't worry, I'll have a proper freak out later.” Skye chuckled. “I don't think it's really hit me yet.”

“Bruce said you're my half sister. I wonder which parent we share.”

“Dr. Banner and Dr. Simmons did extensive research into Howard Stark's DNA.” Jarvis chimed in helpfully.

“Well, there you go. How about we go back and enjoy your birthday party?” Skye grinned. “I need to sneak about three bites of cake.”

“Deal.” Tony nodded. “But you're taking the chair.”

“Only if you take it with me.” Skye countered, smirking mischievously.

“I can take it off remote control.” Tony nodded, chuckling.

“Who's controlling it?” Skye asked, alarmed.

“Jarvis.” Tony shrugged.

“Deal. Get in the chair, brother.”

Tony laughed and plopped himself down in the chair. He whispered a few voice commands to the chair, trying to shield the words from Skye's ears. He didn't want her to be able to deactivate it. When a control panel popped up, Tony grinned and patted his lap.

“Get on, sister.”

“How fast can you make it go?” Skye baited.

“Oh, you want to see fast?” Tony laughed. “I'll show you something better.”

“You can try.” Skye shrugged. Tony laughed at the challenge and pressed a few buttons. The wheels pulled up and tilted downward, hovering half a foot off the ground. A strap extended itself around them, securing them to the chair. Skye looked at Tony with a shocked expression. “It flies?”

“It flies.” Tony grinned, racing for the edge of the Tower.

“TONY!” Skye shrieked, throwing her arms around his neck for dear life. The chair dropped over the edge, free falling.

 

0-0-0-0-0

 

There was a shrill scream and a flash past the window, drawing everyone's attention.

“Was that Tony?” Clint asked, racing towards the window.

“Jarvis, activate one of his robots to get him.” Pepper sighed, more annoyed than scared. He wouldn't have dived off the roof without some sort of plan, however stupid it might be. Seconds later, two suits dove down the Tower, racing to get to him.

“Two?” Steve asked, frowning. He pressed his forehead to the glass, trying to see down far enough that he could see what was going on.

“I've never heard Tony scream like that.” Tasha commented. “He must have taken Skye with him.”

“She's scared of heights,” Jack muttered, his mouth hanging open in horror.

“They're going to be alright, right?” Steven asked, clutching Steve's hand. Steve didn't reply. He couldn't, not without breaking his promise. His grip tightened on the boy's hand though, and that was answer enough. Just then, the whole floor-to-ceiling window pane opened, sliding to the side.

“Move your tushes!” Tony yelled over the wind, steering the wheel chair towards the opening.

“It _fucking_ flies!?” Clint shouted, clutching his hair in his hands. He looked incredulously at Tasha. “It fucking _flies_.”

“Move, before you get run over by a wheel chair.” Tasha replied, amused. The two robots shot back up the Tower, heading back for the roof.

Tony landed the wheel chair, smirking smugly at the group. The glass slid back into place behind them, securing the room again. The strap around them fell away from around them. Then he turned his attention to Skye, who was still sitting on his lap – mouth dropped open, eyes wide, and hair wild from the wind.

“Sir. I'm registering an elevated heart rate for Ms. Stark.” Jarvis supplied into the silence.

“Fast enough for you?” Tony whispered.

“Oxygen levels dropping,” Jarvis chimed in again.

“Skye, you need to breathe.” Jack murmured, hurrying to her side. Skye's wide eyes swiveled to him slowly, her knuckles stark white as she gripped Tony and the chair. Jack sighed and smacked her face lightly, “Breathe.”

“What's wrong?” Tony asked softly. Jack rolled his eyes at him.

“She's scared of heights, dumb ass.”

“Shit.” Tony muttered. Skye finally drew in a long, shaky breath.

“I think I shit my pants.” Skye replied back, just as softly.

“Language,” Steven told her firmly, copying Steve's firm expression and crossed arms. There was a beat of silence, then the room burst into laughter. Steve laughed the loudest, tossing the boy over his shoulder.

“Don't ever change,” Steve told the boy, plopping him back in his chair.

“Oh, Skye, your feet.” Simmons frowned. Skye hissed at her and took the joy stick from Tony, steering them away from her.

“I'm fine. Go eat your cake.” Skye said firmly, though her eyes were laughing.

“We really should...” Simmons sighed, trying again.

“Later.” Skye said pointedly. “I need to eat some cake with my widdle baby brover.” Skye said in baby talk, squishing Tony's cheek.

“Skylar Elizabeth Stark!” Tony snorted, slapping her hands away from his face. “Don't make me disown you already.”

“Anthony Edward Stark!” Skye retorted back just as sharply. “Don't pull out imaginary full names already!”

“Oh, you just wait til my legal team gets a hold of this.” Tony told her, bopping her nose. “It won't be imaginary for long.”

“Really?” Skye squeaked softly.

“Of course,” Tony frowned. She buried her face in his neck, trying to pull her snarled hair around her face to hide herself. “Is that okay?” Tony asked softly.

“I feel like this is a way better present for me than it is for you,” Skye whispered softly, not raising her head.

“You don't think getting a family for my birthday is a good present?” Tony replied back.

Steve smiled and dropped his head, trying not to listen in to their private conversation. There was only so much he could do to avoid listening in, though. He let Steven crawl onto his lap, knowing he was eyeballing his cake.

“So...” Steven said after a beat of silence. “This cake isn't being eaten by anyone...”

“That's my cake.” Steve informed the boy, unable to hide his smile. He knew what was coming.

“Yeah, but _realistically_ are you going to eat it? I mean, it's probably not good for a super soldier metabolism.” Steven told him, discretely palming a fork.

“I know what you're doing.” Steve smirked.

“Yeah, but you're not doing anything to stop me.” Steven countered, stabbing his cake. He shot Steve a look from the corner of his eyes as he brought the fork up to his mouth. Steve let the bite get almost to his mouth, then reached out quickly and directed the fork to his own mouth instead. The boy pouted and tossed the fork back on the table.

“There's a whole cake over there,” Jack pointed out, trying to give his sister her moment of privacy, too.

“Oh, I forgot!” Steven grinned, pouting forgotten.

“You don't need that much sugar.” Steve smiled, shaking his head. “Besides, you need to head to bed soon.”

“Aw, no.” Steven groaned loudly. “It's too early.”

“It's almost ten.” Steve countered. “That's plenty late for you.”

“But Steve!”

“But nothing!” Steve replied, trying to keep his face composed. If he laughed now, he would lose all authority. “I'll give you until 10:30, cause it's a special day.”

“Nobody else has to go to bed at 10:30,” Steven frowned, crossing his arms.

“Nobody else is a seven year old boy.” Steve smirked. “Don't argue or I'll move it up.”

“10:30 sounds good to me,” Steven said quickly.

“That's what I thought.” Steve laughed, sliding his arm around the boy so he could eat the last segment of cake on his plate before the boy got to it.

“And you thought I was a hard ass,” Skye commented, leaning forward to speak around Steve. Jack laughed and shook his head.

“You were a hard ass.” Jack replied grinning. He got Steve's attention and commented, “Granted, there were fifteen of us. She had to be pretty strict. We would have run all over her. My favorite was the first month or so. There was a pretty steep learning curve.” Jack grinned.

“What are you eating?” Steve frowned, hearing Steven's smacking. He was trying to be quiet about it, but was failing.

“What?” Steven said innocently, though his cheeks were puffed out.

“Steven.” Steve sighed.

“Um...magic cake.” He mumbled, working to swallow his mouthful. “It just _magically_ appeared.”

“Skye...” Steve groaned, looking over at her empty spot. Skye was deep in conversation with Tony.

“But I don't want everyone to know.” Skye huffed.

“You don't want to be a Stark.” Tony said pointedly.

“I didn't say that. I just don't want a huge fucking press conference announcing it to everyone.” Skye replied, working to muffle her anger because she could hear the hurt in Tony's tone.

“That's part of being a Stark.”

“Well part of being _me_ is being invisible. I worked really damn hard to keep us off the grid.”

“You don't have to be off the grid now!”

“I _like_ being off the grid. Then nobody can use anybody else against me.”

“I'm Iron Man. They can't use me against you.” Tony huffed, losing his anger quickly. He could suddenly see why she was so hesitant. For her whole life, she was protecting other people. People that were constantly being used against her; Jack had told him about the dead children being dropped back off at the air strip. Tony looked around at the table, noticing how everyone was trying really hard to ignore their argument. He pulled Skye in for a hug. “You win. Can we talk later?”

“Please.” Skye nodded, wrapping her arms around him. “You know, as the little brother, you're just supposed to do what you're told.”

“Well that's not going to happen!” Tony laughed, throwing his head back.

“We would all love to see you try though,” Pepper smiled, patting Skye's knee. They all knew how overbearing Tony could get when he thought he was right, so it was good to see Skye standing up to him.

“Don't worry.” Skye smirked, returning Pepper's warm smile, “I can always tamper with some systems until he agrees.”

“You will not.” Tony said firmly.

“You think you're going to stop me?” Skye giggled.

“Jack showed me her Iron Man hacks.” Steven offered, wiping frosting from his plate. “She's pretty good.”

“You showed him Humping Man?” Skye and Tony asked at the same time, turning on Jack.

“Of course I didn't show him _that_ one.” Jack huffed, looking offended.

“How many did you say you had?” Tony asked wearily.

“I didn't.” Skye smirked.

“You better stay on her good side,” Coulson commented, looking amused and frustrated. May quirked her lip next to him. “It takes a really long time to get back on it.”

“Well, it helps that your team is helping her out.” Tasha smirked. “Speaking of which, where did you end up sleeping?”

“Not my floor.” Steve muttered to Skye, smiling into Steven's unruly hair.

“You have a lot of empty rooms.” Skye commented, then looked over hard at Tony. “Why is that?”

“Our floors all have that many rooms.” Clint replied. “In case.”

“Of what?” Skye laughed.

“Just...in case.” Clint shrugged.

“Four seems excessive though.” Skye replied.

“Yeah, but now Steven gets his own room.” Steve smiled. “More importantly, Jack _gets his own room_.”

“And Skye gets her own room.” Jack replied, sticking his tongue out. “And then you're all filled up.”

“I'm pooped, guys. I'm going to head to bed.” Skye interjected, pushing away from the table. She had forgotten she was still on Tony's lap though, so she didn't move far.

“I'll take you to the lab.” Tony nodded, catching the anxious look Simmons was giving him. “Dr. Pokey wants to check your feet.”

“No more flying, right?” Skye winced. “I'm still feeling a little queasy from the first time.”

“That wasn't flying.” Trip grinned. “Girl, that was falling.”

“Controlled falling.” Tony retorted. “And, no. We don't need to fly to the lab.”

“Good,” Skye sighed. “I don't want to toss up my bites of cake.”

“You're not worried about that protein shake?” Tony asked dryly, shooting Fitz and Jack a dirty look as he wheeled Skye away. They both grinned and shook their heads in denial.

“That was hours ago.”

“It was disgusting.” Tony remarked, letting the elevator door close without Simmons or Bruce. Skye frowned, because the doctors were right outside the elevator. She knew Tony could be rude, but not like that. “Now, talk to me.”

“That was rude,” Skye frowned.

“Talk to me.”

“They were right outside the door!”

“Skylar Elizabeth. What part freaks you out?”

“Right there.” Skye mumbled.

“The fact that we want you to stay here? That you have a designated spot?”

“Tony, I want to go to bed.” Skye whispered. “Either take me to Dr. Pokey or to bed.”

“Answer my question first.” Tony rebutted, stubbornly.

“No.”

“Jarvis, stop the elevator.” Tony sighed. The elevator stilled. “Sissy,” Tony asked, fluttering his eyelashes like he had seen Jack doing, “Does it bother you that Steve wants to keep you on his floor?”

“Steve didn't say anything about it.”

“Is that the issue? If he doesn't want you on his floor, I can give you your own floor.”

“Jarvis, take me to Steve's floor.” Skye called out, rolling her eyes. The elevator started moving again, making Tony huff.

“Jarvis, you really need to remember who built you.” Tony sighed.

“Sorry Sir. She's overwritten some of your programming.”

“Ear mark it.” Tony sighed, rubbing his face. “I'll fix you later.”

“You'll try to.” Skye whispered, needing the control of having the last word.

“Fine.” Tony shouted, throwing his hands up. “You win. Dr. Pokey and then bed, but you better figure this out because we are going to have this conversation tomorrow.”

 

 

 


	27. Whatever you say, brother.

 

Steve walked into his room for the night, frowning at Skye's apparel. Bruce and Simmons had removed the boots; they had been satisfied with the healing. She was still in knee high socks though, probably for extra warmth. She wouldn't be comfortable in a button down flannel all night, but he wasn't sure if she was wearing anything beneath it. He certainly wasn't removing it if she didn't have another layer on. He bit his lip and headed towards his bed. She had fallen asleep on top of the covers, so he lifted the bottom of her shirt just a little bit. There was another shirt underneath, so he unbuttoned her flannel slowly. After he had shifted the flannel off her, he picked her up gently and tossed the covers back. It was awkward, since he was using both hands to hold Skye up, but she didn't wake with the jostling. He put her as close to the middle as he could, assuming Jack and Steven would join them again.

He inwardly sighed at that thought. He really needed Jack out of his bed. It was fine while Skye was gone; they had both needed the comfort of a breathing body nearby. But Skye wasn't gone anymore...and Jack was hogging half of his bed. Four people did not comfortably fit in his...custom made, very large bed. Okay, fine. They all fit just fine, especially considering how much cuddling was going on lately. Even with the whole Jack/Fitz situation, he couldn't be sure Jack was going to stay in his own bed. Steve sighed and ran his hand over his face.

“When did my life turn into a cuddle session?” Steve mused outloud.

“When you made me stay in this tall prison,” Skye murmured.

“You're not in prison.” Steve smiled, brushing her hair from her face. He couldn't tell if she had woken or not. She still looked asleep. “Think of it more as quarantine.”

“It would be better if you let me go.” Skye informed him. “Things are going to happen and then you're going to hate me. I would rather go now and save all of us that. Please, let me go.”

“You can go whenever you want,” Steve said sadly. He didn't want to say those words, but he trusted Tony – well, he trusted him on the free spirit bit. “But I really hope you don't. We all want you here. We can deal with the consequences.”

“You shouldn't have to.” Skye squeaked. “Jack can decide if he wants to stay. They're way more mad at me than at Jack.”

“We got them all,” Steve reminded Skye.

“No, you didn't.” Skye whispered, twisting her face into her pillow. Steve waited half a minute longer, waiting to see if she would elaborate on that. When she didn't, Steve sighed and kissed her forehead.

“Sleep tight, doll.”

She was a Stark. Somehow, it didn't surprise him. There had to be a reason Tony got along with her so well; a blood relationship explained that. They were eerily similar, despite their differences. He had just read an article about Nature vs. Nurture and he couldn't help but wonder if Tony would have turned out differently if he had people to take care of when he was younger. Skye had grown up in an orphanage, so she had been raised around other children. In the 40s, at least, the older children had been tapped to help care for the younger ones. He assumed the same principle would still be in effect with orphanages in the...Steve mentally did some math. Jack was born in 1970, and Skye had been 8 years older than him when she broke him out, so she was born in 1962. Skye was 53, assuming she had told the truth all those years ago. Steve wiped his hand down his face, then turned on his side to face Skye. She didn't look 53. Hell, she didn't look 30.

Just when he thought the world couldn't get any stranger, Skye burst into it with her mystery supply of the fountain of youth.

 

0-0-0-0-0

 

“You were right,” Tony muttered quietly, not lifting his eyes from the screen. Skye had just snuck out of Steve's room and was heading for the stairwell.

“She's going to engage privacy mode,” Bruce muttered back. They were floors away from her, watching over the computer, but the whispering felt appropriate.

“Hmm, she's heading to the garage.” Tony sighed, pushing back. “I really thought she would head for your lab.”

“Could she have looped the feed already? Isn't that essentially what privacy mode is? Maybe that's why she always takes the stairs.” Bruce asked softly. “Check the camera in my lab.”

“Bruce, she would have to time it perfectly...” Tony replied, pulling up the other feed anyways though. Jarvis had no control over this one. Bruce smacked Tony to shut him up, pointing to the screen. Skye was already in his lab, just like he suspected. Little things were moved each morning, making him suspicious. He had discreetly asked Simmons if she was doing any lab work outside of their time in the lab together, but she hadn't. He had immediately suspected Skye. Her chat with him that afternoon only confirmed things in his head; now he needed proof. “What's she doing?”

“Can't tell from here,” Bruce muttered, watching the screen intently. He made notes of which materials and chemicals she was using; he could piece it together later.

“She's drawing blood?” Tony scoffed, raising his eyebrows at Bruce. “She threw that hissy fit when we wanted some blood, but she can calmly sit there and do it herself?”

“Eh, not so much on the calmly,” Bruce replied, pointing out her shaky hand and clenched jaw. “She's testing her blood. She doesn't trust our results.”

“Or she's looking for something she doesn't want to tell you about.”

“That's true. She is surprisingly adept at this,” Bruce nodded. She was comfortable in his lab. She had to do some digging to find the right tools, but she used them with skill.

“I want her tested,” Tony admitted softly. “I'm going to talk to her about it tomorrow. If she is a Stark, there's a good chance she's a genius like Dad and I.”

“She is a Stark,” Bruce sighed. “Simmons and I aren't pulling your leg. Frankly, I'm offended you think I would do that to anyone, but especially to you. I know how much family means to you, Tony. Simmons and I are just glad we could be the ones to give you one,” Bruce laughed, settling back in his seat. Skye had started a new test; they were in for a long night.

 

0-0-0-0-0

 

“Alright, ma'am,” Tony announced, bursting into Steve's room, “It's question answer time.”

“Go away!” Skye and Steven moaned. She pulled the covers over their head.

“No!” Tony groaned, crawling up the bed to smack at the pair. “If I'm awake, you can be awake. A caterer brought muffins. And I'll make you coffee. Please, I want this. Skye, I need to know about my sister.”

“Oh, my God.” Skye moaned. “Your sister doesn't want to be awake right now.”

“Coffee, Skye.” Tony reminded her. “I'll make you coffee.”

“Are you good at making coffee?” Skye asked, peeking out of her covers.

“Well, no. But I know someone who is!”

“Ugh, fine.” Skye grumbled, slipping out of bed.

“Can I stay?” Steven yawned.

“Someone might as well sleep in,” Skye nodded. “Tony, can I meet you in like ten minutes? I need a shower or you won't get much out of me.”

“Yes, you shower and I'll find coffee dude.”

“You don't even know his name?” Skye sighed.

“Eh, it's not always the same guy and I can't keep them straight.” Tony shrugged. “Jarvis will bring you to me.”

 

0-0-0-0-0

 

“Okay, so tell me about your childhood.” Tony sighed, stretching out on the couch.

“I don't remember a lot of it,” Skye shrugged, sipping her very hot, very delicious coffee. It almost made up for her rude wake up call. “Nothing significant, at least.”

“Well, where did you grow up?”

“Um...all over. Kind of.” Skye shrugged.

“That doesn't answer my question,” Tony frowned.

“St. Agnes?” Skye said softly.

“An orphanage?” Tony gasped. “You were raised in an orphanage?”

“It's okay.” Skye replied. “I don't remember a lot of it.”

“Where was it? Nearby, right?”

“Here. I mean, New York. But I didn't always stay in New York.”

“Foster homes?”

“Foster homes,” she smiled.

“How long were you at the orphanage?”

“I don't know? The normal amount of time?” Skye shrugged.

“Skye. How long?”

“Not that long. I spent a lot of time in foster homes.”

“You got adopted?”

“Nice couple came for me.” Skye nodded.

“That's good.” Tony sighed. “Tell me about them. What were their names?”

“Dave and Susan Brody.” Skye replied, throwing up a small smile. “They took good care of me.”

“Raised you right?”

“They tried their best.”

“Where are they now?”

“Dead.”

“Oh. I'm sorry.” Tony winced. “When did that happen?”

“Long time ago.” Skye shrugged. “Don't really want to talk about it.”

“Okay.” Tony nodded. He got that.

“What about Howard?” Skye asked, unwilling to call him her father. She hadn't come to terms with that yet.

“What about him?” Tony sighed. “He was an alcoholic. Spent most of my childhood looking for Mr. Rogers over there. Then he died.”

“Car crash?” Skye confirmed.

“Yeah. Car crash.” Tony nodded.

“No wonder you and Steve don't get along that great.” Skye murmured, running her fingers through her hair.

“We're way better now.” Tony chuckled. “The first few weeks...months, even...eh. Not so great.”

“He stole your dad.”

“Our dad.”

“I didn't know him.”

“You didn't know me either, doesn't make me any less your brother.”

“I know you now.” Skye shrugged.

“We can go dig through some of his stuff.” Tony offered, grinning. “See if we can find some embarrassing pictures.”

“Of him or of you?” Skye laughed.

 

“Okay, rapid fire questions. I made a program. I'll hit the button to randomly pick a question to ask, you answer.”

“You have to answer too,” Skye argued, flipping through Tony's childhood pictures. Most of them were of him and his nannies, but his parents were present in some of them. “Fair is fair.”

“Deal.” Tony agreed. “Favorite food?”

“I have to choose one? French fries. Soft ice cream. Pizza. Sushi. Broccoli Cheddar Soup.”

“That's more than one. Scotch.”

“Scotch isn't a food.”

“Eh, I snack. Blueberries?” Tony shrugged. “Favorite color.”

“Blue.”

“Red and Gold.”

“Iron Man,” Skye sighed loudly.

“Iron Man,” Tony nodded. “Have you ever built a snowman? What kind of question is this?”

“It's your program.” Skye sighed. “And yes, like once. Jack and I liked to stay south during the winter. Don't like the cold.”

“You don't say. I have never built a snowman.”

“We can fix that this winter,” Skye grinned.

“What's the worst thing you've ever done?”

“Next.”

“Skye!”

“Next.”

“For me, I would say selling weapons. That was a bad choice. When that bomb landed next to me in Afghanistan, whoo. Real eye opener. It literally had my name on it. Our name on it? Hmm, you're a Stark.”

“I don't know how I feel about that.”

“I was looking over some stuff last night,” Tony groaned, leaning back to slump heavily in his chair.

“Oh yeah?”

“Yeah.”

“You gonna tell me what? Or can I go back to bed?”

“I'll get you more coffee,” Tony offered, leveling her with a serious expression. “You don't have to want for anything, not anymore.”

“I'll never turn down delicious coffee,” She murmured her agreement. Tony told Jarvis their order and then looked back at his sister.

“I mean it though,” Tony repeated.

“I'm good at taking care of myself,” Skye replied with an easy shrug. “And I don't need a lot.”

“I didn't say _need_ , I said _want_.” Tony reinforced. “Technically, half of Stark Industries is yours.”

“No,” Skye denied instantly. She pushed away from Tony and put the couch between them. “No, I don't want it.”

“It's not about what you want,” Tony replied.

“Yes, it is. I don't want it. I don't want half. I don't want a third. I don't want it.” She repeated, looking panicked.

“Okay, relax,” Tony reassured, trying to wave her back into her seat.

“Tony, I don't want it.” Skye repeated, still shaking her head. “If being a Stark means I _have to_ , then I don't want to be a Stark.”

“Skye, I'm not going to make you.” Tony sighed. She reacted exactly how he thought she would. “I would much rather have you as my sister than as a business partner, if I had to choose between the two. If you want no part in SI, that's fine.”

“Give Pepper my share,” She offered easily.

“That's a very generous offer,” Tony grinned. “But it doesn't work like that. Ignore the company. Just...” Tony waved behind him, “It's behind us. Done. Boom.”

“Okay,” Skye nodded slowly, sitting back down when the new order of coffee arrived. She smirked up at Tony over the top of her mug. “You didn't seem very surprised.”

“We're a lot alike,” Tony shrugged. “That being said, you still have Stark money. Use it, don't use it, I don't care. It's available to you for whatever.”

“That's very kind of you,” Skye dismissed. Tony grinned and shook his head.

“God, we're so much alike.”

“That's a lie,” Skye giggled. “I can't picture you ever saying _that's very kind of you_ to anyone. At least, not without being super sarcastic about it.”

“We may deflect in different ways, but we still deflect,” Tony shrugged. “Must be a Stark trait. You know another Stark trait? Being a genius."

"You're so modest," Skye giggled.

"I mean it!" Tony sighed. "I want you tested. I want to know."

"What if I don't want to?"

"Why wouldn't you want to?"

"I don't want to hurt your feelings when I'm smarter than you," Skye smirked.

"Ha, ha. You're not smarter than me." Tony retorted, crossing his arms. "I'm setting up the test."

"Whatever you say, brother."

They went back to flipping through pictures. Tony hadn't looked at them in years, so it was a nice refresher for him. Skye kept giggling at pictures, holding them up so he could offer the explanation behind them. She had laughed for a full minute at his robot costume for halloween one year. He looked maybe four or five, and his robot was made out of cardboard boxes. Tony had explained that he wanted to build it from scratch. His nanny hadn't had the heart to tell him it was terrible.

“So, did you find what you were looking for in your blood?” Tony asked casually. Skye froze over the box of pictures.

“You knew?”

“Bruce is quite particular about his lab,” Tony nodded. “He noticed things were not _quite_ right. We both immediately suspected you. Which begs the question, when in the last 35 years did you master lab techniques like that? Bruce was impressed.”

“Eh, picked up some odd jobs over the last thirty some years,” Skye shrugged.

“You didn't answer my question.”

“I wanted to confirm with Bruce.”

“Confirm what?”

“My sample now reacts the same way as the other samples of magic blood,” Skye admitted softly.

“So you've got magic blood now?” Tony asked, his eyebrows high.

“Maybe?” Skye offered softly. “I trust Bruce's results more than my own.”

 

 


	28. I think you're all better.

 

“Are we going to confirm her tests?” Simmons asked Bruce. They were re-watching the footage of Skye in the lab, trying to piece together what she had done.

“This one, for sure,” Bruce nodded, pointing to the paper that Skye had given him earlier.

“This virus? I've never heard of it,” Simmons muttered. “Why did you have it?”

“I ordered it on rush when Skye told me about it.” Bruce replied. “Wanna run this with me?”

“Heck yes, I do!” Simmons beamed, sidling closer to Bruce's side.

 

“Guys, I'm trying to stalk my sister,” Tony grumbled two hours later.

“That alone should be reason to stop,” Bruce replied with a grin. “Isn't that what you keep telling Steve? Let her be her own person?”

“You know what, Big Green?” Tony snorted, crossing his arms. “I think your lab might be getting a funding cut.”

“But then we won't have the resources to re-run your sister's tests,” Simmons interjected with a worried smile.

“Speaking of which,” Bruce smiled, waving Tony closer. “This will interest you. I promise.”

“Good interest or bad?”

“Hmm, good. I think.”

“Yeah,” Simmons grinned. “They used an almost identical serum on Skye as they did with 47.”

“Their blood is remarkably similar.” Bruce remarked. He pulled up two images. “See, this is what we took from the sample Jack used. This one is Skye's. See these markers? This must be the serum.”

“They have the same ones.” Tony nodded.

“We thought they might be the same sample, actually.” Simmons mused, looking the images over. “Unfortunately, Jack's medicine had no white blood cells, so we can't compare the DNA.”

“She's not 47.” Tony sighed. He had seen her wrist.

“Then the serum is identical.” Simmons shrugged. “It's amazing though, the way it blended with her DNA. It looks totally organic in a way I wouldn't expect it to.”

“Is that why she's got that healing...thing? Because 47 does?”

“Probably.” Bruce nodded. “It's curious really. We still can't explain why it has such amazing healing properties. Neither blood sample is elevated in any of the normal reading ranges.”

“But there's that weird thing that happens when the virus is introduced,” Simmons continued. Tony made an annoyed sound so she elaborated. “The serum? I guess we're assuming it's the serum? It morphs into something strange when the virus is around. It...well, it basically eats the virus.”

“Show me.” Tony demanded. Bruce smirked and pointed to the screen; the footage of their microscope already pulled up for his viewing pleasure. Bruce handed Tony the drawing Skye had given him, then hit play. Out of nowhere, her blood cells morphed and encircled the virus cells. It happened so quickly that if he didn't know what he was looking for, he wouldn't have caught it. Bruce played it again, this time at half speed. “What the fuck---?”

“Exactly,” Bruce nodded. He and Simmons exchanged an excited look. “We've got a genuine mystery on our hands.”

“So she's got magic blood?”

“She's got magic blood.” Simmons confirmed.

 

0-0-0-0-0

 

“Steve, Steve, Steve, Steve!” Skye shouted, jumping on his bed. “Guess what day it is?”

“Jump Day!” Steven shouted in response, jumping right along side her. Steve smirked at the pair, then slowly shook his head.

“Is that the camel commercial?” He asked.

“I'm all better. I have some things due to me,” Skye crowed, trying to jump higher. “Dude, this bed sucks for jumping on.”

“We can go to the trampoline place!” Jack shouted through the open doorway. He and Fitz had been playing internet videos on the TV when Steve got back from his run.

“Are you going to behave better than last time?” Skye shouted back. Jack just laughed loudly.

“What did you eat for breakfast?” Steve asked, catching Skye as she launched herself off the bed and into his arms. She squirmed in his hold until he placed her back on her feet, then grinned up at him.

“A muffin.”

“Three muffins!” Steven corrected.

“Chocolate chip, blueberry, and orange cranberry.” Skye moaned. “Oh, my God. The caterer makes the _best_ orange cranberry muffins I've ever had in my whole life.”

“And coffee,” Steven added.

“Oh, _the coffee,_ ” Skye moaned again, throwing her head back. “It was _delicious_.”

“So you've had sugar and caffeine.” Steve summarized with an affectionate shake of his head. “Swell.”

“The trampoline place will burn all my extra energy!” Skye giggled, throwing her hands up. “Don't say no, Steve. We're going anyway. You can't stop us.”

“I _can't_ stop you?” Steve asked with a dubious eyebrow lift.

“ _Can't_.” Skye repeated with a cocky smirk.

“Gym.”

“Bring it.”

“Ooooh, boy!” Steven crowed, launching himself off the bed and following Steve and Skye from the room.

“What's going on?” Fitz asked, looking up with a shy smile.

“Steve and Skye are gonna duke it out!” Steven shouted, launching himself around the room. Jack intercepted him and tossed him over his shoulder.

“Trust me, you're not going to want to miss this.” Jack muttered, dragging Fitz up.

“So, what happens when I win?” Skye asked, her face pure and innocent. Steve snorted. He had learned the lesson about that face, even if he had to earn it through Clint losing his bow.

“ _When_ I win, you have to take it easy today.” Steve retorted. “Not bedrest, but not launching yourself off elastic either.”

“When _I win_ ,” Skye countered, “I think you will have to come to the trampoline place with us. Snacks will have to be provided.”

“How are we judging this?” Fitz asked, ever fair.

“Typical bout, sissy?” Jack asked with a grin. That should have been Steve's first red flag. Skye pursed her lips and looked Steve over critically.

“Steve, think you can pin me in less than five minutes? Or do you want ten?” She asked finally. Steven giggled and squirmed to sit on Jack's shoulders.

“Steve, I don't think five minutes is enough time.” Steven laughed.

“Oh, I can do it in five minutes,” Steve argued. He never could turn down a challenge. “Either way, I think you're _all better_.” He said significantly. Skye's whole face lit up and she grinned enthusiastically.

“Okay, no pinning,” Skye offered. “If you can _prove_ I'm all better, you win.”

“I think we're missing something,” Fitz whispered to Jack.

“I really don't think we want to know,” Jack whispered back, noticing Steve's smirk.

“Now I definitely am going to win,” Steve informed Skye. She sighed loudly.

“See? That attitude right there? That's why you're going to lose,” She replied.

“This is either going to be awesome or terrifying.” Fitz winced.

“Let's go with awesome,” Skye laughed. She reached up and pecked Steve on the cheek, “For good luck.”

“You're going to need it,” Jack chortled, patting Steve's shoulder.

“I'm not going to hurt him,” Skye offered. “I'll do Jack mode.”

“Oh, no.” Steve interrupted, shaking his head. “Skye mode. I want to see Skye mode.”

“Really, Steve...”

“Skye mode,” Steve interrupted firmly. Jack shrugged and dragged Fitz and Steven clear.

“Don't say I didn't warn you,” Jack called from the sidelines.

“Let's make things clear,” Steve said softly, stepping closer to Skye so he could have the conversation quietly. “You have to stay away from me for five minutes. If I get close enough for long enough, I get to prove that you're better?”

“You really should have taken more time,” Skye giggled.

“I need you to say it, doll.” Steve said just as softly, but seriously.

“If you can catch me, you are allowed to kiss me, Mr. America.” Skye smirked.

“Great. Now that that's clear,” Steve lunged at Skye, hoping to take her by surprise. He really misjudged her speed. She twisted away from him, then flipped back twice to put distance between them.

“Naughty, naughty,” Skye grinned, wagging her finger at him. Steve didn't bother apologizing for his cheap shot, he just lunged again. Again and again, she slipped away from him before he could even touch her.

“He wanted Skye mode!” Jack called from the sidelines.

“This isn't Skye mode?” Steve asked, changing his strategy up to try and corner her instead.

“This is Jack mode,” Skye laughed. “He's like...99% defensive.”

“Skye! I'm delicate. I can't _punch people!_ ”

“He's also a whiner,” Skye grinned. Steve was breathing hard, but she hadn't even broken a sweat. “You really want Skye mode?”

“Doll, I want everything you've got,” Steve replied, then instantly flamed over when Jack and Fitz collapsed against each other, laughing so hard they were clutching each other to stay upright. Skye's eyes roamed down Steve's form, then back up to his eye. She was completely unashamed when he raised his eyebrow at her obviousness.

“Ask and you shall receive,” Skye replied, then switched from defense to offense. Steve was fast - fast enough that she still had to play some defense against him. In this short of a bout, Steve was almost evenly matched with her. With about a minute left though, it was clear that Skye had the upperhand. She started licking Steve every time she got close enough, which was surprisingly often. Fitz started counting down from twenty, and Steve still hadn't pinned Skye. He couldn't stop her from licking him and he couldn't get close enough to kiss her. He growled with frustration and a little bit of disgust. Leave it to her to pick something as gross as licking to prove her point. With five seconds left, Steve found himself smashed into the padded wall. Skye had managed to trap his arms behind his back in a way that he couldn't break free without dislocating his shoulders. He could do that, but it would be pointless. Jack, Fitz, and Steven were cheering from the sidelines:

“ _Trampoline, Trampoline, TRAMPOLINE!!!”_

“Sorry, Stevie,” Skye said sweetly, pressing a kiss between his shoulder blades. “I told you that you were just making things harder for yourself.”

“I changed my mind,” Steve admitted, resting his forehead on the padding. “I shouldn't have teased you. Please, don't make my same mistake.”

“What mistake?” Skye asked softly, loosening her hold on his wrists and thumbs subconsciously. Steve broke free with a growl of triumph and slammed them both to the floor. He wrapped his arms around her on the way down, breaking their fall with his arms.

“Teasing me,” Steve replied with a cocky smile. Skye grinned at his trick, but didn't let him press his advantage. She pulled closer to him, then tucked her ankle behind his knee and flipped them easily.

“I don't think teasing you is a mistake,” She grinned. She made a show of wetting her mouth, then dragged her tongue up the side of his face. “A grizzly bear kiss is almost as good as the real thing.”

“That's disgusting,” Steve groaned, trying to dry his face on his shoulder.

“Later, Stevie,” Skye laughed, skipping away from him.

“Well, that's embarrassing,” Clint laughed from the rafters.

"Shut up, Clint."

 

0-0-0-0-0

 

“I can do my training at the trampoline place!” Jack pouted.

“Are you actually going to do it?” Skye asked, sighing wearily. Jack saw that she was worn down and grinned at his victory.

“Sissy, _of course_ I'm going to do it.”

“You better.” She threatened. “I need to change quick, meet you back here in five?”

“Yes, ma'am!” Jack saluted. Steven giggled and hurried to his room to change as well. Pepper had come down to help him organize all the clothes Jack and Tasha had bought for him – helpfully sorting out the more outrageous outfits. In less than two minutes, all three were back in the shared space waiting impatiently for Steve.

“Jarvis!” Skye moaned, “Tell Steve if he doesn't hurry up, we're going to leave without him.”

“Steve got called away,” Tasha informed them, stepping off the elevator. “Won't be long. He said you could wait for him, if it's that important that he goes with you.”

“Or we could go again another day,” Jack offered up quickly.

“Wifey? Wanna join us?” Skye asked, fluttering her eyelashes. “Who knows what kind of trouble we might get into without a responsible adult to supervise us?”

“Where are you going?”

“Indoor trampoline place,” Steven grinned, bouncing in place. “Please, please, please come.”

“How am I supposed to say no to that?” Tasha asked with a small smile.

“You're not.” Steven replied, dragging her back to the elevator. Tasha laughed and draped her arm around Skye.

“We've got to keep these boys in line.”

“Oh, Jack will be in line,” Skye smirked. “Apparently he hasn't been doing his exercises.”

“Oooooh,” Steven laughed, climbing Jack to hang on his back. “You're in _trouble_!”

“Shush it,” Jack snorted.

“Let's steal Tony's favorite car,” Skye grinned.

“His favorite car wouldn't fit all of us,” Tasha replied easily. She grabbed a set of keys off a hook, then unlocked a black SUV with deep, tinted windows. “This however, will have to suffice.”

“Not as fun,” Jack grumbled.

 

0-0-0-0-0

 

“Again, Jack.” Skye sighed. “It's only been two weeks.”

“Almost three!” Jack retorted, like it made a difference.

“If Steven can do it, you owe him your dessert tonight.” Skye threatened. Steven bounced over upon hearing his name, pulling flips every other bounce.

“What do I need to do?” He asked, beaming.

“Don't do it!” Jack huffed.

“But, I like dessert.” Steven replied. Tasha and Skye laughed at that.

“Okay, Steven,” Skye sighed, pointing to a small box hidden in the rafters. “You get three bounces to get the box down.”

“Three?” Steven asked, looking the obstacle course over critically.

“Three.”

“Done.” Steven nodded. He composed his face, turning serious and focused. He shook his hands out and rolled his neck. Skye winced a little.

“If you can't do it, you're not in trouble, okay?” Skye told him in a whisper. She could see he was focusing, and she didn't want to disrupt that - but she needed to be straight with him too.

“No punishments?” Steven asked, stilling.

“Never.”

“Even if...”

“Never,” Skye repeated firmly.

“I didn't even ask yet!”

“Doesn't matter. My answer is still the same.”

He looked over with a shy smile, then focused on the task at hand. “Do I have to start from here?” He asked with a cocky smirk.

“Nope. Wherever you want,” Skye laughed. Jack had thrown his hands up and fell back onto the mat.

“Well that changes things!”

“Jack, you got the exact same instructions.”

“Whatever.” Jack moaned dramatically. “I see it now. You love him more than me.”

“Cry me a river,” Skye chortled. Steven jumped on Jack's stomach, making him groan and sit up halfway.

“{I still love you a whole lot, cool older brother,}” Steven whispered into Jack's ear.

“Thanks,” Jack laughed. “Go show me up.”

“I think I can do it in two,” Steven nodded, his game face on again. He ran to a knotted rope and climbed it about two-thirds of the way to the ceiling. He glanced down, then started swinging the rope. Once he had a good arch, he let go of the rope and fell feet first onto the trampoline. He used that bounce to propel him on top of one of the obstacles, then bounced from that to the rafters where the box was. He grabbed the box and slid down the wall. He ducked his head and offered Skye the box with a shy smile. “It's three if you count the last fall.”

“Hmm, you better open it.” Skye replied, shrugging her shoulders with a dry expression. He went to Jack and plopped down at his side. Jack helped him open the box, then they looked in together.

“Ice cream!?” Steven half-shouted.

“Steve's gonna flip,” Jack laughed.

“Nah, we'll eat ice cream here and burn it off before we go back to the Tower,” Skye laughed, tugging both of them to their feet.

“Tasha, can I buy you an ice cream?” Steven asked, sidling up to her.

“Does it come with sprinkles?” She asked right back.

“Anything you want,” Steven grinned, flapping the gift certificate in his face like a fan.

 

0-0-0-0-0

 

“I leave you guys alone for two hours,” Steve moaned, dragging his hand down his face. “Two hours! How did this even happen?”

“Ice cream!” Steven and Skye shouted back at him from across the trampoline court. They glanced at each other, then bounced once. They launched themselves at Steve, Jack and Tasha counting their flips as they went.

“Seventeen,” Jack called out for Skye.

“Nineteen,” Tasha called out for Steven.

“Aw, man!” Skye groaned, plopping down on the trampoline.

“Don't worry,” Steven reassured her, “You'll do better when you have practiced more.”

“Pop Top!” Jack laughed, then jumped near her, launching her into the air. Skye giggled and flailed midair.

“Steve, come join us.” Skye invited. “Tasha was telling us about your acrobatics. We would _love_ a demonstration.”

“Tasha!” Steve grumbled. “It was one class. For charity.”

“We're charity and we want to see it,” Skye retorted quickly. “Please, Stevie?”

“Yeah, Stevie,” Tasha smirked.

“See if you can get the box down,” Steven laughed, laying flat on his back as Jack and Skye bounced him into the air. He pointed up towards the rafters.

“You get three bounces.” Jack was quick to add.

“Three?” Steve asked, kicking his shoes off.

“Three,” Jack confirmed, holding his hand over Steven's mouth so he couldn't give him any clues.

“Rules?”

“Get the box down.” Jack shrugged. “Within three bounces.”

“That's it?”

“That's it.”

“Psh, pie and cake.” Steve grinned, bouncing a few times experimentally. He used his three bounces to get high, trying to bounce straight up into the rafters. He ended up needing four bounces, not that anyone noticed. By the time he got to the box, they had hidden in the course. “You're not funny, guys!”

“Open your box!” Steven shouted back. Steve shook his head and opened the box. There was a small piece of paper inside. All it said was: _You're it_.

“Oh, you guys are going down.” Steve announced, free falling back onto the trampoline. He used the height to scope out the obstacle course, immediately spotting Jack. “Oh, Ja-a-a-ack!” He teased, bouncing over a wall to land right near Jack. He forgot about the bounce though, cause Jack laughed as he was propelled out of reach of Steve's outstretched arms.

“Gonna have to do better than that, Stevie.”

 

0-0-0-0-0

 

“Okay, so I'm clearly better.” Skye teased lightly, from the backseat of the SUV. Jack and Tasha were sitting up front. “We need to go to Shield. I need to see the kids. As discretely as possible.”

“What, you don't want to see the Director?” Steve teased right back.

“Not if I can solve the problem on my own.”

“Hopefully there is no problem,” Steve agreed. “I spoke with the agents that were with the kids, and I spoke to the director about reassigning better agents.”

“But we're still going, right?” Skye asked, narrowing her eyes slightly. “If you don't want to go, I can take Gertrude.”

“I love that you named your van Gertrude,” Steve laughed, pulling her into a hug.

“Gertrude is a good, solid name.” Skye defended.

“Yes, it is.” Steve agreed as they pulled into the Tower. “Lets see who else wants to go to Shield. Maybe Clint can fly us instead.”

“Flying?” Skye asked softly.

“No flying?” Steve asked back. “Do heights apply to quinjets? I guess I assumed if you couldn't see the height, it wouldn't be an issue.”

“I can do it,” Skye dismissed. “Jarvis, where's my Archer?”

“Can I stay here with Tony?” Steven asked softly, wringing his hands.

“You definitely don't have to go back there,” Steve agreed easily, ruffling his hair. “You're going to need a haircut soon.”

“Skye? Will you cut my hair? Jack said you always cut his,” Steven asked, twisting back to see Skye.

“Absolutely,” Skye agreed easily. “Jack is overdue.”

 

 

 


	29. I've seen good. This was epic.

 

“I feel like I'm twelve again,” Skye grumbled lightly.

Being the smallest of the group, she had been volunteered for the jump seat when Agent Coulson's team got called back to headquarters for a mission. It had taken Trip and Ward to get Simmons from Bruce's lab, because as hard as she resisted her kidnapping in the first place, she really liked working in the Tower. Ward had tired of arguing with her, so he hoisted her over his shoulder and carried her kicking and screaming from the lab. Jarvis had alerted Jack that Fitz was wanted for a mission and he had locked down his lab with them both inside. It had taken Coulson forty five minutes to almost convince Tony to override the order, and by then the Director had called Coulson and demanded he get to base. Since Tony was too amused by the situation to offer any help, Coulson admitted defeat and headed back to headquarters without Fitz. Apparently, in that 45 minutes Clint had gotten impatient and left in the quinjet with Tasha – and no one else. So that left Coulson and May sitting up front in the SUV, Simmons, Skye, and Steve in the middle row, and Trip and Ward at the back of the SUV. Needless to say, the mood in the SUV was solemn – at best.

“I can give you another...inch,” Steve offered, trying to scoot closer to the door.

She smiled and patted his knee, “Relax, I've got room. It's just...claustrophobic.”

“You lived in a van and are worried about tight spaces?” Coulson asked from up front.

“You know, you're doing a remarkably bad job at earning your file back, Agent Coulson,” Skye retorted.

“I got the tablet!” Coulson replied back, too quickly.

“You were supposed to bring it _to me,_ ” Skye replied, overly patient. “I never got it.”

“You got a shower.” Coulson bartered. “That was on the list.”

“Yeah, but you didn't get me a shower. My brother got me a shower.”

“Can't believe you're a Stark,” May muttered.

“Sorry, what was that?” Trip half shouted from the back row of the SUV. “Speak up! I can't hear back here, especially with Mr. Chatty talking my ear off!”

“I haven't said anything!” Ward whispered defensively.

“That's the point, man.” Trip grumbled.

“Agent May had just commented that it was strange that Skye is a Stark,” Simmons informed him primly. She deliberately kept her head from turning towards Ward. She did not appreciate his handling of her. Skye tried to hide her grin, but Steve's shaking chest gave him away.

“Hey! I should get my file back!” Coulson shouted, making the van laugh. He raised his voice again, “I _hand delivered_ your shower chair. I get my file back!”

“Fine!” Skye laughed, pulling a tablet from her bag, “I'll give you your other file back.”

“Aw, yeah.” Coulson said softly, smirking at May. May raised an eyebrow at him and shook her head ever so slightly. She caught Skye's tone – Coulson wasn't getting what he thought he was getting.

“I can't believe Clint left without us,” Steve muttered. Skye smirked up at him, then continued working on her tablet.

“Anyone want another look at Doctor Coulson before I make him go buh-bye?” Skye asked the van.

“Oh, me. Can I have a picture with him?” Simmons asked, grinning and waving her phone.

“No!” Coulson shouted, trying to reach back. Skye slapped his hand away and grabbed Simmons' phone.

“Say cheese!” Skye laughed. Simmons held the tablet up next to face and smiled at Skye.

“Get in there,” Steve laughed, taking the phone from Skye. “You know you want this documented.”

“Stop being so smart and take the picture,” Skye giggled, smacking Coulson's hand away again before sliding closer to Simmons.

“I will pull this SUV over if everyone doesn't have their seatbelts on!” Coulson threatened.

“Sorry, Dad.” Simmons and Skye chorused, clicking their seatbelts at the same time. Even May smirked at that one, partially because of Coulson's sudden silence and shocked expression.

“I'm surrounded by children,” Ward muttered, pushing back in his seat.

“Son, don't talk to me about children,” Steve informed him in a patronizing grandfather tone. Skye laughed so hard that she snorted, then immediately hid her face in her knees in embarrassment.

“Did you fix my file yet?” Coulson grumbled after thirty minutes of driving in silence.

“Almost,” Skye replied softly, still tapping away at the tablet. She was twisted in the seat, leaning against Steve's side as she worked. He had watched her for a while, but couldn't follow her actions. She had smiled up at him shyly, pulling his arm across her chest so she could rest her head against his bicep. Trip had amused himself by making fun at Steve, poking his shoulder and then wagging his eyebrows at the top of Skye's head. Finally, Steve stuck his tongue out at his friend and watched the road slip by, wondering if this counted as a road trip, when Coulson broke the silence.

“Good,” Coulson nodded. “We're close now. Ten, fifteen minutes at most. I would like to be able to tell the director my file was fixed.”

“Too bad we have a civilian with us,” Ward commented from the back of the van. “Can't use the side entrance.”

“AC, do the side entrance.” Skye replied, sounding distracted. She held out an id badge, which May took.

“Why do you have a Shield ID badge?” May asked, turning towards Skye with an incredulous expression.

“Shield _Consultant_ ,” Skye pointed out.

“Answer the question.”

“I _appointed myself_ consultant when I got better,” Skye admitted quickly.

“You don't get to appoint yourself!” Ward yelled from the backseat.

“Well Shield doesn't get to appoint themselves guardians of those kids!” Skye yelled back. She sighed and quieted her voice. “Not without supervision, of course. So...I appointed myself their supervisor.”

“Skye, as nice as that title sounds,” Coulson sighed, “This ID won't be in their system. You'll get arrested.”

“AC, I promise that badge is as good as yours.”

“I'm not dealing with Angry Captain America when his girlfriend gets arrested,” Trip chirped from the backseat. He and Ward chuckled softly to themselves when Steve reached back to swat at Trip.

“AC, please. The side entrance would save so much time.”

“Skye, this isn't a _real_ badge.”

“AC!”

“Skylar Elizabeth Stark!” Coulson said firmly, slipping into a stern, father voice. “You will not get arrested on my watch. Now shush.”

There was a beat of silence in the SUV, then Steve spluttered into his elbow. Soon the entire vehicle was laughing and Coulson's entire head was red with embarrassment.

“Aw, front entrance,” Simmons groaned softly, banging her head against the glass.

“Can I have my badge back?” Skye asked, reaching forward for it.

“Did you fix my file?” Coulson asked back.

“Yes!” Skye replied, grabbing her ID. “I gave you your last file back.”

“This is going to take forever,” Ward grumbled.

“If you could smile every now and then, we wouldn't get picked for the random searches,” Trip retorted.

Skye hurried to exit the vehicle and get to the front of their pack. Steve grinned as she shoved Ward to the side and took his place. Clearly, she wanted to be the first in the building. Knowing Skye, she was going to make a point about her ID badge. Trip noticed the same thing and dropped back with Steve.

“What's your girl up to?” He asked in a low voice.

“I have no idea,” Steve grinned. “But I would wager Coulson's about to get schooled.”

Coulson held the door open for the team, letting them stream passed him before following them into the building. Skye lead them to a side door within the main doors, holding her badge out to security as she did. She turned at the keypad and stared at Coulson with a sly expression. She put on a very fake shocked expression, covering her open mouth with her hand, and slid her badge very slowly down the slot. It flashed red and beeped twice. Instantly there was a voice from security, “Ma'am, please slide your badge more quickly.”

“I know, I know,” Skye hissed, waving them away. “Fuuuck!” Skye moaned, throwing her head back dramatically. Security walked forward, grabbing for her badge, so she swatted him away, “I can do it! It was for dramatic effect and that fucking failed, I get it. I'll do it right. Go.” She stomped her foot a little and pointed back to the guard station, “Go!”

He glanced at the team she was with and decided to agree with her. Security backed up two steps and waited for her to scan her badge again. Steve laughed silently, hanging his head so Skye wouldn't see him laughing at her. Trip was next to Steve, trying to hide his amusement the same way. It just drew more attention to the pair. Ward was standing with his arms crossed, a smug smirk on his face at her failure. Skye frowned and slid her badge through the right way, grumbling when it flashed green.

“What the fuck...” Ward muttered, shaking his head. She pulled the door open and waved them through the door, looking sullen.

“It went so much better in my head,” Skye grumbled to Steve as he held the door for her so she could slip in ahead of him. Trip draped his arm across her shoulders and laughed merrily as he dragged her along.

“My team, head to the Bus,” Coulson ordered. “I'm going to show the Director that my file is fixed. We're supposed to depart for this mission in an hour and a half. Make sure we're ready.” He glanced at Skye and Steve and shook his head, “Just...stay out of trouble.”

“Sure thing, AC,” Skye grinned, then grabbed Steve by the hand and dragged him off.

“And place your bets,” Trip muttered to his team as they disappeared around a corner.

“I bet we are summoned before we depart for the mission,” May said dryly, then headed for the Bus for a thorough pre-mission check.

“But what about Fitz?” Simmons asked, running after her. “If Fitz gets to stay at the Tower, I get to stay at the Tower!”

 

0-0-0-0-0

 

“We're not allowed in there.” Steve said softly, trying to pull Skye from the quarantine window.

“Why not?” She asked, looking at the children inside. One waved weakly, so Skye smiled and waved back.

“We don't know what's wrong with them.” Steve frowned. “They're dying.”

“I want to see them.”

“Of course you do. You only have to be stubborn about the difficult things, don't you?”

“Maybe,” She smirked.

“Let's go talk to the Director.”

“Nah, AC's with him.” Skye giggled slightly, “I can bypass this.”

“Just because you _can_...Skye...ugh, okay.” Steve tried reasoning with her, but Skye was already pulling the tablet out of her bag again. “I thought you wanted to see the kids.”

“Steve, these _are_ kids,” Skye retorted easily. She tapped away on the tablet, then smiled up at Steve and swiped her card. It flashed green and Skye exhaled, “Whoo, really glad that worked. That was so embarrassing before.” She laughed and skipped into the room, “hey, kiddos.” Eight sets of curious eyes swiveled to them.

“You're going to get sick.” One said weakly, trying to wave her away.

“I'm going to make you better.” Skye contradicted.

“They can't even figure it out,” One laughed sarcastically. Steve frowned at the poor humor. These kids shouldn't be suffering like this.

“I can fix it.” Skye grinned. She added something in the mash-up language, which made Steve sigh. He really needed to learn this damn language.

“Bloody hell.” The boy that waved to her through the window struggled into a sitting position.

“Think Simmons has been through here?” Skye whispered to Steve, grinning. They didn't talk like that at the compound. “Now, who's the sickest?”

The children wordlessly pointed to a girl that had been silent the whole time. Skye walked to her side, pulling things from cabinets as she did. She sat next to the girl and looked her over. Then she made loud humming noises and waved her hands dramatically over the girl's body. Despite her condition, the girl smiled and the rest of the children giggled. Skye tapped the girl's nose.

“All done. How do you feel?”

“The same.” The girl said hoarsely. Skye fake slumped, earning her more giggles from the children. Steve grinned at her dramatics.

“Guess we'll have to try the gross approach, huh?” Skye whispered.

“Needles?” The girl whispered back. Skye frowned and nodded.

“Only one. If it helps, I really don't like them either.”

“You're not afraid of anything.”

“Everybody is afraid of something,” Skye replied loftily. She grabbed a rubber tube and tied her own arm off. “See that big guy back there? You know who that is?”

“Yeah, he got me out.”

“But do you know who he is?”

“Captain America.” The girl whispered reverentially. Skye leaned forward and tied the girl's arm off as well. Steve took a few steps closer so he could see what Skye was doing.

“He's totally afraid of butterflies.” Skye confided.

“Nuh uh,” The girl giggled.

“Steve, aren't you afraid of butterflies?” Skye called over her shoulder. She began the blood transfusion to the little girl without pausing her banter.

“At least I'm not afraid of rubber duckies,” Steve replied easily, knowing she was keeping the girl's mind off the needle. He sat behind Skye on the bed, resting a hand on her hip. He knew how much she hated needles and he didn't like the idea of her passing out and hitting the floor.

“Hey! I told you that in confidence!” Skye gasped, looking offended. The other children in the room were laughing, which drew the attention of the staff in charge of the room. One of the medical agents rushed into the room just as Skye was withdrawing the needle from the girl's arm. Steve went to run interference while Skye smiled softly down at the girl.

“See, that wasn't so bad.” Skye murmured, brushing her hair away from her face with hands that shook. She leaned down and pressed a kiss to the girl's clammy forehead. “I want you to sleep now.”

“But 'm scared.” The girl mumbled.

“There's something special in my blood. It made me better and it's going to make you better, too. I promise. You don't need to be afraid anymore.”

“Are you going to make them better too?” She asked, yawning.

“Do you think I should?” Skye asked, biting back a smile.

“Yes, please.”

“Okay, then I will. You sleep and I'll fix up your brothers and sisters.”

“Will you still be here?”

“Yes, ma'am.” Skye promised softly. She stroked the girl's head until she drifted off to sleep, which only took a few moments. She was clearly exhausted. Only then did Skye remember the medical agent running into the room. She turned to see Steve arguing with a short woman wearing a plastic suit.

“It's not sanitary!” The woman was whisper shouting. “All sorts of diseases could be transmitted...”

“At least she'll be alive for you to treat them,” Skye interjected, stepping up next to Steve.

“I'm getting my superior,” The woman threatened, then turned and left.

“Is AC still here?” Skye asked, grinning up at Steve. He glanced at his watch and nodded. “Good. Simmons is probably on her way. I haven't seen her _in ages_.” Skye turned to the children. “Now, who's next?”

The children exchanged looks and frowned at her.

“We don't want to get you in trouble.”

“I haven't used up my trouble quota for the day!” Skye laughed, tossing up her hands. “What fun is that? Now, who's next? If you don't tell me, I'll just pick someone. You're all getting some anyway.”

“With a break and some food in between, right?” Steve whispered. He knew it was important to her to save these children, but there were a few that were obviously better off than the others. She could take a break before doing their transfusions. Skye frowned and looked like she was going to argue. Steve wrapped his arm around her and pulled her closer. He bent his head down and whispered in her ear, “You can't help them if you're passed out on the floor.”

“You would catch me before I hit the floor,” Skye replied, rolling her eyes. “Point taken though. I promise, I'll stop when I get dizzy.”

“Good. No loopholes on this.” Steve said firmly. Skye sighed.

“Fine! No loopholes, unless there is a legit medical emergency.”

“Agreed,” Steve smiled. His smile turned into a frown when he noticed her hands though. He took her hands in his, feeling them shake gently. Skye made a face and tried to pull her hands away, but he didn't let her. “Are you sure you're okay?” He asked gently.

“It's just the needles,” Skye admitted softly, so the children wouldn't hear. “I'm good. I promise.”

He glanced towards the suspiciously quiet children and saw them watching the interaction with carefully hidden gleeful expressions. One of the older boys murmured something in the mash-up language, making all the children and Skye laugh. Steve didn't know what he said, but he could guess based on his tone.

“They making fun of us?” Steve asked, twisting so his back was to the children. Skye grinned from the crook of his arm and winked at him.

“Threatening you, actually.” Skye laughed. “He said one of my brothers is going to have to give you _the talk_.”

“You're not from there,” Steve pointed out.

“It's the principle of it.” Skye shrugged. “I can't wait to see who they send.”

“Does that make me your boyfriend?” Steve whispered, blushing. “Your brother informed me that there's a whole conversation that needs to happen?”

“How about we do that later?” Skye suggested. She looked past him to the children who were openly giggling. “In private?”

“Hmm, yes. Blood transfusions.” Steve nodded decisively. The sooner these kids were better the sooner he could have that conversation with Skye. Skye giggled, like she could read his mind.

“Wanna get me some clean needles? I'll prep...him.” Skye pointed to the kid that looked the sickest. The other children nodded their agreement.

With Steve's help, Skye was able to finish his transfusion before the medical agent was back.

“See! She's done it again!” The woman hissed, pointing to Skye.

“Oh no,” Skye whispered, shaking her hands in fake fear. The remaining children giggled.

“Oh yes, Agent. Captain America is going to let her do irreparable harm.” A British voice sighed.

“Hey, Simmons.” Skye grinned, scooting over to sit on the next bed. She didn't even look up at the doctor.

“Wanna tell me what you're doing?” Simmons asked, sitting down opposite Skye.

“Fixing me some kids,” Skye replied, using a gangster inflection. She threw up some gang signs. “You hear me, dawg?”

“I swear, sometimes you don't speak English.” Simmons laughed, rolling her eyes. “I know how much you hate needles, want me to help?”

“Okay.” Skye agreed easily.

“How many have you given blood to already?” Simmons asked, getting up to put gloves on. Steve helpfully handed her a pair.

“Just those two,” Skye answered, pointing to the two sleeping children.

“You're not doing all of these children at once,” Simmons ordered sternly. Steve grinned at Skye over Simmons' shoulder.

“Don't worry, Steve already gave me that lecture.” Skye smiled, waving off their concern.

“Two more.”

Skye turned to inspect the children, judging their health.

“We'll be fine,” One offered, looking down at his hands. “You're more important.”

“What?” Skye gasped. She looked around, looking shocked when all of the children nodded their agreement. Skye went off on them in her mash-up language, moving to sit with each child.

“What do you think she's saying?” Steve whispered to Simmons. Simmons smiled fondly.

“Probably forcing them to believe their own self-worth.”

“She suffers from that too,” Steve whispered. He smiled at scene in front of him – Skye was hugging the boy that had spoken up, letting him cry into her shoulder. After she felt her message was received, she let Simmons come and begin the blood transfusion. She gave to three more children before Steve forced her to stop; Simmons gave it her best shot, but Steve was much more persuasive.

“I promised I would stay,” Skye argued feebly, swatting at Steve's hand on her waist.

“Okay, then let's go get some food in you and we can come back.”

“I promised, Steve.”

“She's not going to leave,” Jack interrupted. “She promised.”

“Well she promised me she would get food and take a break.” Steve retorted, bending over to lift Skye into his arms. The fact that she couldn't escape his grip told Steve how much she needed this break. Simmons watched helplessly from the sidelines. “When did you get here?”

“Right now. I locked Fitz in the Tower. How about you camp out in that chair, and I go get us all some food?” Jack offered, nodding towards a large armchair in the corner. It was covered in medical tissue, but looked comfortable. Skye smiled tiredly.

“I think the kiddos need ice cream for a full recovery.”

The kids giggled and nodded at her suggestion. Jack grinned at them and shook his head.

“I'll go with you,” Simmons offered. “I haven't eaten yet either.”

“You going too?” Skye mumbled, tucking her arms into her chest.

“Nah, you're stuck with me.” Steve smiled, carefully sitting down in the chair. He was pleasantly surprised to realize it reclined. Skye hummed her approval and adjusted against his chest. She blindly reached out for Steve's hand, drawing it up to her chest. The boy that had cried on her whispered something in the mash-up, and the children that were still awake repeated it with fond smiles. Skye laughed softly and tiredly replied. The three remaining children grinned and settled back in their beds. Steve wasn't surprised when Skye's breathing deepened and evened out.

“Damn,” Jack muttered when Simmons and he got back nearly twenty minutes later. “I knew we wouldn't be fast enough.”

“She was asleep within a minute of you leaving,” Steve smiled. “You could have had food on you and still have been too late.”

“Let's see if we can wake her. At least long enough to get some food down. If we can keep her blood sugar up, I might consider letting her donate some more. She's not giving a huge amount to each child.” Simmons added, handing each of the awake children a cup of ice cream. They had forgotten spoons so she passed out tongue depressors.

“We're not as bad,” A boy smiled, digging into the ice cream. “We can wait.”

“Skye won't leave until you're all better,” Jack told him, opening his own ice cream. He grinned at Steve. “I haven't had ice cream straight from the cup in...God, I don't even know. When we first got out, we went to an ice cream truck. The ice cream was half melted, but we had wooden scoops like this.”

“Wait, you're with Skye?” The oldest boy asked, frowning.

“{She's my sister,}” Jack mumbled around his ice cream.

“Are you aware of this?” The boy asked, raising his eyebrows and nodding towards Steve. Steve laughed at Jack's confused expression.

“They told Skye earlier they were going to send a brother to give me the talk.”

“Good thing I did that already then, huh?” Jack laughed.

“You never told me that,” Skye mumbled, adjusting against Steve's chest.

“Sorry, doll.” Steve murmured, adjusting his hold on her.

“Hmm, 's alright.” Skye yawned. “You're just a little bumpy when you laugh. Do I smell french fries?”

“Got it in one.” Jack grinned, pulling up a doctor's stool next to the chair. “Meany Simmons won't let you have any until you eat something healthy though.”

“Potatoes are a vegetable.” Skye pouted.

“That's what I told her.” Jack said, shooting Simmons a pointed look.

“What? Don't look at me like that. Eat some soup, or some of this sandwich. THEN you can have your french fries.” Simmons was in doctor mode, standing with her hands firmly on her hips.

“Ugh, get Bruce.” Skye sighed, making Steve laugh.

“He's good at getting her out of doctor mode, huh?” Steve whispered into her hair. Skye laughed softly and nodded.

“What about half that giant sandwich, then french fries. Oh, ice cream?” Skye shot up. Only Steve's quick reflexes kept her from tumbling to the floor. Jack rolled back and defended his ice cream.

“You can get your own damn ice cream. This is mine. Mine!” Jack replied, throwing in a hiss at the end for good measure. The children giggled and hid their ice cream too.

“Simmons...” Skye pouted, pushing her lip out.

“You'll have better luck with Steve,” Simmons laughed, rolling her eyes. “You eat the sandwich and you can have ice cream.”

“And french fries.” Skye clarified.

“It'll be nice and melty for you to dip in,” Jack grinned. “Now shut up and get eating.”

“Fine, fine.” Skye yawned, pushing away her hair. She cut the sandwich in half and gave Steve the other half. Simmons looked like she was going to argue so Skye jumped in before she could, “Shush. We can share the other one too.”

Skye took a big bite of sandwich, then promptly spit the unchewed bite back out into her hand.

“Ew, Skye.” Jack moaned.

“Ew, ham, Jack.” Skye moaned back, tossing the uneaten bite. She pulled the ham off her sandwich and offered it to Steve.

“You don't like ham?” Steve asked, suppressing a grin.

“I _loathe_ ham.” Skye replied, wiggling the ham in his face. “You want this or am I chucking it?”

“How do you hate ham?” Steve grinned, taking the ham and shoving it into his mouth.

“It was all they fed us for a few years.” Skye admitted softly, then deliberately took a bite of her bread and topping sandwich so she wouldn't have to answer any more questions. Steve and Jack exchanged a look over Skye's head but continued eating their food. Skye never talked about her time at the orphanage. If she only had tidbits like that to share about her childhood home, it was no wonder that she didn't like telling people about it. Skye finished eating her sandwich and cut the other one in half. She offered Steve the other half, reclining back against his shoulder as she chewed.

“How long do they have to stay here?” Skye asked Simmons, breaking the extended silence.

“Depends how fast your freak factor heals them.” Simmons shrugged.

“Freak factor?” Jack asked, tossing bread at her. “That makes her sound like an alien from outer freaking space.”

“Hey!” Simmons yelped, trying and failing to dodge the bread. The children grinned and set their ice cream cups aside.

“She's not a freak.” Steve agreed.

“How do you know?” Jack asked suggestively, raising one delicate eyebrow. Skye giggled and threw the balled up cellophane from her sandwich at him. Steve grinned, reaching over for one of her french fries. His cheeks were still tinged red from Jack's question. Skye stuck out her tongue and reached for an ice cream cup. As Jack predicted, it was just the right level of melted for dipping.

Skye was letting Steve finish her french fries when the first little girl started crying. She wasn't awake yet, but Skye knew what would follow. She pulled from Steve's arms and tried to stand. She was still a little wobbly, but she made it to the little girl's bed with minimal help from furniture near her. She carefully lifted the girl enough to slide her onto half of the bed and slid into the bed next to her.

“Skye, she may be contagious...” Simmons started, then sighed and shook her head. They all knew she wouldn't listen anyway. Skye tucked an arm behind the girl, drawing her close. The little girl burrowed into her chest, clinging to her shirt.

“Need anything before you're asleep again?” Steve asked, smiling at the pair.

“Hmm, a blanket?” Skye replied, nuzzling her nose into the girl's hair. Steve draped one over her and she mumbled her thanks. Within minutes, both girls were asleep – each holding tightly to the other. Steve pressed a kiss to Skye's forehead and sat back down in the armchair.

 

"Skylar Elizabeth!" Coulson whisper shouted, storming into the room.

"Shh, they're sleeping," Jack shushed dismissively.

"She promised!" Coulson groaned, flapping a piece of paper.

"What did she do?" Steve asked, smiling.

"She said she was going to change my file back! I've still got the Hello Kitty file!" Coulson whined, showing Steve the paper.

"Guess you should have asked for your original file back, not your last one," Jack laughed lightly, popping M&Ms into his mouth.

 

0-0-0-0-0

 

“I think someone is in the vents,” Steve said softly, eying the vent opening above them. There was soft but definite thumps coming from inside.

“I'll call security,” Simmons nodded.

“No, wait.” Skye said softly. “Don't call them.”

“You're too light of a sleeper,” Steve smiled. “Who do you think it is?”

“Jack?” Skye asked, glancing up at the opening. He nodded and put a chair under the opening, but even with the added height he wasn't tall enough to open it. Steve laughed and waved him down. He opened the vent and peeked inside. There was a child, huddled in the vents. It was dark in the vent, but Steve caught the reflection of tears on his face.

“Hey, it's alright.” Steve said softly. “You're not in trouble. Why don't you come out and tell us why you're hiding?” The boy shook his head rapidly and tried to scurry away.

“{Come out and talk to me,}” Skye called out. The boy froze, then turned back to look at Steve.

“I understand why you don't trust me, but Skye would love to talk to you.”

“{Come down. It's safe here.}” One of the three remaining children called out. That convinced the boy. He still didn't smile, but he let Steve help him down from the vents – even if he did scramble away the second his feet were on the ground. He was older than Steven, so he was probably Group Upsilon.

“{Who are they?}” The boy from the vent asked softly.

“{I'm Skye. I'm helping your brothers get better.}” Skye replied, cutting out the middle-man.

“{She saved us,}” Jack added, smiling.

“{But...that was 47...Wait. He's 47?}”

“{Nah.}” Jack grinned. “{She's not 47. She's my sister. You can trust us.}”

“{That's what _they_ said.}” The boy growled angrily.

“{What are they doing?}” Skye asked. The boy glanced at his group members for confirmation. When they all nodded, he went off in the mash-up. Steve could tell this boy was older than Steven, just by the fluency of his mashup. His tone was angry, but also scared. Skye's face contorted with anger as he told her. She started to pull away from the little girl next to her, waving the boy to her side.

“{Switch me.}” Skye told him, holding the blanket open so he could slide into her place.

“What's wrong?” Steve asked, instantly on his feet. “Please tell me what's going on.” Steve practically begged, watching Skye slip free from the girl's hold. “Where are you going?” Steve asked. She wouldn't leave for food, but she would leave now? What happened? He had never seen Skye angry – not like this.

“Need to fix a staffing issue.” Skye practically growled. She softened her expression slightly as she turned back to the children. “{I'll be back. I'm not breaking my promise.}”

“You don't have to do this for us.” The boy from the vents said softly, his own anger diminished when he saw the anger on her face.

“Yes, I do.” Skye replied. The boy didn't argue with her after that.

“I'm coming with.” Steve frowned. “Simmons, would you stay with them?”

“Of course.” She stammered. Like she could even consider turning down an angry Skye and Captain America. Steve hurried to catch up to Skye. She was barreling down the hall, clipping anyone stupid enough not to get out of her way. Steve didn't have a chance to question her further before realizing where she was going. The other children's room was down this hall. He wondered if Fury had indeed gotten the children new staffing; he hadn't thought to double check.

Skye slammed the door open angrily, storming into the room. Steve closed the door behind them, figuring they may need some privacy. The children inside stopped abruptly with Skye's entrance. They stood quietly, looking from Skye to the Agents, like they didn't know who to look to for instruction. The difference between Skye and the agents was night and day. Skye was in her favorite: leggings and flannel shirt. The agents were in standard field uniform: black cargo pants, black t-shirt, and black jacket over the top. Skye's hair was loose and wavy – their hair was cropped short and gelled into a slick line. Steve recognized one of the agents as the jerk from Steven's temper tantrum.

The oldest children were on the far side of the room, looking angry, frustrated, and frightened. Another group of children had been running laps, but now were frozen in place. Both groups' eyes kept straying back to the center of the room. The agents' eyes snapped towards Skye as she stormed towards them. Steve only noticed the children on the ground when the agents turned. They were crying, obviously frightened of something.

“Cap,” Skye called out, not looking away from the agents. “I need you to take the kids out of here.”

“They're not going anywhere.” The jerk retorted. “You're not Shield, you can't order us around.”

“Captain.” Skye ground out, waving towards the children. They had stopped running, but weren't heading towards the door. The oldest children shook their hands, showing Skye the restraints holding them back. She growled at the Agents as she stalked through them, shoving them aside with rough shoves as she headed to the oldest children. Steve ushered the kids that had been running to the door, having them wait for him there. He strode over to the guards to discourage them from going after Skye while her back was turned to them. She flipped her watch open and quickly picked each lock, freeing the oldest kids.

“{Are you guys okay?}” She asked as she worked. “{Why are these on you?}”

“{We tried to help...}” One of the oldest admitted. She growled her annoyance and freed the last child.

“{You're going to take the younger kids and go with Steve,}” Skye told them firmly. They looked like they were going to argue, so she shot them a look that stopped their retorts. “{I'm going to fix this. I'll take care of the Agents, but I need you to take care of the other children.}”

“{Who are you?}”

Skye didn't reply, just turned and shoved the Shield agents aside, speaking to the children on the ground in the mash-up. One guard growled his annoyance, but a stern look from Steve held him in place. The smallest children were on the floor, surrounded by the Agents. Steve thought about Steven, the smallest of all of them, and couldn't help but feel grateful that he got Steven out and guilty that he didn't do more for these children. Skye called a few older kids over and handed off the crying children. The last child clung to Skye as she murmured to her. Finally, she calmed the girl enough that she could hand her off to one of the older children. She turned briefly to the kids, telling the group something in the mash-up. She slipped into a calm demeanor as she talked to the kids, smiling warmly at the ones that were the most upset. That smile slipped off her face as she turned to the guards who were approaching her from behind. The children hurried to Steve looking scared and anxious, but also a little awed.

“So, you like to pick on children?” Steve heard Skye ask as he closed the door behind the last child. The children were all looking at him expectantly.

“So, how about we go get some ice cream?” Steve asked, rubbing his hands together nervously. The agents deserved everything Skye was about to dish out, but that didn't mean the children had to be around to hear it. He ushered the children down the hall, trying to hurry them along when he heard the first pained yell. Steve pulled out his phone and shot a text to Clint. He knew Tasha and Clint had followed them to headquarters.

“...going to be okay?”

“I don't want...”

“...he doing that for us?”

“...should go help.” The children around Steve talked over the top of each other, expressing their anxiety of the situation. Steve tried to smile as reassuringly as he could.

“I promise she's going to be okay.”

“But sir!”

“I promise!” Steve repeated. Jack cut off the rest of his response, running through the children.

“She's going to fucking kill them, Steve!” Jack hissed, trying to whisper. “Why would you leave her alone in there?”

That reassured the children more than Steve's promises. They trusted one of their own more than a man that worked for the agency that had been treating them like machines, like science experiments. Clint and Tasha came running down the hall a second later. Clint was grinning manically.

“I can't wait to see this.” Clint beamed, rushing past Steve and the children. He was on the phone as he ran past. “Tony! Find the footage from the kids' room. For right now! Skye's giving the guards a...” Clint rounded the corner and he couldn't hear any more of the conversation. Steve was torn. He wanted to see too, but the children shouldn't be exposed to that. He sighed and gestured ahead.

“The ice cream is that way.”

 

0-0-0-0-0

 

“I really hope Tony got the footage from that,” Clint groaned, heaving an unconscious Agent onto his shoulders. Tasha was less concerned about being careful and, as a result, the two agents she was dragging along behind her kept running into the corners of the hallway, doorways, and any obstacle that they came across. On accident, of course.

“It was pretty good, wasn't it?” Tasha grinned. There were no other agents around; the three in their presence were unconscious and therefore couldn't see her grin. Her stony mask slipped back into place when they turned a corner and were in front of the med unit.

“I've seen _good_.” Clint scoffed, depositing his agent onto a chair. “This was _epic_.” The med agent looked startled at the assassin pair dropping off unconscious agents.

“Training got out of hand,” Tasha shrugged as explanation. She swallowed loudly and nodded her acceptance before scurrying away. She certainly wasn't paid enough to challenge an Avenger. They went back and dragged the last two agents into medical, then hurried back to the room. Steve had been on his way to bring the children back and they wanted to see how Skye handled this. They weren't fast enough. Steve was lounged in a beanbag chair that hadn't been there when they left. Clint grinned and dragged another one over to sit by him.

“What are they doing?” Clint whispered. Skye and Jack were at the center of a semi-circle, talking animatedly in the mash up. They were doing something with their fingers.

“Um, something about a story?” Steve whispered back. Tasha plopped herself on Clint's lap, grinning at him. “I've been trying to figure it out, but I can't follow it. The fingers are important though, somehow.”

“The kids love it.” Tasha smirked.

“They love Skye,” Clint corrected, nodding towards the group. They were watching her with bright eyed eagerness, following her actions with their own fingers. The little girl that had been reluctant to release Skye when the agents were around was sitting on her lap, giggling when Skye blew a raspberry on her neck.

“Can you blame them?” Steve smiled.

“Your heart eyes are showing,” Clint muttered, then broke into laughter when Tasha chuckled.

“Hey, stop ogling us!” Jack called out loudly. The kids were all watching them already. Skye grinned and shot Clint an amused look.

“You could come join us, Archer. Wifey. Face Plant.”

“Why is Captain America, Face Plant?” One of the older boys asked, grinning.

“Let me tell you a story,” Skye began. She laughed and let the children defend her when Steve growled playfully and charged them, trying to stop her from telling the story.

“He's so fucked,” Tasha grinned at Clint.

“Royally screwed,” Clint agreed.

 

 


	30. It's not good for humans

 

“{New game,}” Skye announced with a grin. “{You're going to teach me what they're like.}”

The children's heads swiveled as one, following her finger. She was pointing at the drawings of the scientists they had worked on for Jack.

“{That doesn't sound like a fun game,}” One of the oldest kids offered slowly.

“I don't want to play,” the oldest child told Skye stubbornly. He crossed his arms and shook his head. There was a murmur of agreement from the kids. Skye sighed and nodded slowly.

“Let me level with you,” Skye told the kids, switching back to English when the kids did. “They're _here._ Like, in this building, here. I want to go see them, but I also really want to kick some booty. So I need you to tell me what they're like so I can make sure they're punished for everything they did.”

“Can we just add it to the pictures?” One of the youngest asked, holding up a marker. “I don't want to be them...”

“Yes, pictures. Give it to me,” Skye smiled, nodding eagerly. “In English though, okay?” The girl with the marker squirmed onto Skye's lap, which inevitably lead to a group of children rushing her – seeking out her reassurances. Skye frowned and pulled as many children closer to her as she could. “Should Jack tell you what he remembers first?” She offered softly. “Then you guys can fill in the rest?”

“Can we do something fun when we're done?” The girl asked, clinging to Skye's chest.

“How about I come back after speaking with the scientists and we can all do something fun?”

“If you're not kicked out,” Steve muttered softly. Skye turned to him with a grin.

“But I have you to back me up,” She cooed, reaching out to pinch his cheek. “I thought you were going to keep me safe, Face Plant.”

“Is it reasonable to expect me to protect you from yourself, though?” Steve asked, shooting her a pained look.

“Shh, Capsicle,” Skye retorted, waving him off like she had seen Tony do. “Jack, you talk to the kids? Tell them what you remember about Delta and I'm going to go check in with the kids in the infirmary. I'll be back when I'm done talking to them.”

“You're helping them, too?” A boy asked, looking hopeful. Skye grinned and nodded.

“Uh duh,” she teased, bopping his nose. “Alright, everyone off the old lady.”

 

0-0-0-0-0

 

“What's up, my kiddos?” Skye whispered, swaggering back into the lab. The three children that were still awake (two that were sick, and the boy from the vents) looked surprised to see her.

“What are you doing back?” One asked softly, looking miserable. He was obviously downplaying his illness because he composed his face and most signs of discomfort disappeared from his face.

“First, I promised. Second, you're not better yet!” Skye replied, smiling warmly. She came to sit by the boy, running her fingers through his hair. “I think you're next.”

“I don't need it,” the boy denied.

“Well, see, that's the thing,” Skye sighed dramatically, “I don't believe you.”

“I don't need-”

“-you need to get better!” Skye interrupted. “Now, listen to your elder and shush it, sir.”

“You're not that old,” he replied back with a shy smile at her teasing.

“Older than you,” Skye retorted. “Now, gimme two minutes to find...”

“Here, Skye,” Steve offered, handing her the things she would need for the transfusion. She turned to the boy with a surprised expression.

“I think he's a mind reader,” Skye whispered to the boy. “Freaky.”

“He's just strong,” The second boy contradicted. “His serum didn't give him abilities.”

“Does your serum give abilities?” Steve asked, settling behind Skye on the bed. He held her hip as she set up the transfusion, knowing better than to offer help.

“Well, not ours.” The boy shrugged.

“Which, then?” Steve pressed.

“I don't think it ever worked,” The boy shrugged. “They found a guy with abilities. He stayed with us for a while.”

“With your group?”

“No, he was a few groups back.”

“What kind of abilities?” Skye asked, glancing back at Steve. He looked just as surprised as she felt.

“Um, fire?”

“Like, he could shoot fire?” Skye asked.

“Kind of. He could turn his body on fire. But when he got really mad he could project it out.”

“What happened to him?” Steve asked.

“Something bad,” The boy whispered.

“{Will you tell me?}” Skye asked gently, running her fingers through the first boy's hair. He was fighting the sleep, but it was pulling at him.

“{They set him on fire and stole his blood,}” The boy whispered. He glanced at Steve and frowned. He offered Steve a small smile and switched back to English, “They needed his blood to keep us from burning.”

“Is he dead?” Skye asked softly, stepping away from the first boy. He had finally fallen asleep. Steve walked with her to the boy's bed, resting one hand on Skye's hip and the other on the boy's knee. He looked distinctly uncomfortable.

“When they stole his blood, whatever protected him from burning was taken away,” The boy replied. “He burned. You know,” he sidetracked quickly, pulling his arms under his blanket, “I think I'm feeling a lot better now.”

“Hmm, so you don't need any needles?” Steve teased lightly.

“Nope, I'm good,” The boy confirmed with a very fake, very chipper smile. Steve shook his head and glanced down at Skye. She looked frustrated with his lack of cooperation.

“You know, this isn't even as bad as you get.” Steve commented. He tried to hide his grin, but Skye's narrowed eyes told him she saw it anyway.

“What happened with the other kids?” The boy from the vent asked.

“Steve got them some ice cream,” Skye replied with a smile. “You've missed out. We'll have to correct that later.”

“What did you do while Steve was getting them ice cream?” The boy pressed.

“Nothing the Agents won't recover from,” Skye replied without looking up. She was dragging the boy's arm out from under the blanket.

“You didn't really hurt them, did you?” The second boy asked.

“They'll recover,” Skye reiterated.

“I think they learned a very important lesson today though,” Steve added, smirking.

“Yeah, don't fuck around with my kids.” Skye huffed. The boys exchanged a wordless look, so Skye took advantage of his distraction and started the transfusion.

“Ouch! Hey!” The boy shouted, growling. “{I don't like needles.}”

“{No one likes needles,}” Skye retorted, completely ignoring his tone.

“{I. Don't. Want. It.}” The boy growled again, his body shaking in anger.

“I hope you're good,” The boy from the vents said softly, scrambling away from the boy.

“Why?” Steve asked. “What's he doing?”

“The serum is a little...unstable?”

“The blood will fix it,” Skye muttered, forcing the needle to stay in the boy's arm despite his protests.

“I don't want it!” The boy shouted, his entire body turning red.

“You're okay,” Skye soothed. “I promise, it won't hurt you. It'll only make you better.”

“That's what they said!” The boy screamed. His screaming brought the medical agent back into the room, but Simmons had been clear with her – the woman (whose name she still wasn't clear on) had full access to the kids. Steve waved her off, so she quickly left.

“Oh, this is bad,” The vent boy gulped. He glanced up at the vent, like he was considering his escape options.

“I think you get a little extra,” Skye told the boy firmly, pinning him to the bed when he struggled against her.

“Don't hurt him.”

“I promise, promise, promise, I'm not hurting him,” Skye told the vent boy, shifting on the bed so she could rest next to the squirming boy in her arms. She pulled him into her chest, simultaneously restricting his movement and offering him comfort. “My blood will make him better. Should help stabilize the serum. Hopefully.”

“You're sure?”

“At the very least, it won't make anything worse.” Skye shrugged. The boy under her was calming. More like he was passing out – but he wasn't resisting any more. He let his eyes close and soon he was asleep. His red skin faded until it was pink, and then returned to normal. Skye exhaled slowly, relieved, and shifted him against her so she wasn't holding him as tight.

“Well, that was interesting,” Steve winced. Skye giggled, which made the last boy (the boy from the vents) laugh nervously along with her. “How much more does he need?”

“Hmm, let's give him another minute,” Skye told Steve, checking the blood line to make sure they hadn't damaged it with all their moving. “We're going to go talk to the scientists,” Skye told the boy from the vents. “I would love to hear your input.”

“My input?”

“Yeah. What do I need to punish them for?”

“Oh,” The boy replied, a giant grin spreading across his face. “Can I come watch?”

“Uh, no.” Skye laughed.

“Someone should probably keep an eye on these lazybones,” The boy agreed grudgingly.

“Steve, will you check their vitals?” Skye asked softly, trying not to wake the boy in her arms. “Just read me the numbers off?”

“You've got it, doll.” Steve agreed. He checked each child, reading Skye the numbers she requested. “All good?” He asked when he read off the last chart.

“Very good,” Skye nodded, smiling. The boy from the vents looked surprised.

“What's in your blood?” He asked Skye. “What did you give them?”

“You know how 47 is, like, the gold standard?” Skye asked by way of answering. The boy frowned and nodded. “Well, he's got special blood. Something went right with the serum, I guess.”

“47 broke Delta out,” The boy muttered. “Jack is Delta, he told us.”

Steve corrected softly, “Skye broke Delta out, but she had blood from him. The blood is special. _Magic_ , even.”

“You gave them the special blood?”

“Yeah,” Skye whispered. “The scientists took me too. I ended up with the special blood.”

“They took you?” The boy asked, his face falling hard. Skye smiled at his concern.

“I'm okay,” She comforted him. “The point is, they're going to get better.”

“That's more than these people could do,” he muttered.

“Well, that's not fair. They just found out about this stuff,” Skye smiled. “Cut them a little slack.”

“Even after they've treated us like this?” The boy asked, looking angry.

“Cut the medical people some slack,” Skye corrected. “They're doing their best for you.”

“I'm not cutting the other people slack.”

“Good. Don't.” Skye agreed. “Now, anything you want to tell me about the scientists?”

 

0-0-0-0-0

 

“Wait, wait, wait.” Skye muttered, shaking her hands out. Steve paused outside the door, giving her a minute to compose herself.

“Are you sure you want to do this?” Steve asked softly. Tasha and Clint were behind Skye, watching Tony approach from the end of the hall. Tony was bouncing as he walked – he had been waiting _days_ for this. Skye made a small distressed sound in the back of her throat, but nodded her head.

“Got to do it,” She murmured, bouncing her weight from foot to foot as she pumped herself up. “Can't let them see.”

“I'll distract them if you start cracking,” Steve offered. “Jack didn't want to come – you don't need to be here either. We can make sure they get their punishment.”

“Hell yes, we can.” Clint chimed in, tossing his arm around Skye's shoulders.

“No, then they win. I need to do this,” Skye denied, shaking her head. Tasha pulled her into a hug, grinning proudly.

“Just remember, you're a badass lady,” Tasha murmured. That broke a shaky laugh out of Skye.

“Let's do this,” Skye told her friends, pulling away from Tasha. “By the way, don't mention Jack. They think he's dead.”

“I thought he was your fuck buddy?” Tony teased. Skye shoved him with a disgusted look.

“Just because Jarvis can read lips doesn't mean he should.”

“Ready?” Steve asked, his hand on the door handle. Skye exhaled slowly, squaring her shoulders and lifting her chin. Tasha and Clint both watched with proud expressions. They knew how hard this was for her. Skye glanced at Tony.

“Pull me out, if I'm getting out of hand.” Skye requested softly.

“You got it, sweetheart.”

“Why are you asking _him_?” Steve muttered.

“Cause he's more likely to let me go for longer,” Skye replied honestly. Tony smirked and nodded his agreement.

“Don't kill them,” Steve reminded her. “You would get on Shield's radar, in a bad way.”

“Yes, sir, Captain America sir!” Skye saluted. He grinned and opened the door. Tasha and Clint followed her in, then Tony. Steve brought up the rear – giving himself space from Skye so he didn't give anything away to the scientists about their relationship. He also needed a minute to make sure his Captain America persona was in place. These people didn't need to see Steve Rogers.

The room that the scientists were in was remarkably like the room the kids were in, complete with guards standing in the corners in full tactical gear. A few older men were lounging in the bunks, reading or sketching. Some were pacing and muttering to themselves. The rest were watching the news. Skye zoned in on the television. The kids didn't have one – why did they? She snarled and shoved the TV over, shattering it against the floor.

“Line it up!” Skye informed the scientists, pointing to a line on the floor. She deliberately used the words they used with the kids. More than a few faces fell as they recognized her words. Skye waited a beat, but when they made no move to line up, she lost her temper and shouted at them, “Line it up! Right fucking now.”

The scientists scurried to the line. Skye folded her hands behind her back and paced in front of them, seemingly considering her options. Finally, Skye stopped in front of Mr. White – the asshole that stabbed her with the scalpel.

“You know who I am,” Skye stated softly. She didn't need to speak any louder. The room was so quiet, you could hear a pin drop. Mr. White nodded quickly. Skye turned to look down the line, “You all know who I am.” There was a broken smattering of agreement from the scientists. “Then why are you looking at me?! Eyes on the floor. Feet apart. Shoulders back, and hold.” Skye ordered, slipping into drill sergeant mode. “Number off!” The scientists hurried to count off, though they did it nearly silently. They knew what was coming.

Skye moved amongst the scientists, ordering them into groups and then giving each group an assignment. Soon, each group was busy either running laps, doing a rope course, scaling a climbing wall, or trying to defend themselves against Skye with a stick. She was careful not to seriously damage the scientists, but made sure that each one felt her wrath.

“How are you doing, sweetheart?” Tony asked softly, turning his back to the scientists so they couldn't read his lips.

“I'm really tired of holding back,” she admitted softly. “This isn't even a fraction of what those kids went through – but I honestly don't think they would hold up under any more demands.”

“I brought those vials you requested,” Tony replied. “Bruce was concerned, to say the least. Now I'm really curious.”

“Oh, well, let me fix that for you,” She smirked. She turned back to the other scientists, “Line it up! Double time, move, move, move!”

“Here's where it gets interesting,” Tony muttered to Clint with a smirk.

“Mr. White,” she pointed to the scientist that had stabbed her with the scalpel, “You can go wait over there.”

“Let me escort you,” Clint offered, shoving the man roughly towards the corner.

“Tony, Steve,” Skye called out, glancing back at her boys as the scientists hurried to line up, “He's all yours.” She smirked at them and reminded them, “Remember, don't kill him.”

“Survival of the Fittest,” Tony argued. “He picked the wrong people to fuck with.”

“I haven't done anything to...” The scientist jumped in, his tone begging.

“No, you haven't done anything to us,” Steve agreed, seeing where the scientist was going, “But you've tried to kill someone very important to us.”

“It's not worth your time,” The scientist informed Steve. He seemed to find his backbone and rallied – turning to face Steve with a haughty expression.

“It's test day!” Skye informed the remaining scientists, turning away from the man in the corner. “Mr. Green, Mr. Brown, Mr. Orange, Ms. Teal, and Ms. Maroon,” Skye called out, pointing each scientist out as she went. She waved them forward, separating them from the rest of the group. “It's been brought to my attention that you are Team Fearscape. Clint, you can bring in the medic.”

“The medic?” Ms. Teal asked softly.

“Oh, it's time for a taste of your own medicine,” Skye grinned. She waved the medic in, and let her dose each scientist with the same chemical concoction that they gave the children to heighten their perceptions and scare them before testing. They obviously recognized the black liquid and fought to keep the fear from their faces. “Clint, you can escort them to the Fearscape.”

“You got it,” Clint grinned. His grin turned feral and he wordlessly pointed to the door. The scientists went without arguing. Skye waved Tasha to her side.

“Mr. Red, Mr. Black, Ms. Grey, Ms. Violet, and Ms. Urine...I mean, yellow,” Skye called, waving those scientists forward. They knew what was coming and swallowed hard. The women grabbed each other's hands, seeking to comfort each other. Skye noticed and stormed over. She smacked their hands apart, then slapped each woman. “You're not people. You're _things,_ and _things_ don't get to touch other _things_.”

“Please,” Mr. Red begged softly. Skye didn't let him finish.

“Hello, Team Isolation.” She smirked. “Would you like to know where you're going?”

“It's not good, for _humans_ ,” Ms. Grey argued.

“If you can do it to children, I can do it to you.” Skye informed her. “Isolation for...”

“Humans can't be treated like-!”

“You don't get to inject those kids with your fucked up serum and then decide they're not _human_ anymore,” Skye snarled, shoving the woman back to the floor. “Tasha, isolation rooms.”

“How long?” Tasha asked, not even bothering to hide her anger and disgust. Was that really how those kids were talked to?

“Until I decide otherwise,” Skye retorted. She knew better than to give the scientists a goal. Isolation was so much worse when you didn't know how it would end.

“Yes, ma'am,” Tasha nodded. She escorted those scientists from the room, ignoring their pleading.

“Retrieval Team, step forward,” Skye called out, looking over the remaining people in front of her. She frowned and looked back at Steve and Tony. Four people stepped forward, four people Skye recognized but wasn't familiar with. “Where are they?” Skye sighed. A small woman with thick glasses shrugged lightly. “Clint, take these four out. Just...somewhere else.”

“What are we doing with them?”

“I'll get around to that,” Skye shrugged. “Need a group meeting first.”

“You got it.”

“Team Serum, why don't you step forward?” Skye asked, patrolling in front of the remaining line of scientists. There was no movement. “It'll be worse if I have to pull you myself,” Skye threatened softly. There were a few more beats of silence, then the last five scientists stepped forward. “I hear the Retrieval Team brought Team Serum a gifted. Would anyone like to tell me who he was?”

There was silence. A long, uncomfortable silence that Skye seemed content to let hang. Tasha and Clint came back and Skye was still waiting for an answer. Finally one of the women sighed and straightened her shoulders.

“Group Rho, Number 752.” She informed Skye steadily.

“What was his _name_?” Skye pressed.

“It doesn't matter!”

“It does matter!” Skye shouted. “Chan Ho Yin was a _person,_ and you killed him.”

“Chan Ho Yin?” Tony asked Steve softly. Mr. White was cowering on the ground, his entire body trembling as he tried to curl himself into a ball. Steve had needed to take a step back, to distance himself from the situation.

“For science, though?” The woman offered softly.

“Medic!” Skye shouted. The young agent scurried back into the room, this time carrying syringes with red liquid inside. The scientists took a step back as one. Skye laughed and waved the first man forward, “Don't worry. I'm not stupid enough to give you the serum. I am, however, pissed off enough to tamper with it for you.”

“What are you giving us?”

“Only the good parts,” Skye smirked.

 

0-0-0-0-0

 

“Can we find some food before I go back and check on the kids in the infirmary?” Skye asked, slumping as the door closed behind her. She would need to return in a few days, to follow up, but for now she was done with the scientists.

“What was that frown, before?” Tony asked. “When you called the retrieval team forward?”

“We can talk about it later,” Skye hedged. “Essentially, that's the background crew. The actual, in the field, retrieval team isn't here.”

“Fuck.” Clint groaned.

“We can worry about it later,” Skye shrugged. “It's been long enough that we've lost whatever advantage we might have had. We'll find them when we find them. Now, food. I need some food.”

“Are you going to throw a fit if I suggest a place outside of headquarters?” Steve asked. His words were playful, but his tone wasn't. He knew she didn't want to leave the kids, and he knew she was down playing the missing retrieval team, but he let it go (for now). “Or, we can order something in. Some of the kids looked pretty shaken up.”

“Ice cream and a movie?” Tony suggested.

“We did that last time!” Clint muttered. “I could go for pizza. Let's get like...a hundred pizzas.”

“I like pizza,” Skye chimed in with a grin.

“You like everything,” Clint chuckled.

“Not ham,” Steve said softly, scuffing the floor with the tip of his shoe. Skye laughed and shoved him playfully.

“Pizza it is,” Tony agreed. “You know, we really need to shake things up. We've been eating a lot of pizza lately.”

“At least it's not shawarma,” Tasha muttered softly.

“How about Skye and I go check on the infirmary and you three head to the other kids? See what kind of pizza they want and call it in. Skye and I will join you when we're done.”

“Or, I could go with Skye and you could do pizza.” Clint offered nonchalantly.

“Well, fuck that.” Tasha rebutted. “I could go with Skye.”

“I win,” Tony announced. “I get to take my _sister_ ,” (Tony leaned forward to whisper the word), “to the infirmary.”

“You can't pull that card!” Clint huffed.

“Team leader, guys.” Steve argued, pointing at himself. “I'm taking Skye, you're doing pizza.”

“Or no one is taking Skye,” Tasha laughed, watching Skye skip around the corner. Steve groaned and pointed a finger at his team.

“I mean it guys, pizza. We'll join you soon.” Then Steve was running after Skye.

 

0-0-0-0-0

 

“You're back,” The little girl that Skye had cuddled with noted immediately.

“Of course,” Skye smiled. “Sorry I left. I needed to check in with your brothers and sisters.”

“I know,” The girl smiled shyly. “903 told me.”

“We've got to get you guys names,” Skye sighed.

“You weren't kidding about the blood being special,” One of the boys muttered, twisting to look at his chart.

“Feel better now?” Skye asked.

“Jesus, Skye,” Steve groaned, jogging into the room. “You can't just walk off...”

“Then you guys shouldn't have been arguing,” Skye shrugged. Steve huffed out a laugh.

“I should know better than to argue with you.”

“Yes, you should,” Skye agreed easily. She turned and shot Steve an amused look. “I was like...20 feet in front of you.”

“Tony's going to order pizza.”

“Oh, pizza?” The vent boy asked, looking excited.

“Eh, you don't want any of that,” Skye shrugged, sitting by the girl.

“Yes, I do!”

“Steve, I don't think he wants any pizza,” Skye said blandly, looking over at Steve with an innocent expression.

“But I do!” He shouted, making the children that were awake giggle at him.

“I don't know if I've had pizza,” The little girl said slowly.

“It's terrible, nasty stuff,” Skye told her with a grin.

“It's not! It's delicious! Skye!”

“Fiiiine, as soon as your brothers are awake.” Skye agreed.

“{Wake up! Skye's taking us for pizza!}” The vent boy announced to the room, effectively waking the last two sleeping kids – the last two boys that had received the blood. Skye threw back her head and laughed.

“{Hey, is 1027 with you?}” One of the boys asked Skye.

“{He's with him,}” Skye replied, nodding towards Steve. “{He's being taken care of, I promise.}”

“{Good. He's the youngest, you know. Of all of us. He might need a little extra...well, just extra.}”

“{Noted,}” Skye smiled. “{Jack was the youngest of Delta. We'll make sure he's taken care of. I'm sure he'll be glad to hear you're asking about him. We'll have to set up a day out. I didn't want to bring him back here.}”

“{Captain America took us out,}” Another child chimed in. “{We had a picnic and baseball and a water balloon fight and tag and bus songs and...}”

“{It wasn't just Captain America.}”

“{No, but he set it up.}”

“{Guys, don't fight,}” Skye smiled. “{And please, call him Steve.}”

“Is that why 1027 picked Steven as his name?” 903 (vent boy) asked, laughing. He had noticed Steve's lost expression and switched back to English for his sake. Steve joined in the laughter, especially when Skye pushed herself onto his lap.

“I hear you took the kids out,” Skye whispered.

“A bunch of us took the kids out,” Steve replied. “They hadn't been outside.”

“They loved it,” Skye smiled. “Thank you, for doing that.”

“I didn't do it for you,” Steve replied. “But you're welcome.”

“What do you say we sneak these kids out of medical?” Skye grinned.

“Oh, yes please!” A chipper voice called from behind Skye. She giggled and stood.

“We'll have to be careful, Simmons is gone now.” Steve cautioned.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry, this feels a little shorter than usual. There's another section I need to add (that I thought I had finished already), so I'll get that finished and then update again.


	31. You're a bully and I hate you!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As promised. It's SUPER short, but it's what I had intended to post with the last chapter.

 

“Shh,” Skye shushed the kids, swatting at them playfully. There were a dozen strung out in the hall behind her, all pressed close to the wall. The _shh_ got passed along the line until the kids were all giggling (and trying to muffle it in their palms). Skye exhaled loudly and mock whispered to the kids, “What happened to ninja mode?”

“Shh!” They all shushed her back, grinning. Skye made a face at them and rounded the next corner. There were more agents in this hallway – and they noticed the kids immediately. Skye hummed a spy themed song and tiptoed along the wall, sliding her arms out on either side of her to press herself closer to the wall. The kids were giggling and following her lead. Most of the agents watched them pass with ill disguised amusement, especially when the kids froze and pretended to be invisible until the agent was passed. One, however, did not ignore them.

“What are you doing, agent?” A man asked, standing in front of Skye to halt her progress.

“Engage ninja mode!” Skye gasped, then turned away from the agent and pressed her eyes closed tightly. He crossed his arms and waited her out. Skye left her eyes closed but whispered loudly, “Is he gone yet?”

“No,” they giggled.

“Where is your badge?” The man pressed, shifting back onto the heels of his feet. He could wait her out. Skye huffed and took a step away from the agent.

“Engage... _run mode_!” Skye whisper shouted, then vaulted the agent in front of her. The kids either ran around him or flipped over him like Skye had done, then they were disappearing around the corner – running full out to get away from him. The sound of giggling followed them, both from the children and from the other agents in the hall.

“Shut up,” He defended hastily. “You know they're not normal.”

“Normal's boring,” Skye ground out, then punched the agent in the face and ran to catch up to the children.

 

0-0-0-0-0

 

“Okay, let's play a game.” Skye grinned, waving the kids in closer to her. She pointed to the last boy she gave blood to, “You're going to sit out. Why don't you go sit by Tony?”

“Which one is Tony?” He asked, his face falling. Skye looked annoyed and pointed again.

“Follow my finger. Who am I pointing to?”

“Computer guy?” The boy asked, his voice trembled as he spoke.

“Hey, leave him alone,” The rest of the kids in his group called out. A few surrounded him, hiding him from her view. They glared at her while comforting him.

“Fine, you guys can go sit out too.” Skye shrugged. “This is your fault, you know.”

“I'm sorry,” The boy whispered.

“You should be.” Skye agreed. “You can earn it back.”

“Can I earn it for them?” He asked, nodding to his peers.

“If you do a good job,” Skye agreed. The boy pushed free from his friends and approached Skye slowly. He was trying to look strong, but he was failing. He had just been terminally ill, after all. “Five minute bout,” Skye told him. “If you can pin me, they get to play.”

The children were all staring at Skye like she had grown an extra head. He was supposed to beat her? They glanced past her to the Avengers, but they looked just as dumbfounded as the kids felt. Skye carefully avoided their eye contact and waved the boy forward.

“Everyone to the side,” Skye called out. “No interfering.”

“I'm ready,” The boy told her, slipping into a defensive position. Skye had him pinned in about five seconds.

“Is this you doing a good job?” Skye asked, her tone mean and teasing. “Cause it sucks.”

“I'll do better,” The boy growled.

He gave up the defensive position and rushed Skye. Over and over, he rushed Skye and she evaded him long enough to get him into a restrictive hold. The boy was getting frustrated with his failure and with her attitude. The other kids loved her – so why was she treating him like this? Skye slammed him into the mats, knocking the wind out of his little body, then grabbed his wrists and pulled his arms around his back so he was trapped in her arms.

“Sweetheart, I would love to know what you're doing,” Tony said softly. The boy was struggling in her hold, his face turning red with the effort he was exerting.

“Get back, Tony.” Skye told him, tightening her hold slightly when the boy nearly broke free. “Now,” Skye turned the boy's wrist to her so she could read his number, “870, I want you to break free.”

“I'm trying!” He cried, struggling in her hold. He didn't like this. He didn't like this at all.

“No, you're not. Try harder,” Skye told him, annoyed.

“I've been sick and -” 870 was crying now, “I've been sick and you were nice and now you're not and I don't like this!”

“If you don't like it, then do something about it.” Skye told him firmly. The boy redoubled his efforts, but remained trapped. Skye could feel him breaking down and nearly relaxed her hold on him. He was pissed, frustrated, scared, and annoyed.

“You're like them,” 870 whispered angrily. “Pretending to be nice so you can stick more medicine in me.”

“That's the best you've got?”

“I bet everything about you is a lie,” He snarled, twisting in her arms. “I bet those people aren't your friends. They're your captors, cause you're too dangerous to be out with people.”

“Feel better yet?”

“I don't want you to be 47!” He shrieked, losing what little self control he had left. “47 is supposed to be perfect and a role model and you're not! You're just mean. You're a bully and I hate you!”

“I'm not 47,” Skye whispered.

“Good! I'm going to find him and he's going to kick your butt for treating us like this!”

“Good luck with that,” Skye muttered. The boy was getting more and more frustrated with her barely there responses.

“{I think you've made your point,}” Jack told Skye, coming forward to sit by her. “{Now tell him why you're doing this.}”

“{Cause he likes to torture children!}” 870 muttered grumpily.

“{What would have happened if we did this a week ago? A month ago?}” 903 pressed, coming up to sit with them. Once Jack stepped in, 903 knew exactly what Skye was doing.

“{No one is stupid enough to do...Oh.}” He turned and looked up at Skye with a wince. Her warm smile was back and her arms had relaxed around him while the boys spoke.

“{I'm really, really sorry we had to do that,}” Skye told him softly, pressing a kiss to the top of his head. “{I swear I'm not normally mean like that. I just needed to know that it worked and I didn't think you would get mad if you knew what I was doing.}”

“{So, I'm better?}” 870 asked softly.

“{There was nothing wrong with you to start with,}” Skye replied seriously, “{but you shouldn't have any more issues with the stability of your serum.}”

“{Shouldn't?}”

“{Well, I can't promise it's going to stay forever.}” Skye admitted. “{I'm not sure how long it will last.}”

“{But if it comes back...}”

“{Then you get some more blood,}” Skye shrugged.

“{You would do that?}”

“{Oh, honey. Of course, I would.}” Skye replied firmly. “{Now what do you say we surprise the old people back there?}”

“{How are we going to do that?}” 870 asked, grinning.

“{Jack, unlock the stash!}” Skye called over to him. He grinned and ran for the wall by the kids. She grinned over at them and told them, “{Let's see who can get the old guys the wettest.}”

Jack banged on a door and Fitz came out, pushing large tubs. The children quickly surrounded the tubs, grabbing ball sponges from the water. Soon there was a full out water war in the room, with the Avengers teaming up against Skye, Jack, Fitz, and the kids.

 

 


	32. Did you ever want to be a mom?

 

“Can I ride back with you?” Skye asked Tony softly, looping her arm through his.

“I thought you didn't like flying?” Tony asked.

“I don't like _falling_ , Anthony. That was a fall, not a fly.”

“Now you're just scrabbling for details,” Tony smirked. “But yes, you can definitely ride with me.”

“How did Jack get here?”

“Oh, your little shit of a brother stole my favorite car. That's how he got here,” Tony huffed, his face shutting down immediately to scowl at Jack.

“But it's so much fun!” Jack shouted, not even bothering to hide the fact that he could hear him from the back of the group.

“Did Fitz ride with you?” Skye asked Jack. He nodded and bumped hips with Fitz. With Simmons and his team gone, Fitz seemed a lot more at ease. He knew the entire Avengers team knew about him and Jack, and they were all accepting of their relationship. While he couldn't see anyone on his own team reacting badly, he wasn't ready to share the news with them yet. He didn't think he could take it if they _did_ react badly. “Tasha? How'd you get here?”

“Oh, Clint and I grabbed the first car in the garage as soon as you guys started squabbling,” Tasha smirked.

“You stole a car, too?” Tony pouted. “I should have taken a car. We could have raced.”

“We could have died,” Skye muttered.

“Wait, I thought you guys took a quinjet!”

“You okay?” Steve asked softly, coming up beside her. She was being awfully quiet.

“Yeah,” Skye nodded, smiling softly.

“No lying, remember?” Clint added, coming up beside Steve. They both looked concerned.

“I'm okay, Archer.” Skye reiterated.

“Steve, I'm stealing her,” Tony said protectively, pulling Skye closer to his side. “You get to ride with the 'sassin duo.”

“Okay,” Steve agreed, even though he shot Skye a look from the corner of his eye. She was silent, so he grabbed Clint and fell back to Tasha. The five broke away from Tony and Skye to head to the garage. Tony pulled Skye to a stairwell, heading to the roof where he had stashed his quinjet. Strictly speaking, Shield wasn't aware that he had stolen the plans for the cloaking.

“So, what's up buttercup?” Tony asked, looking over at Skye as she carefully avoided looking out the windows. Her grip on the armrests were tight – tight enough that she was ripping the material. “Are you okay? I thought you said flying is okay?”

“Just _shut up_ for a minute,” Skye ground out, her eyes pressed shut tightly. After they had taken off and were cruising comfortably, Skye relaxed considerably. She looked over at her brother apologetically, “Sorry, for snapping.”

“You're going to have to try a lot harder to offend me,” Tony chuckled, engaging autopilot.

“Is that a challenge?” Skye teased.

“Only if you want it to be,” He teased right back. He settled more comfortably in his chair, waiting for Skye to tell him whatever was bothering her. After far too many minutes of quiet, Tony decided to broach the subject. “So, what about those kids, huh? They were so mad at you when you trapped that kid.”

“I know,” Skye nodded, ducking her head. “It was mean, but I had to know.”

“I think he forgave you,” Tony grinned. “If nothing else, the ice cream won him over.”

“I needed to repair our relationship,” Skye smiled slightly. “I may need him to trust me one day.”

“The agents though...” Tony offered, guessing the reasoning behind Skye's quietness.

“They're not good with the kids,” Skye nodded. “I don't know what they're trying to accomplish by putting them right back into a regimine like that – don't they know what the scientists did to them?”

“Probably not,” Tony admitted. “I mean, they got the same information that we did, _mostly_ , but they probably didn't take the time to read through it all. There was a lot of information there, sweetheart.”

“They have _teams_ of analysts. _Teams_ of medical professionals. They could share the load,” Skye told Tony, swiveling her chair to look at him more directly (and less out the window).

“Maybe you should educate them,” Tony suggested.

“Steve said he yelled at your director, after they hurt Steven. Told him to get new staff for the kids. Better staff.”

“Unfortunately, Shield has bigger priorities – _don't look at me like that, Skye!_ ” Tony huffed, trying to wipe the frown off her face. She licked his palm when it was over her mouth, but he just laughed like he was delighted she did that. “You're such a child.”

“Says the man child.”

“Well, we are related.” Tony grinned. “You still haven't taken that IQ test.”

“I don't want to, Tony.”

“But _I_ want you to.”

“You don't always get what you want.”

“I do.” Tony admitted, nodding at her with a serious expression. It was only the humor in his eyes that kept her from smacking him. “Really, you don't understand. What I want, I get. It's part of being a Stark. You better get used to it.”

“Well, I want those kids to have a chance at a relatively normal childhood, not some military, underground, training camp that's going to fuck with their heads even more than the scientists already have.”

“Sweetheart, you know they're not normal right? _Don't look at me like that!_ Let me explain. Jesus, you're sensitive.” Tony hissed when Skye reached over and smacked the back of his head.

“Get to the explaining then, baby brother,” Skye smirked. She knew she had the upper hand when she played that card. Tony threw back his head with a loud groan.

“You're always saying normal is boring, so why do you want them to be normal?” Tony asked finally.

“They don't know what to do with the kids,” Skye sighed, slumping in her chair. “They can't treat them like kids, because they're so much more advanced than that...but, they also can't treat them like soldiers. They're mature kids, but they never got a chance to be _kids_. It doesn't have to be _normal_ , it just needs to be better.”

“What did you have in mind?”

“What do you mean?”

“Well, obviously you have some sort of solution in mind or you wouldn't have brought it up.”

“Tony, they handcuffed the kids to the wall.”

“I know.”

“The kids told me about the drills they have them run. The Marines don't train like that, Tony.”

“I know.”

“They take their food. Their toys – that's why your beanbags and movie stuff keep disappearing.”

“Shield did that?”

“Yeah. One night, they took all of their blankets because, as a whole, they didn't pass some training milestone. And... _AND_ they've all been in the same clothes! They were each given one shirt and one pair of shorts. The kids have been showering in their clothes so they don't smell.”

“Jesus.”

“They single out the youngest because they know the older kids are protective of them and can therefore be coerced into doing more things. Ugh, especially Tau. They're so passive it's crazy.”

“I can see that.”

“Tony...”

“Skye, what's your solution? All of that, every bit you just told me, is wrong. Like so wrong I want to go hack into Shield and leave a nasty virus. But you, _we_ , can't blame all of Shield for a few agent's mistakes. That'd be like assuming all Asians are sneaky ninjas because the four of you in my life _are_.”

“Were you serious about the Stark money?” Skye asked softly, slowly. She wasn't used to asking for money and she didn't like the way that it made her feel. “Because I can totally hack into some shady accounts and...”

“Skye, you have money – to use on whatever you want,” Tony interrupted. “You don't have to ask for it.”

“Can we make a joint Stark venture?” Skye asked softly, peeking up at Tony from under her hair.

“What did you have in mind?” Tony repeated.

“I want a house. For the kids. A really big house.”

“I'm sure we can find something to suit their needs...”

“No,” Skye interrupted. She winced, but Tony waved her off. “I don't want some giant concrete building. I want a house. A place that they can call home.”

“You can't leave 50 kids alone in a giant house,” Tony replied.

“I know,” Skye smiled. “I figure we have some time to find some good staffing options.”

“If we're doing this, and I think we definitely need to, we're doing this right.” Tony told her firmly, surprising her. She had grand plans for the kids, but she didn't expect Tony to go along with them. She expected him to whittle down her list to make the cost as low as possible. “That means we're buying a piece of land and building from scratch.”

“I want it close enough that I can...that we can...visit whenever,” Skye agreed. “Steven needs some friends his own age. There's no reason he shouldn't get to see the other kids. They think of each other as siblings.”

“They'll need tutors – high quality tutors.” Tony added. “Jarvis, are you making notes?”

“Yes, Sir.”

“How about you give me a few days to look for some land options and you draw up a rough sketch or make a list of what you want, and then we can meet and start designing this thing.”

“Just like that?” Skye asked shyly.

“Just like that.” Tony nodded. "And in the meantime, we can send some clothes - kid clothes, not Shield clothes - and toys for the kids. We can't fix it all right now, but we can do that much."

“Have I ever mentioned how much I love you?” Skye asked rhetorically. She was smiling, but it was soft and warm and approving and nobody ever smiled at Tony like that. They smiled because he was making a fool of himself or someone else, or they smiled because they wanted something from him. Technically, Skye wanted something from him too...but it was different. It was a family matter. (God, did he love that he had a sister). The money was hers. She didn't _have_ to ask for it. Tony shot her a look out of the corner of his eye, stealing another glance at the smile on her face.

“Jarvis, you recorded this right?” Tony asked finally. It was time to break up the sap moment, as Skye liked to call them.

“Yes, Sir.”

“You got Skye's declaration of undying and unconditional love for her favorite brother?”

“Baby brother,” Skye corrected, almost absentmindedly. She turned to him with a grin when she realized what she had just done. “Baby brother, I'm _starved_.”

“I think I liked you better when you were on the Ensure diet,” Tony sighed loudly.

“I'm whittling away into nothing!” Skye sighed back, just as loudly. “Feed me! Tony, brother, _feed me!”_

“Are you trying to turn this into a Lion King moment?” Tony asked, laughing when Skye's last sentence took on Mufasa's tone of voice. She wasn't good at the whole voices thing, like Jack was.

“You've seen Lion King?” Skye asked, bouncing in her seat.

“Have you seen my collection?” Tony asked, clutching his chest.

“You have a Lion King collection?” Skye asked, her mouth open in delighted shock.

“No.” Tony corrected easily, “I have a Disney collection.”

“Can we have a brother-sister movie night sometime? What about tonight? Or tomorrow night? Or during the day? It doesn't have to be at night.”

“Yes, Yes, Yes, and Yes.” Tony agreed quickly. Too quickly. He swallowed and glanced over at his sister, trying to figure out if she caught on to his eagerness. She was a hard person to get alone.

“And food?”

“Yes.”

“And popcorn?”

“Popcorn is food.”

“Eh, it's really not.”

“Can we add M&Ms?”

“Yes! And peanuts?”

“Yes!”

“Oh, God. We really are siblings,” Skye laughed.

“Wanna swing by the store with me?” Tony asked, waggling his eyebrows. “We will need to get supplies for movie night.”

“In this?” Skye asked, patting her torn arm rest. She seemed to notice that she ripped it and glanced up at Tony with a wince and an apology.

“It's an easy fix, sweetheart.” Tony dismissed, waving his hand easily. “This thing gets blood, dirt, Hulk, sweaty Steve, drunk Clint...”

“...drunk Tony...”

“Hey, Jarvis is a very responsible driver!”

“You're ridiculous.” Skye grinned. He looked over with a matching expression and they said in unison, “Normal is boring.”

“Snacks, Skye.”

“Yes, brother.”

 

0-0-0-0-0

 

“Skye, what are you making?” Tasha asked, wiggling a bowl of brown liquid in the fridge. The other five Tower inhabitants had returned from Shield headquarters a short while ago; Tony and Skye had beaten them back by a wide margin, even with their trip to the store. Tony had gotten paged by Pepper with some issue at SI that she needed his assistance with, so he had taken off to see her. Skye had kissed his cheek and promised a reschedule for the movie date. Jack and Fitz had immediately bee-lined for his lab, eager to finish up the project that they were working on. They wouldn't tell anyone what it was, but they were excited about it. They had been working around the clock to get it finished.

“Pudding.” Skye said absently, tapping on her phone. Since she was only using one finger, she was probably playing a game. The master assassin cocked her head at the bowl, then turned to look at Skye again. She couldn't decide how to bring up her concerns.

“Doesn't look like pudding.” Tasha remarked finally.

“It's just taking a while to set, is all.” Skye replied, glancing up.

“Is this what you made?” Tasha asked, holding up the small box.

“Yep.”

“This says it's instant. How long have you been waiting?”

“I don't know. A few levels.”

“How many levels?”

“23?”

“Maybe you made it wrong.”

“Tasha.” Skye said seriously, putting her phone down to make her point. “It's instant pudding. You add water, stir, and stick it in the fridge. Even I can't mess that up.”

“Except it calls for milk.” Tasha replied, putting all of her spy skills to work to keep a straight face.

“Nuh uh.” Skye retorted snarkily. “See? It says right here on the box. Add...water...to the powder...”

“It definitely says milk.” Tasha cut in, smirking slightly.

“I disagree.” Skye huffed, snatching the box from her friend and heading for the exit.

“It says milk!” Tasha shouted after her, then burst into laughter.

“The fucking instructions changed!” Skye shouted back. “Stranger things have happened. There have been aliens in New York!”

 

0-0-0-0-0

 

“Fitz, mission.” Coulson sighed, stepping off the elevator and into Jack's lab. Tony had finally agreed to give Coulson the access he needed, mostly because he was in the middle of solving the problem at Stark Industries and he needed the agent off his back.

“But...sir!” Fitz moaned, holding a pair of tweezers in one hand and a small spray bottle in the other.

“We just got done and we were going to test them and COULSON!” Jack whined, stamping his feet. “You have the world's worst timing.”

“Jack, your project will be here when Fitz gets back... Besides, you've already gotten yourself more time with that little stunt with the lockdown.”

“BUT WHO KNOWS HOW LONG YOU'RE GOING TO BE GONE!!!” Jack cried.

“I'll just be...upstairs...” Coulson muttered, backing away from the hysterical man. “Fitz, ten minutes.”

“Yes, sir.”

“Jack, are you okay?” Skye asked, rushing into the room from the stairwell. She saw the tears on his face and turned on Coulson. “ _What did you do?_ ”

“Whoa, whoa, whoa!” Coulson backtracked, holding his hands up. “I didn't do anything to Jack. I just told Fitz we have a mission and...”

“Skye! We didn't get to test it in the field yet!” Jack sobbed. Coulson winced but Skye just sighed and relaxed her aggressive posture.

“Jack, why don't you and Fitz each wear one? They can be field tested for distance and you still get to talk to each other.” Skye offered reasonably.

“Where's the mission?” Jack asked Coulson, sniffling. He winced and inched back another few steps.

“Um...Peru.”

“Peru!” Jack sobbed, breaking down again.

“AC, just get out of here.” Skye sighed, shaking her head. “You're just making things worse.”

“Okay,” Coulson agreed, and all but ran from the room. That got a watery chuckle out of Jack.

“You know, they're not looking for you anymore.” Skye said softly, pulling her brother into a hug. “The only thing keeping you _here_ is you. You can decide to leave anytime you want.”

“But I want to go with Fitz,” Jack mumbled tearfully.

“Gimme some time, I'll make something work,” Skye promised. “Now, go tell your boyfriend bye. We can hack into their plane later.”

“Okay.” Jack agreed, sniffling. “I love you.”

“I love you too,” Skye smiled. “Fitz, please be safe on your mission. Now, I'm leaving before things get R rated.”

“Skye!” Jack and Fitz both moaned.

 

0-0-0-0-0

 

“I have something better than pudding,” Tasha smirked, wiggling a tub of chocolate mousse at Skye.

“I'll share my blanket and movie, if you share your chocolate goodness,” Skye offered, trying to work her puppy eyes. Tony still wasn't back, so she didn't feel bad replacing her date for movie night.

“You're going to have to work harder than that!” Tasha laughed, plopping down next to Skye on Steve's couch.

“Um, I'll give you that training session you want?”

“Deal!” Tasha laughed, handing off one of the two spoons. “What are we watching?”

“I was just channel surfing,” Skye shrugged. “What do you want to watch?”

“I don't care, you can pick.”

“Help me narrow down the category at least?” Skye asked, twisting so she was closer to Tasha. She listed off her fingers, “Comedy, action, horror – eh, no. I nix horror. Okay, comedy, action, sci-fi, mystery, documentary, romance?”

“Comedy,” Tasha shrugged. They had enough action, sci-fi, and mystery in their lives. She didn't need to watch it on screen, too.

“Parent Trap?” Skye asked, flicking channels on the TV.

“Sure,” Tasha shrugged. She just wanted to turn her brain off for an hour or two. Skye selected the channel, set the remote down, and then took a spoonful of the chocolate mousse.

 

Twenty minutes in, it was clear that neither of them were really watching the movie. Skye pulled the blanket up around herself a little tighter and snuggled closer to Tasha. Tasha smiled and wrapped her arms around her thin frame.

“We've got to get more meat on your bones,” Tasha commented lightly.

“Then stop eating all the chocolate,” Skye retorted easily. The mousse had already been devoured – the empty container and two dirty spoons were on the small table in front of the couch.

“We could call Clint and have him bring us more.” Tasha grinned.

“Nope, that interrupts girl time,” Skye argued, shaking her head quickly. “Do you know how long it's been since I've had a girl? A girl friend, of any type?”

“I don't,” Tasha replied. “Do you?”

“Hmm, the last girl from Delta was Emily. Number 92.” Skye replied, after a second of thought. “So, four and a half years? Give or take?”

“Was she the last of Delta, besides Jack?” Tasha asked, twisting to face Skye. The movie played on in the background.

“No. There was another boy after Emily. Harrison – but I called him Harry,” Skye replied softly. “He was a real sweetheart. Jack took his loss hard; they were close. I mean, all of us were. We had to be. It's just been me and Jack now for...just about four years.”

“Was it weird?” Tasha probed lightly. “With Delta?”

“Having so many children around me?”

“Yeah. Well, and the whole running with them all the time. How did that even work? You and Jack are a tight squeeze in your van. I can't imagine you cramming all of Delta in there.”

“No,” Skye giggled softly. “Gertrude came along later. We started out in a school bus.”

“That's fitting,” Tasha smiled.

“We converted it, painted the inside, made it home.” Skye smiled back. “The outside still had to look like a school bus, because that was our cover most of the time. We made a fake school and would go out on _outings_.”

“That's a good way to get around with a group of kids,” Tasha agreed.

“Eventually that bus got blown up and we were due to downsize anyway...so we got an _ancient_ RV. Like, ancient, Wifey.”

“Ancient?” Tasha laughed.

“I'll find pictures.” Skye promised.

“But was it weird?” Tasha asked again. “I mean, I can only imagine how stressful it was. How did you feel about that?”

“Oh, I was in _way_ over my head,” Skye admitted with a self-depreciating laugh. “The first month? Hmm, bad. We broke into a library and the kids did a bunch of reading while I found the parenting section.”

“Did you feel like a parent?” Tasha asked, dropping her smile. They were heading into dangerous territory with that question, and she knew it.

“I never wanted to,” Skye shrugged, picking at the blanket. “Jack called me mom once. It was an accident, but all the kids turned to look at me and they all had these matching expressions of hope and eagerness and I just...I don't even remember leaving. I just turned and ran. Had a massive panic attack in some alley – puked up my lunch, which I was _pissed_ about – and then bawled my eyes out. By the time I got out of my own head, I realized that the kids were on their own. I knew the retrieval team was close, not that the kids knew that, and almost had another panic attack. I knew right then I couldn't be a mom. Moms are supposed to put the kids needs first, but I _freaked the fuck out_...over a word. One word. I was a sitting duck. The retrieval team could have picked me off during my attack and I wouldn't have even known they were close. I put myself before them. Moms don't do that – but sisters are allowed to make mistakes.”

“They never expected you to be perfect,” Tasha murmured, brushing Skye's hair out of both of their faces.

“What about you? Did you ever want to be a mom?” Skye asked, changing the subject.

“Sure,” Tasha shrugged. “Why do you think I'm with Clint?”

“Oooh, Tasha!” Skye laughed. “I'm gonna tell him you said that.”

“He knows he's a child,” Tasha snorted.

“That's probably true.” Skye agreed. “You sidestepped my question.”

“Probably a skill I learned from you.”

“So you either really, really want to be a parent or you really, really don't.” Skye figured.

“Or it doesn't matter either way because I can't.” Tasha admitted softly. Skye made a soft sound of understanding and pulled her friend into a tight embrace.

“That makes two of us,” Skye admitted, even more softly.

“What? Really?” Tasha asked, frowning. “I thought the magic blood fixes...”

“It can't fix what's not there,” Skye shrugged. “That's what Bruce and Simmons wanted to talk to me in private about. I don't have any eggs. No eggs, no kiddos.”

“Did they... Did the scientists... When did...” Tasha stammered out words, trying to piece her thoughts together into a logical sentence. She wasn't sure why she was so shocked – but she was.

“I don't know,” Skye admitted. “With the weird healing Simmons couldn't give me an accurate timeline. I never had reason to look before, so she thinks it's possible I just never had any...”

“But?”

“But there's scarring? Marking? I don't know, tool marks, maybe, on my reproductive system.”

“The whole system?”

“Ovaries, fallopian tubes, and uterus.” Skye nodded. She tried out a smile, “besides, babies are terrible. Who wants something that screams, shits, eats, pukes, sleeps, and then repeats on an endless cycle? Not me.”

“I think I would have liked a chance at a _normal_ family,” Tasha admitted back. Skye had shared something deeply personal and she felt the need to reciprocate. “They sterilized me. Us. So we wouldn't get distracted. It wasn't a big deal at the time. I didn't really understand what was going on, and I was so deep in the training that I would have let them do it anyways, but I think having known since I was a teen that I couldn't...well, I think I kind of accepted it. Can't change it now.”

“Well, shit.” Skye huffed. She reached over and pressed a kiss to her forehead. “I'm sorry they took that choice from you.”

“I probably would have ruined it anyway. I think we need more chocolate,” Tasha informed Skye. Her tone was light, but her eyes were heavy. Skye nodded eagerly.

“Jarvis, will you ask Clint to bring his two _favorite_ ladies some chocolate?” Skye requested.

“And ice cream,” Tasha added.

“Peanut butter ice cream.”

“Oh, hmm, cookie dough. Let's go all out and piss Steve off,” Tasha smirked.

“He is a little health freak, isn't he?” Skye moaned. She grinned at her friend though.

“Is he any other kind of freak?” Tasha asked, nudging Skye with her shoulder.

“Wouldn't know,” Skye replied, shrugging. “We're not like that.”

“You're sleeping in the same bed.”

“True. But usually Steven or Jack join us. Plus, I don't usually sleep at night, and Steve gets up crazy early.”

“There's overlap.” Tasha rebutted easily.

“Some,” Skye agreed. “But that's designated cuddle time.”

“Cuddle time or _cuddle time?_ ” Tasha teased, thrusting her hips towards Skye. They both giggled at that.

“The first one!” Skye replied through her laughter. They were still giggling when Clint stepped off the elevator.

“Do I want to know what kind of trouble you two are going to get into?” Clint asked, shaking his head at the pair. Skye snorted, which made both of them dissolve into another round of giggles. “I'm not sure you two need any more sugar.”

“Clint! Archer! Food!” Skye begged, extending her arms to him. Well, extending her arms as much as she could. Tasha was still wrapped up in them.

“This isn't food. This is junk.”

“You're a filthy, filthy hypocrite.” Tasha giggled. “Tell Skye what you had for breakfast.”

“Naaat! That's private!” Clint replied, stomping his foot a little.

“Gimme the peanut butter ice cream and no one gets hurt,” Skye threatened.

“Tell her!” Tasha laughed. Clint gave Skye her ice cream and a clean spoon, then kicked at the couch.

“Nat...” Clint whined.

“Do it,” She laughed.

“Muffins.” Clint admitted softly. “I had muffins for breakfast.”

“Oh, me too!” Skye laughed. “The cranberry orange...it was like an orgasm in my mouth. A mouth-gasm? Food-gasm? Eh.”

“With what?” Tasha prompted.

“Chocolate syrup.” Clint muttered.

“And?”

“Sprinkles.”

“And?”

“Whipped cream.”

“And?”

“Jesus, Clint. Where's your stash? This floor is _clean_. I've checked.” Skye grinned.

“And?” Tasha prompted, a little more firmly.

“AND PIXIE STICKS SPRINKLED ON TOP!” Clint shouted. He huffed angrily and dropped his bag of goodies on the table. The women were silent for a second, then burst out laughing. Clint shot them a dirty look and stomped to the elevator.

“That doesn't even sound good!” Skye giggled at him as he waited for Jarvis to send the elevator.

“They were chocolate muffins,” Clint said defensively. “That basically makes them cupcakes.”

 

0-0-0-0-0

 

“I'm pooped,” Skye yawned, talking to no one in particular. Clint had retrieved Tasha from the couch when he was ready for bed. They were basically asleep anyways, laying head to head on the couch. Their feet dangled from opposite arm rests. Steve was helping Steven run bath water and Jack was in his lab talking with Fitz. Skye took the rare quiet moment to consider her life.

It was crazy how much could change because of one action. If Jack hadn't placed that Iron Man hack early, they would probably still be in Gertrude. Just the two of them. Cruising the states to avoid the retrieval team. They wouldn't have ended up in that _god forsaken bunker_. That had been a last ditch effort when she realized how big of a target they had painted on their own backs. The hit man had gotten damn close to Jack while she was removing her Iron Man hacks from Tony's system. She needed to find that him – and then teach him a very memorable lesson. Pain would probably be involved. Skye smirked and nodded to herself. Yeah, he would pay for his actions.

The scientists would also pay for their actions. Especially Mr. White. She was holding a very personal grudge against him. He had done things to her...things that she couldn't forget. She closed her eyes and saw his face. She fell asleep and she was back on that metal table. Her ankles and wrists would be burning when she woke, phantom pain from the shackles used to keep her in place. Her leg had a faint scar on it from that first scalpel; it was so faint that you couldn't see it unless you knew it was there, but it was there. Her body was covered in faint scars that escaped the notice of everyone. At the very least, Bruce and Simmons hadn't mentioned them and they were very familiar with her body.

Then there were the things he did that she couldn't force herself to acknowledge. She had ruined her chances at sneaking out of their custody because she had needed to erase that footage. Her life didn't matter, but her friends would never be able to get those images out of their heads – and she would cheerfully chop off her hands (and therefore her livelihood) before subjecting them to that nightmare. She could deal with her nightmares alone, like she always had.

Never in a million years had she imagined her life would end up like this – a bonafide Stark with a blood brother, a sorta-kinda boyfriend, a girl friend, and a team that supported her like she had never been supported before. She didn't realize how much she carried on her shoulders until her friends took some of the burden.

_Friends_. She had never really had friends. She didn't count Delta as friends. They were more like family. They were hers to take care of, not her sounding board when she needed to get something off her chest. That was probably why she was so bad about talking about things, why she was so bad about letting people in – making them aware of her issues. They were private, for _years_ , and then suddenly she had a whole group of people trying to open her up. In some ways it made her very uncomfortable, sharing her problems. It wasn't something she normally did and she was acutely aware of how far out of her comfort zone she was when they forced her to share.

On the other hand, she had never felt this light before. The scientists were in custody, thanks to her friends. Jack was safe and happy, thanks to her friends. He finally had the chance to settle down; she wouldn't make him run anymore. She had convinced the scientists he was dead – he would be safe from them. The kids were out of the facility, and even though Shield wasn't the best place for them, she felt better knowing there was a plan in place, thanks to her friends, brother, and Stark money. She had a lot to be thankful for.

But that was also why she was waiting. Waiting for something bad to happen. This wasn't her life. Things like this didn't happen to people like her. She was a self-appointed weapon. She killed people. _Bad_ people, but people none the less. She didn't really feel bad about it; she only hurt people in self-defense – or in defense of the kids. People like her didn't deserve friends, but people like her were also really selfish. Until she could locate the rest of the retrieval team, she would stay at the Tower. As much as she hated putting her friends in danger, she couldn't run without knowing what she was running from. In the meantime, she used her time to prepare herself for another long term, life-on-the-road lifestyle.

Of course, it would be ideal if she could convince Bucky to come back to the Tower before she had to leave. In many ways, he was just like her. It was probably why he trusted her, even when he didn't trust Steve enough to seek him out. She smirked when she thought about the angry email he had sent her after her friends rescued her. He had used some of the words she had used with him when he had made a stupid decision. (He had tried to run from her; wanted to remove the danger from _her_ life when he realized people were looking for him. ( _Of course_ they were looking for him.)) She had tracked him down within two days and then ripped him a new one. His face had been priceless when he turned a corner and she was standing there, blocking his path. The surprise morphed into anger, and then quickly into sheepish embarrassment.

“What is that face for?” Steve asked, dropping down onto the couch by Skye's head. She was still kicking her feet off the end of the arm rest.

“What face?”

“That one,” Steve smiled, waving his finger in her face.

“Just thinking,” she shrugged.

“Steven mentioned wanting to read some Harry Potter tonight,” Steve said lightly.

“I'll download an electronic copy until we can get a hard copy.” Skye nodded.

“You prefer hard copy books?” Steve asked, his mouth twitching up.

“For leisure reading,” Skye nodded. “The books smell nice and there's just something really reassuring about turning the pages.”

“Finally, something I understand,” Steve teased.

“Is he still in the bath?” Skye asked, tipping her head up to look at Steve.

“Yeah. He likes playing with the bubbles,” he smirked.

“Ooh, bubbles!”

“There's a tub in all of these rooms,” Steve smiled. “You can take a bath in any of them.”

“I may take you up on that.”

“You should,” Steve smiled. “I think Tony put bath stuff in every bathroom.”

“Bath stuff?”

“Yeah. Bubbles. Oil. Salt?”

“Ah,” Skye nodded, yawning.

“Let's get you to bed,” Steve smiled.

“No, not yet.” She denied, shaking her head sleepily. “I wanna see Steven's reaction to Harry Potter. Speaking of which, can you hand me that tablet, please?”

“Sure thing, doll.” Steve smiled, grabbing the tablet from the side table near his end of the couch. Skye fiddled around on the tablet, then handed it back to Steve. “Thanks.”

“Welcome,” Skye mumbled.

“I'm not sure you're going to make it to a bedtime story,” Steve teased, brushing her hair away from her face.

“Oh, I'mma make it.”

“Sure you are,” Steve laughed.

“Steven! Hurry up. I wanna hear Harry Potter!” Skye shouted, not bothering to get up from the couch.

“You got Harry Potter already?” Steven shouted back.

“Yeah!”

“I'm coming!” Steven replied. A second later the tub was draining. A few minutes after that, a soaking wet Steven appeared in his doorway. “I'm ready.”

“Did you even dry off?” Steve laughed. The boy's hair was still dripping onto his shoulders and his pajamas were askew.

“Not enough,” Steven replied, tugging his shirt straight. It was hard to get clothes onto a wet body.

“Go dry off, get dry pajamas on, and then we can read.”

“But Steve!”

“I don't wanna cuddle with a wet, little boy,” Skye told the boy, turning her head on the couch cushion to look at him.

“You're gonna cuddle? While Steve reads?” Steven asked, his eyebrows shooting up.

“Can I?”

“Yes! Yes, yes, yes!” Steven nodded. “Give me two minutes,” he said as he turned and darted back into his room.

“I'm going to go change too,” Skye told Steve. He smiled and nodded, but Skye didn't move. Quite the opposite – she let her eyes flutter closed again. Steve laughed and smacked her cheek lightly.

“Go change or I'm reading without you.”

“I thought the Captain was the hard ass,” Skye giggled, rolling off the couch. She hit the floor with a light thump, then pulled herself to her feet.

“I'm ready!” Steven shouted, reappearing. He had dried off and switched pajamas.

“Skye's going to go change,” Steve told him. “Did you brush your teeth?”

“Right now!” Steven nodded, darting into the room again. Skye giggled and wandered into Steve's room to brush her own teeth and change into pajamas.

Five minutes later the three were in Steven's bed. Skye was shivering under the blankets, tucked up against Steven so she could steal his heat. Steve was on top of the blankets, tablet in hand. Steven adjusted between the two, finding a comfortable spot.

“Ready?”

“Ready!”

“Mr. and Mrs. Dursley of number four, Privet Drive, were proud to say that they were perfectly normal, thank you very much...”

 

 

This was much too perfect to be real, but it was real to Skye - and that was all she cared about.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Credit for the Harry Potter stuff goes, of course, to the wonderful J.K. Rowling.


	33. Fucking Stark

 

“Fitz should be here for this.” Jack complained the next morning.

“I know, but he got called away on a mission.” Skye replied distractedly. She stretched up onto her tiptoes to place one of Jack and Fitz's new comms into Steve's ear. It was a small sticker that stuck to the inside corner of his ear canal. Steve ducked his head helpfully, giving her better access.

“These are really going to work?” He asked skeptically.

“Uh, yeah.” Jack huffed. Steve and Skye exchanged a secret smile. He had been grumpy since Fitz got called away.

“Does Clint get a special one?” Tasha asked, fingering her own ear. She could barely feel the sticker; she wagered she wouldn't feel it at all, if she didn't know it was there.

“These don't work like traditional comms,” Jack supplied helpfully. “We'll be able to hear the room and you, by extension, but the comm unit will send electrical currents through your ear so you can hear us.”

“I bet I can keep a straight face longest.” Clint boasted, earning a disbelieving look from Tasha and a chuckle from Steve.

“Wanna bet on that?” Tasha asked.

“Stakes?”

“If you break first, Steve and I get to own you for a day.”

“Fine. If I win, you two are mine for a day.” Clint countered.

“Deal.” Steve agreed. Clint was terrible at keeping a straight face.

“Go, go. You're going to be late.” Skye grinned, shooing them out of the lab.

“Wouldn't want to make the director mad.” Clint laughed. “We're gonna get breakfast on the way in, right?”

“I don't see why Skye's not going.” Jack commented. “She is the one that caused all the trouble.”

“She's not Shield.” Steve replied.

“They can't prove I did anything.” Skye added.

“Oh, God. What did you do?” Clint moaned dramatically. Skye's responding grin made all three Avengers wince – she must have done something besides what they were present for.

“Nothing yet.” She replied. “Guess you'll have to wait and see.”

 

0-0-0-0-0

 

“The director will see you now.” The secretary informed the three straight faced agents.

“Show time.” Clint muttered.

“I'm scared of what Skye did.” Steve muttered. Tasha nodded faintly. Skye's corresponding giggle followed.

“More like what I'm _going_ to do. I'm so hacking this.” She announced. “His reaction is going to be priceless.”

“Oh, no.” Clint sighed, pushing into the office.

Fury was sitting at his desk with his fingers steepled in front of him. He indicated that they could sit, but all three remained standing. Clint made sure he was closest to the door.

“Aw, look at the good little soldiers.” Skye cooed into their ears. “I've got eyes over baldie's left shoulder. He's only got the one camera in his office? Weird.”

If Fury noticed all three sets of eyes shift quickly over his shoulder, he didn't comment. He was waiting. He still wasn't sure what he was going to say to the three, but he knew it had better be good.

“You know why you're here?” He started, hiding his confusion. Half a dozen of the staff assigned to the children had filed reports stating a small woman with Agent Rogers, Barton, and Romanov had threatened them. None of those agents could explain why they were so terrified of the “small woman”. Fury preferred to think it was the agents she was with. He had also been informed that the same small woman had visited the scientists in their custody, taken the children from the infirmary, and took all of the children out of their designated room. That was a lot of rules to break – even for these three. Okay, even for _Barton_ – Rogers and Romanov usually kept their noses pretty clean.

“You missed us?” Clint offered, smirking.

“Barton, it's been days since you've been in here. Days. I need longer than that to miss you.” Fury replied, his voice firm.

“Fucking narking scientists,” Clint muttered darkly. He still couldn't believe Simmons reported her “kidnapping”. He still owed her lab another ten hours of labor. He kept putting it off, not wanting to be at the mercy of the small scientist quite yet. He needed to get on her good side first.

“It's been longer for me.” Steve offered, hiding his amusement well. Fury could see the humor in his expression though and snapped.

“I've got five agents reporting being attacked by a friend of yours.” Fury yelled, snapping the file down on his desk.

“They must not be very good agents if they're intimidated by her, sir.” Steve commented.

“She is an itty bitty little thing.” Tasha agreed. Fury narrowed his eyes at the three.

“So are you,” Fury growled. “Why was a civilian on my base?”

“She had a tag, sir.” Steve shrugged.

“It wasn't visible.” Skye commented in their ears. “Archer, you're not going to defend me? Poor, little, helpless old me?”

“Sir, she is just looking out for the best interest of the children.” Clint offered immediately. His eyes were not near as serious as his expression. Tasha exhaled slowly, hiding her amusement. Steve, between the two assassins, could hear her – but Clint wouldn't know.

“Aw, Archer, you do love me!” Skye commented. Her amusement was apparent in her tone. Clint shifted uncomfortably next to Steve, drawing the super soldier's attention. Clint shook his head slightly, keeping his smile at bay only with sheer will power. “Archer, I must say – you're holding up fairly well. Let's see if Steve can hold up as well.”

“Those children are...” Fury paused, uncertain how to finish that thought. They were capable of taking care of themselves, that was true. But they were also a giant pain in his ass. He may be the boss, but he also knew a losing battle when he saw one. The trio in front of him had spent far too much time with the aforementioned children to take negative comments lightly.

“Would you like to tell us why we were called into a disciplinary meeting?” Tasha asked, bringing everyone back on topic.

“You brought a civilian on base.” Fury started.

“Properly though,” Clint interrupted.

“That's got to count for something.” Steve agreed.

“Should we count how many times we can get you off in an hour?” Skye questioned through the comms. “I would really like to test out this whole libido theory.”

“We?” Tony asked in the background. Steve made a mental note to compliment Fitz and Jack on their comms. He could tell that Tony wasn't near Skye, but his voice was crystal clear in his ear.

“Me and Tasha.” Skye agreed. “That's why Steve brought me in. He wanted a three some. Isn't that right, girlfriend?”

Tasha raised her eyebrow at Steve, noticing his face gradually turning red. Clint cleared his throat loudly, coughing into his fist. He thumped his chest and sighed.

“Fuckin' frog in my throat.” He explained to Tasha.

“Uh huh.” Skye laughed.

“...said civilian went on to attack my agents.” Fury finished. Steve scratched his temple, aware that there was a large chunk in the middle of the lecture that he had missed.

“Technically, she was provoked.” Steve muttered.

“God damn it, Rogers!” Fury shouted, tossing his hands up. “You can't just bring people into my motherfucking base and let them tell my agents how to do their jobs!”

“If they did their jobs well, she wouldn't have anything to criticize.” Steve rebutted. “I told you to change the staff. It's not our fault you didn't do that.”

“You know what pisses me off the most about this?” Fury asked, changing tactics as soon as he realized he would lose _that_ argument with Rogers. “I know you had a woman on base, but there's no footage. None. That means someone's been tampering.”

“What are you trying to say here?” Tasha asked, cocking her head slightly.

“Stark's hacking into my servers. Again.” Fury ground out. Of course Romanov would challenge him on this. “The Centipede scientists are locked in rooms that, all of the sudden, _I cannot open_. In my own base! Their meals have been cut to one cup of oatmeal, three times a day and a quarter gallon of water. The meal slots on the rooms won't open if there is anything extra on the tray.”

“They deserve everything they're getting,” Clint informed Fury seriously.

“They deserve way worse than what they're getting,” Tasha corrected. Clint nodded his agreement, pointing towards her to reiterate to Fury who he was agreeing with.

“Maybe it's a sign that Shield's encryptions aren't as good as they could be,” Steve informed Fury, working to make his voice sound sincere – even if he was laughing on the inside. “I know this great hacker that could work wonders.”

“Oh, I'm not helping him.” Skye chuckled. “Are you guys ready for this? I'm gonna fuck with him.”

“There is nothing wrong with how...” Fury froze, his attention suddenly focusing on his computer screen. Fury's jaw muscle ticked violently against his face. “...my agents are handling those kids.”

Fury reached up and turned his computer screen off. His phone vibrated in his pocket and he pulled it out. It immediately went back onto his pocket. A moment later, the secretary knocked on the door.

“Sir? There's an urgent phone call for you.” She said softly, trying not to interrupt.

“Thank you.” Fury growled, annoyed. He picked up his phone and listened to the person on the other end.

“Jack is pretending to be the president.” Skye mock whispered into their ears. “Steve, he finally cracked a smile.”

Steve ducked his head, needing to look away from Fury to keep a straight face. He really wanted to know what Skye was doing with his computers. He couldn't very well ask though. He raised his head and found the camera, hoping his inquisitive look would ask the question for him. Skye giggled into his ear.

“I'm sure Baldie will show you soon enough.”

“Yes, sir. Understood.” Fury sighed, hanging up the phone. He looked to the three agents in front of him; three agents that didn't look like they were being reprimanded. Instead, they looked like they were trying not to laugh. Damn it, he was losing his touch. “Stark know you're here?”

“Of course.” Tasha nodded. _Both of them_ , Tasha added silently.

“Did you three put him up to this?” Fury asked, swiveling his computer screen towards them. It was Humping Man...except he wasn't humping the screen. He was humping a black man's eye. The eye patch left a tan line on the animated character's face; the patch itself discarded on the bottom of the screen. Having seen Skye's previous work, they knew this was a slap-dash job. It didn't have the details her other animations had – it was just a generic face. The eye patch clarified any misunderstandings about who the character was, though. Clint violently cleared his throat again.

“No, sir. We did not put Tony up to this.” Steve replied honestly.

“Oh, Stevie,” Skye laughed excitedly, “Pushing the boundaries of truth.”

“Oh, my god. Skye, you put this on his computer?” Tony could be heard in the background. He sounded amused, impressed, but mostly proud. Skye giggled her response.

“It's going to follow him around.” Skye chuckled.

“Every screen?”

“Every screen he looks at for the rest of today, and then every screen he can't see for tomorrow,” Skye amended. Clint rolled his neck, fighting the laughter that was bubbling up his throat. Fury was going to have to avoid his “minions” for a day to avoid them seeing his face getting fucked. Skye was giggling again. “Tasha, Steve, you're about to win.”

“Fucking frog!” Clint swore, clearing his throat.

“Maybe my next animation will be Archer fucking a frog...with his mouth.” Skye announced firmly. “Apparently he has a frog fetish.”

“Shit.” Clint muttered, tossing his hands up. “Sir, I need some water.”

“Barton, you will wait until you're dismissed.” Fury growled. He was done with his lecture, but he wanted to be in control. He would take it any way he could have it.

“He sounds like a control freak,” Skye murmured thoughtfully. “Does he have a wife? I don't see women dealing with his personality very well. He's probably gay. Definitely the top. I wonder if his depth perception is off, with only one eye... Maybe he misses the hole sometimes.”

“Skylar Elizabeth!” Jack groaned in the background.

“Fuck.” Clint ground out, still trying to hide his smile from his boss. “I'm out. Sir, I apologize, but I need water.”

Without a backwards glance, Clint hurried from the room. Steve put his fist out and Tasha fist bumped him.

“We so win.” She muttered softly. Fury glared at them, his jaw ticking alarmingly fast.

“Get out of my damned office.”

“Yes, sir.” Steve nodded, spinning on his heel and hurrying from the room.

Fury waited until the door was closed then let out a loud, frustrated growl of annoyance. He grabbed the phone off his desk and dialed a familiar number. “Mr. Stark!”

“Yes, Head Honcho?” Tony replied with a smirk. Skye was standing directly next to him in Jack's lab, her hand slapped over her mouth so the Director couldn't hear her giggling.

“You have something to remove from my systems,” Fury bit out.

“Do I? Do I really?” Tony grinned, bumping hips with his sister.

“Yes! Romanov ratted you out.”

“Oh no.” Tony quivered. “I guess we'll have to have a team meeting about this. Thanks for bringing it to my attention, Director sir!”

“Stark!”

“Out.”

“You're amazing and I love that you're my brother,” Skye gushed, grinning at Tony.

“Like I could remove your program anyway,” Tony muttered, then started laughing. “We're going to have to record him and make a 'mix tape' for the team.”

“Hell yes we do. I've already got a program made,” Skye agreed. “I'll just tweak it a bit and we're good to go. Oh, and I'm stealing Steven before everyone gets back.”

“Where are you going?” Tony asked. Skye looked coy and shrugged. Tony leveled her a dry look. “Skylar Elizabeth, where are you taking the boy?”

“The boy and I will be out,” Skye retorted, trying to spin away. Tony was expecting that though and caught her by the waist.

“You may be my sister, but I will still tie you to a bed,” Tony threatened. He heard what he said and grimaced, “don't make that gross – it came out wrong.”

“I can't _NOT_ make it gross!” Skye giggled loudly.

“Where are you going?” Tony tried again, smiling at her laughter.

“He's got no toys, Tony.” Skye shrugged. “I don't know where we're going cause he's going to pick.”

“You're taking my card,” Tony informed her, digging out his wallet. “Actually, just keep this one. I'll get another.”

“Tony, I have money,” Skye scoffed.

“You're using the card and it's not up for debate.”

“We're gonna spend all your money,” Skye threatened softly.

“Good luck with that,” Tony laughed. “Besides, it's half yours – remember?”

“I don't want it,” Skye said softly. “I'm already using more than I should. Just, let me do this.”

“He's not your responsibility,” Tony sighed. “Please, I know you don't want the Stark money. Whatever, it's fine. Think of it as a wage, if you want. I know you've been adding encryptions to Jarvis and Agent has made some comments about not Shield approved security on their plane. But, the _point_ , you don't have to use the money on yourself. Get the boy some toys. Just, for the _love of God_ , do not bring home any robots. I swear I will smash them on sight.”

“You gonna be mad if we decorate his room?” Skye asked softly. “Like, painting?”

“It's his room. He can do whatever,” Tony smirked, pulling Skye in for a hug. “Even if that means it's a flour bomb production factory.”

 

Fury stared at his phone; Stark had hung up on him. No one hung up on him. He was the motherfucking Director of S.H.I.E.L.D. He got respect, even if he had to take it. Tony was corrupting his best agents and he was going to put a stop to that.

Right after he could find a techie that he trusted enough to remove the stupid animation _without_ telling the whole base about it.

Fucking Stark.

 

0-0-0-0-0

 

“Clothes, kiddo,” Skye announced, plopping down on Steven's bed. He looked up from the laptop that Skye had acquired for him after watching him steal Steve's.

“I have clothes,” Steven replied.

“You have lots of clothes,” Skye agreed with a grin. “But put some on your body. I'm taking you out.”

“No pajamas?” Steven asked, looking down at his outfit. He spent most of his time around the Tower in sweat pants or shorts.

“Nothing fancy,” Skye replied. “I'm wearing this,” she waved to her jeans, boots, long sleeved shirt, and leather jacket.

“That's fancy,” Steven gulped. “Can you approve it first?”

“Sure thing,” Skye nodded. “Chop, chop. I want to go before everyone is back and I have to share you again!”

“I'm hurrying!” Steven replied, scrambling from the bed.

 

They left the Tower ten minutes later, both of them skipping down the secret tunnel. Steven was wearing jeans and a short sleeve shirt with a tie printed on the front. He had giggled when Skye pulled it from his closet and handed it to him. It would be comfortable for him to wear all day, but it also fit his requirement that it looked _fancy_.

“You never told me what we're doing,” Steven commented, clutching her hand as they emerged from the tunnel and disappeared into the crowd of people.

“Hmm, it's a multi-pronged mission,” Skye smirked. “One: You need some toys or books or both! Two: Your room needs some character. Three: Food, in our bellies.”

“Um, I don't think...” Steven winced, pulling up short. Skye took the break to shrug her jacket on, then took the boy's hand again. She kneeled down so she was at his level. “You don't need to do this for me,” Steven said softly. “I thought we were just going to see a movie or something.”

“Oh, movie. I like that idea,” Skye smiled. “Maybe after we eat?”

“We can eat now?” Steven offered.

“We're not skipping the best part!” Skye retorted. He still didn't look convinced, so Skye sighed and got serious. “Is it the money?”

“Partially.”

“Okay, well. Here's the thing. I'm a Stark. Tony keeps bringing it up,” Skye replied, rolling her eyes. “Another thing he keeps bringing up? Stark money. Apparently there's a ridiculous amount of Stark money. I want to do this. I kind of _need_ to do this.”

“You don't need to,” Steven argued.

“I need to know that you can entertain yourself if we're all busy. It's bound to happen.” Skye pointed out. Steven nodded his agreement with that statement. “But I would also like you to be able to interact with your peers at some point. I'm not saying you have to get toys for seven year olds because, frankly, you're too advanced for a majority of those toys, but you need to at least know what they are. You don't want to be like Steve and miss references, do you?”

“No,” Steven said shakily.

“More importantly, you're important to me. Like, crazy important. You've squirmed your way into my teeny little heart.”

“Your heart isn't teeny!” Steven defended instantly. She grinned and continued.

“It's important that you're happy. I'm not saying money buys happiness, because that's not the point I want you to take away from this,” Skye teased, bopping his nose lightly. “But you need to know what makes you happy. You don't have to know what that means right now – you don't have to know what things you like or dislike, but I want you to find out.”

“I can just get like...one toy.” Steven compromised.

“You're not getting just one toy,” Skye laughed. “And you're not just getting one book! And we're decorating your room! We can paint it and get furniture and make it _yours_.”

“Like Gertrude is your space?” He smiled shyly.

“It's very important for a person to have a space.” Skye agreed.

“Jack has his lab,” Steven nodded.

“Yeah, from Stark money.” Skye smirked. She just won the argument and she knew it.

“Fine, Skye!” Steven grumbled. He pouted for two seconds, then threw himself at her with an excited grin. “I saw Clint's drum. Can I get a drum? Or a guitar?”

“You can get _both_ ,” Skye grinned.

 

0-0-0-0-0

 

“Can we be done?” Steven groaned, dragging his feet. It had been fun and exciting – but now he was just tired. Skye looked just as exhausted as he was.

“Okay,” she agreed easily. “Let me know if you think of anything else you need, okay?”

“Okay.” Steven nodded. He had already learned not to argue with her. He was holding a stuffed Captain America doll under his arm – the one purchase Skye looked more excited about than he was.

“Lunch?” Skye offered, looking considerably more chipper all the sudden.

“I could eat a whole cow!” Steven chimed in with an eager smile.

“What do you feel like?” Skye asked.

“I don't know?” Steven shrugged. “Can we try something I've never had before?”

“Oh, adventurous. I like it.” Skye nodded. “We can head to the park? There are usually food trucks there. We can try something from all of them and then get some vitamin D.”

“Vitamin D?” Steven asked, slipping his hand into Skye's.

“Yeah. You get vitamin D from the sun. It helps your body make serotonin, which makes you happy.”

“Serotonin?”

“It's a hormone. Your body makes it,” Skye replied. “It affects your mood.”

“Oh.” Steven replied, thinking over what she just said. “So basically the sun makes you happy?”

“Yep,” She grinned.

“We'll have to get outside more often,” Steven rationalized. “I like being happy.”

“We can go outside everyday,” Skye grinned.

“Not if it's storming,” Steven replied, frowning.

“We can go outside every day it's nice,” Skye corrected.

“Deal!”

 

“Aw, your son looks just like you. He's adorable,” A woman smiled, tapping Steven's nose like he was an infant. He shot Skye an outraged look, then he rubbed his nose in his palm.

“He is pretty adorable, isn't he?” Skye agreed with a proud smile. The lady smiled and walked off.

“You didn't correct that _stranger,_ who touched my nose like a weirdo.” Steven said softly, dragging his fork through some pork that was left over from a taco he had eaten.

“It wasn't any of her business.”

“You don't have to do that for me,” Steven said softly.

“Shut up and finish eating so we can check out these trees,” Skye smiled. Steven ducked his head and grinned into his chest. She was good at dispelling his worries without making a big deal about it. He liked that. Steve would have wanted to talk about it and sort it all out. He wasn't used to talking about his feelings (or even acknowledging them, really), so he felt uncomfortable bringing up sensitive things. He didn't know how to talk about it. He had the sneaking suspicion that Skye was a lot like him in that manner. Skye acknowledged his point and moved on with one flippant gesture. He was still in his comfort zone, but he had been heard and reassured. Skye just got him. Jack was lucky that he got Skye to himself for all those years.

“I think I'm full,” Steven smiled, putting one last forkful in his mouth. “Like, super full.”

“Hmm,” Skye nodded, pulling all the dishes to herself. “Whatcha wanna do now?”

“Shouldn't we head back?”

“Dude, no.” Skye replied around a mouthful of food. “I'm bored of that place. Need a break.”

“Okay,” Steven smiled, ducking his head. “I'm really full though. Maybe we can find a movie?”

“Deal!” Skye agreed. “We can go find snacks!”

“Skye, we just ate.”

“Yeah, but movies can be long.” Skye replied.

“You eat a lot.”

“I know,” Skye laughed. She pulled out her phone and handed it to him, “Here, find a movie that sounds good while I finish our selection.”

 

“Um, I think we need to go burn some energy before we go back,” Steven winced, shielding his eyes against the sun. It was extra bright after leaving the dark theatre. Skye was practically vibrating, but Steven wasn't much better. Skye giggled and agreed.

“So, you like music,” Skye mused. “I know this cool place that has a bunch of instruments and games and...”

“Yes. That.” Steven interrupted, nodding eagerly.

“Forward ho!” Skye shouted, pointing forward.

 

“Okay, fine.” Skye huffed five minutes later. “We should have looked at directions. Shush it, sir.”

“We just came from this way!” Steven giggled. They were skipping down the sidewalk, ignoring the odd looks they were getting.

“I know!” Skye laughed. “I was distracted and we went the wrong way!”

 

Steve, Clint, Tasha, and Jack caught up to the pair a few hours later. Tony had tracked Skye's phone, but declined to step out with them. He was already assembling footage of Fury struggling with the hack and was too engrossed to leave.

“What do you think they did all day?” Steve asked, getting out of the SUV.

“Something fun,” Jack replied instantly. “Food, too.”

“I like food,” Clint said, shooting his friends a hopeful smile.

“It's dinner time,” Jack agreed. “Skye's probably hungry anyway.”

“Good,” Steve nodded, “She needs to put some weight back on.”

“Don't let her hear you say that,” Clint muttered, holding the door open to the building. The music was blasting out from inside. It didn't take them long to locate Skye and Steven – they were on the giant piano mat on the floor. They were laughing and jumping from key to key – Skye playing the melody and Steven the harmony. They were both sweaty; they must have been at it for a while. Skye noticed them and waved. She waved Jack over, then hopped off the mat. Jack took her place and she headed over to her friends.

“He's got perfect pitch,” Skye informed them with a proud grin.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry, the end got super choppy. My muse abandoned me halfway through their day out.


	34. Things had been going well.

 

“Oh, gross.” Steve groaned, spitting his bite of banana into a napkin. “What is this?”

“A banana.” Tony stated bluntly, like he was talking to a child.

“I think it went bad.” Steve frowned, wiping his tongue on a new napkin. “Don't eat the bananas, Steven.”

“I think it's okay?” Steven shrugged, letting Skye add another scoop of ice cream to his bowl. They exchanged a secret smile at Skye's indulgence. They were deliberately making their sundaes out of Steve's eyesight. He would complain about the amount of sugar they were ingesting, but he wouldn't waste food. They had figured that out pretty quickly – and then shamelessly took advantage whenever they could.

“They taste fine,” Tony said, shaking his head. His own banana was mostly gone.

“Virus in the fifties wiped out the bananas you're used to,” Skye offered, handing Steve a strawberry. “This is a new breed? Strand? I don't know. Still a banana, just a different kind.”

“I didn't know that.” Clint commented, taking the banana from Steve.

“That's why banana flavored candy doesn't taste like banana.” Skye shrugged. “The flavor is based of the bananas from before the fifties.”

“Banana Plague.” Tony mused, stroking his facial hair. “That can't be true.”

“Jarvis?” Skye asked, not looking up from assembling her ice cream masterpiece.

“Ms. Skye is correct, Sir.”

“Ha.” Skye grinned, sticking her tongue out at Tony. She put a spoonful of ice cream in her mouth and took her bowl over to Steve. “We can get you some banana candy next time we go out.”

“We may have to go to a special candy store,” Clint winked at Steven. “I can't imagine we'll find banana candy just laying around.”

“Don't encourage him.” Steve laughed.

“Hey, I have to win my title back!” Clint huffed, crossing his arms. “Stupid engineer over there keeps building cool things and it's not fair.”

“Life's not fair.” Skye giggled, patting his shoulder. She lowered her voice to a whisper and murmured in Clint's ear, “Shh, he doesn't know yet, Clinton.”

“Sorry,” Clint whispered back. Then he smirked, “That means I still have time.”

“I don't have a favorite.” Steven said shyly, climbing onto Steve's lap. Most times, Steve would have made him get his own chair but he could tell the boy was uncomfortable. He was like Skye. He sought out extra attention when he was uncomfortable, scared, or angry. Steve looked at the boy's bowl and shot Skye an exasperated look. She smirked and put a bit of whipped cream on his nose.

“Why not?” Tony responded, looking scandalized. “I've worked really hard for that title! I deserve it!”

“You're all my favorite. Don't make me choose one.” Steven practically begged, his eyes downcast. Clint and Tony tried to ignore the annoyed look Steve was giving them. They looked ashamed enough on their own.

“They don't mean it like that,” Skye chuckled, wiping chocolate sauce off the boy's cheek. “They both love you very much and they know that you love them too. They're just competitive. They like to win.”

“They don't have to compete for me.” Steven frowned.

“You're worth competing for,” Skye told him seriously, then stole a scoop of his ice cream. “Better get eating or meanie Stevie is going to take your ice cream.”

“I'm not the bad guy here!” Steve retorted.

“Where's your ice cream then?” Steven grinned, all insecurities gone from his face. Steve wondered, not for the first time, how much of his personality was a mask. He would only learn with time, as the boy became more comfortable with them. Hopefully, he could learn to lose the mask.

“Skye has plenty to share,” Steve grinned. Skye squawked her disapproval. Tony handed Steve a spoon with an instigating grin. Clint casually leaned against Skye's far side, preventing her from making the easy escape. With the four guys teaming up on her, Skye had no choice but to share.

“It's not fair.” Skye huffed halfheartedly.

“Life's not fair,” Clint grinned, dropping his arm around her shoulders. He waited until she was looking at Steve again, then used his fingers to scoop out a bite of her sundae.

“I know you made it over there so I couldn't see,” Steve smirked, stealing another spoonful of mostly strawberries. “Can't let food go to waste!”

“I know!” Skye huffed, finally noticing Clint was eating her ice cream too. She swatted his hand away, then came at him with her spoon when he wasn't discouraged.

“I like our family.” Steven giggled, dripping ice cream all down his front. “We're a little different...”

“But normal is boring!” Skye finished with Steven, both of them grinning.

“So boring,” Clint agreed.

“Should we go scare the people at the trampoline place again?” Skye laughed, looking at Steven.

“I can just put in a trampoline here.” Tony offered, like it was nothing.

“But then we can't see their faces!” Steven responded instantly.

“It is pretty fun,” Clint agreed, grinning.

“You haven't gone with us!” Steven replied, shaking his head.

“You think I would let my favorite nephew go off into the big scary world with just this little pip-squeak to protect him? No, sir.”

“Tasha was with us too.” Steven pointed out. “Do I need to tell her you think she can't keep me safe?”

“Who can't keep you safe?” Tasha asked, walking into the kitchen. Skye giggled and stuffed ice cream into her mouth, curious at how this was going to turn out.

“Talking about a movie,” Clint said quickly, shoving a spoonful of ice cream into Steven's mouth. Tasha rolled her eyes at Skye, because she had heard the whole conversation. Skye started laughing, covering her mouth to keep her ice cream from falling out.

 

 

0-0-0-0-0

 

“So, what are we thinking here?” Skye asked, resting her hands on her hips as she surveyed his room. Steven jumped in place, finally excited about the project.

“I want the ceiling black, so we can put the stars up there and I won't feel like I'm inside!” Steven grinned. “Can we do that wall black too? Maybe we can draw New York on it? And then on these walls, red. I want them red. But maybe we can put a shelf here for my books?”

“Black and red, huh?” Skye asked, smiling.

“Yeah?” Steven shrugged. “Is that okay?”

“Oh, I love it,” Skye nodded.

“Yeah?”

“Yeah. How about we start moving your furniture out so we don't get paint on it?”

“Should we get some help?”

“Nah, I think we're strong enough.” Skye said decisively.

 

In the end, the bed wouldn't fit out the door, so it got shoved to the middle of the room and covered with plastic. They taped plastic down along the carpet and window frame, then got to work with the paint. They painted the ceiling first.

“How about you stay on the ground and get more paint on my roller?” Steven offered after a few minutes of painting.

“Are you kicking me off the project boss?” Skye teased, easing her way slowly down the ladder anyway.

“I know you're afraid of heights,” Steven reminded her.

“I was okay,” Skye replied, reaching up for his roller. He handed it over and watched her roll more paint on it.

“I don't think you're afraid of heights. I think you're afraid of falling.”

“That's the same difference.”

“No, not really,” Steven shrugged. “Falling is something you can't control. It's not on purpose. You were fine when we were at the trampoline place and you were really high.”

“But I was in control and was doing it on purpose?” Skye finished, smiling up at him.

“Exactly.” Steven nodded. “Do you think Steve would help us with the New York wall?”

“I bet he would love to help.” Skye nodded. “You can call him down whenever. Or someone else, if you want. This doesn't have to be a me and you project.”

“I like me and you projects though.” Steven said softly.

“I like them, too.” Skye replied. “I just wanted you to know you have options.”

“How many books did we get again?” Steven asked, looking around the room. She smirked and shrugged. “All the good ones?”

“Is one bookshelf going to be okay?”

“We can have more than one.”

“What if we make like...this whole wall a shelf?” Steven asked, waving his hand towards the wall with his closet. It was going to be red, eventually.

“Book shelves or built in?” Skye asked, cocking her head at the wall.

“I don't know. Either?”

“I bet Jack would _love_ to help you build some shelves,” Skye mused. “I love that you're excited about all the books.”

“Do you think it would be okay?” Steven asked. “We would be putting screws in the wall.”

“Tony said, and I quote, _It's his room. He can do whatever. Even if that means it's a flour bomb production factory._ ”

“Did he really say that?” Steven giggled.

“He did.” Skye nodded, smiling up at him. “I don't think he's too worried about a few holes in the wall.”

“Okay,” Steven agreed easily. “We'll keep painting then and I'll talk to Jack later. If he won't help, I bet Tony will.”

“Tony will what?” Steve asked, leaning against the doorway of the room.

“Help me with shelves,” Steven replied, not looking away from his work. There were some thin spots in the paint, but it would require a second coat anyway.

“How many shelves are you using?” Steve asked.

“Um, the whole wall. We're going to build some. But I'm going to ask Jack first.”

“I could help with shelves, if you need.”

“Oh, you have a different job. If you want it. You don't have to.”

“What's my job?”

“You're good at art?”

“I'm good at art?” Steve asked, walking into the room to stand by Skye.

“Drawing,” She supplied helpfully.

“Oh. Yeah, I draw.”

“Can you help me draw on this wall?” Steven asked, pointing to the wall where the headboard of his bed would go.

“It's going to be painted black first,” Skye added.

“What are we drawing on it?”

“New York?”

“Psh, we can handle that!” Steve laughed. The ceiling was finished, so the boy was working his way down the ladder. “Why is the ceiling black?” Steve asked Skye softly, taking advantage of the boy's distraction.

“We're putting stars up,” Skye whispered back. Steve nodded.

“I heard of this really cool new paint,” Steve told the boy. “It, well, it's not really glow in the dark, but it kind of is. We look at it and see if you want to use it.”

“Glow in the dark?” Steven asked, looking excited.

“Yeah, so it's not dark dark in here when it's night.”

“If it looks weird when we go look at it, do we have to use it?”

“Absolutely not.” Steve replied firmly. “Just giving you some choices to choose from.”

“Deal. We need to paint this wall black too, then we can go look at that paint?” Steven offered.

“I'm feeling a little peckish,” Skye murmured. “You should bring back some food.”

“Just come with us, silly.” Steven giggled.

“Nah, you can have some time with...”

“Just come with us, silly.” Steve repeated. She made a face that made him smirk.

“Okay,” Skye sighed.

 

In the end, they decided to use the glow in the dark paint on the ceiling. With the lights off, it would feel like he was really under the night sky. Steven decided he wanted the wall behind the shelves to be black, not red, so they made that adjustment. They finished the project over the rest of the afternoon and evening, ordering in pizza as they worked. Jack stopped by to get measurements for the shelving, then disappeared into his lab to create them. Tony stopped by to take measurements as well, though he refused to tell anyone what he was going to contribute. Tasha and Clint had stopped by for pizza and company, but said they were withholding their contribution until he was finished. Finally, Steven had declared the room done. The ceiling looked black, with the lights on, and the New York skyline was shaping up nicely. Steve still had things to add, but the paint had to dry first. The wall with the closet was black, because it was going to be mostly covered anyway and Steven didn't want random bits of red poking out. The last two walls were _hot rod red_ , by Tony's description. Skye was proud of the boy – he had definitely customized his space. (She was kind of jealous of his ceiling).

Steve, Skye, and Steven were covered in paint – mostly because of the paint war Skye had started when she drew a smiley face on Steve's arm with black paint. She had whiskers like a cat and Steven had horizontal bars across his face. Aside from the intentional paint, they were also splattered from the rollers and from painting the ceiling. They all showered, scrubbing black paint from their faces, then moved Steven into the empty room for the night so Jarvis could properly ventilate the room while the paint dried.

Skye had yawned while she did some stretching, loosening muscles that she hadn't used in a while. She grumbled lightly when she hit a sore spot, which made Jack grin, “Sissy, just come sit.”

“Can't,” Skye sighed. “Too wound.”

“I've got to go check in with Shield,” Steve told the pair. “I'll be upstairs if you need anything.”

“Sir, yes sir!” Jack nodded. Skye looked over at him with raised eyebrows and an amused smirk. Steve returned the smile and stepped onto the elevator. “Skye, just do your Tai Chi and settle, then come cuddle with me. Please? I need some cuddles.”

“Like I'm ever going to turn that down,” Skye grinned.

 

In retrospect, things had been going well. Too well. Steve should have known it couldn't last.

 

 

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

 

“I think you wore her out today, Captain.” Jack smirked from the couch. He was watching an old episode of a TV show that Steve had never heard of.

“Why's that?” Steve smiled back, dropping off fruit at their floor's kitchen.

“I just put her in your bed,” Jack grinned. It was a novel experience, taking care of Skye. He had never put her to bed before. Steve quirked an eyebrow so Jack elaborated, “She was cuddling with me, but fell asleep.”

“Really?” Steve asked, looking towards his closed door. “It's early still.”

“Like I said, you wore her out.”

“Hmm, I think Steven wore her out more than I did. How are _you_ doing?”

“I'm good,” Jack smiled. “Like, really good. I'm half-waiting for the ball to fall, but this is...” Jack sighed and nodded, “This is good.”

“I'm glad to hear that.” Steve smiled, squeezing Jack's shoulder. “Let me know if that changes, okay?”

“Okay,” Jack agreed. He looked up at Steve with a mischevious smile, “I was going to put Skye in her designated room, but I didn't think you'd like that.”

“Psh,” Steve snorted. “She would have woken cause she was cold and joined one of us.”

“We both know which of us she would have joined,” Jack chortled.

“Yeah, cause who knows what you and Fitz have been doing in your bed?” Steve shot back.

“I could tell you exactly what's been happening in my bed,” Jack offered, wagging his eyebrows. Steve laughed and quickly shook his head.

“Hey, you know the expression is waiting for the other _shoe to drop_ , right?”

“Captain, we both know I like balls.” Jack grinned, proud of his dirty innuendo.

“Good night, Jack.” Steve replied, shaking his head.

“Night, Stevie.” Jack smirked.

Steve laughed and shook his head. He let himself into his bedroom and carefully closed the door behind him, making sure to be deliberate enough with his noise that she wouldn't wake at his entrance. Normally he would strip down to his boxers, or boxers and a shirt, but he wasn't there with Skye yet. He pulled on a pair of pajama pants; he didn't want to know what Skye would say if she woke up next to his bare torso. (Knowing her, something loud and embarrassing). He slid under the sheets and scooted closer to her side. She would move towards him during the night, if he didn't. Last time, he had nearly fallen off the side of the bed when she kept searching. If he started out next to her, they could remain in the center of the bed. He grinned when Skye curled into him, muttering indistinctly when her legs got tangled in the sheets. He reached down to free her legs and let her find a comfortable position, then dropped off into his own slumber. All in all, it had been a good day. He didn't bother hiding his small, satisfied smile. Yeah, it _had_ been a good day.

 

0-0-0-0-0

 

Jack was still watching TV when there was a loud scream of terror in Steve's room. Jack scrambled to his feet and rushed towards their closed door, his heart pounding with fear. He knew what that sound meant. Shit, he needed to stop her - but he wasn't fast enough. Skye's eyes were wide with terror when she jerked the door open in Jack's face.

“Shit, Skye!” Jack panicked, watching her run from their floor. He had only heard that sound come from her once. He knew he couldn't catch her. He wasn't fast enough. Steve rushed from the room after her, looking confused. “You have to get her, Steve. Go get her. Fucking now!”

Steve focused instantly, all traces of sleep gone from his body when he took in Jack's terrified expression. He sprinted after her, mentally calculating how fast he would have to catch her. He could sprint fast enough to catch up to her, but she would definitely win a distance race. He saw her rounding the corner outside the Tower and was instantly worried. She was barefoot and underdressed for the weather. She had on _booty shorts_ and one of his shirts; the night was much too cool for that. Wait...she was in one of his shirts? _Focus_. Steve gave himself four blocks. Four blocks to catch her. If he couldn't do it by then, he couldn't do it at all.

Fuck, she was fast. She really hadn't been kidding about being able to out-run him.

“Skye!” Steve called, wasting some of his breath because she didn't turn, didn't slow, didn't give any indication that she heard him. He groaned and pushed himself harder. His desperation made him fast, but her fear made her faster. She had sounded terrified. Jack looked terrified. _What was going on?_

He was so focused on catching her that he didn't hear the struggle until they were practically on top of it. Someone was fighting. Well, someone was losing – and was frustrated about it. Angry, frustrated yelling pierced the night air, concerning Steve almost as much as Skye's similar yell. Skye seemed to be heading straight for it.

He wouldn't catch her before she caught up to the trouble.

Skye shouted something angrily. It sounded Russian, but Steve couldn't be sure. He had picked up some from Tasha, but not enough to know what Skye said. She launched herself into the alley, momentarily leaving Steve's line of sight. He was too far behind.

He panicked, hearing the commotion from the alley. The same angry, frustrated voice from before started shouting again, though now another emotion laced his words – fear.

“I've got to learn more Russian.” Steve growled, cursing Skye's speed. She shouldn't be doing this alone. A single shot rang out from the alley, making Steve stumble back momentarily. He peered around the corner carefully, knowing Skye was in danger but that he held the element of surprise. There were men down; too many to count in the darkness. Another man was down, though he appeared to be struggling to get to his feet. Struggling to get to Skye.

Skye was a fantastical blur in the alley, his white shirt distinguishing her from the black-clad men she was fighting. There were still too many of them standing, but that number was decreasing steadily. She was taking them down as they got to her, their attention successfully diverted from whoever they were attacking in the first place. The man on the ground appeared to notice Steve and shouted at him in Russian, all the while pointing helplessly at Skye.

Then more shots rang out. Shots from up above.

Snipers.

Shoot.

He had no weapon, no shield, and no backup. Honestly, he was just glad he had pajamas on. Steve vehemently hoped Jack was smart enough to round up the Avengers. His own phone was still beside his bed, right where he left it when he had crawled into bed beside Skye.

The man on the ground hissed painfully, trying to pull himself from the line of fire. It was dark in the alley, very dark, and the man was in dark clothing. Steve didn't know anything about this man, but Skye was helping him and the man seemed worried about her, so Steve hurried over to help him, dragging him behind a dumpster for cover. The man was surprisingly heavy despite his thin frame.

“Help.” The man wheezed breathlessly, flopping an arm limply in Skye's direction.

“Stay here.” Steve said firmly, going to do just that. If Skye was helping him out, that was a good enough reason for him.

Steve joined Skye's battle. With her interior assault and Steve's exterior assault, it wasn't long before the men were all down. Steve's bodies were merely unconscious, but Skye's were broken. Broken beyond repair. Steve looked up from the bodies just in time to deflect Skye's fist. She was still fighting.

“Skye, stop.” Steve shouted, trying his best to deflect her hands and feet. He couldn't tell if she was asleep or just so far gone that she didn't recognize that Steve wasn't a target. She landed a few solid punches that Steve hadn't been fast enough to block. She was making zero effort at holding back and Steve was surprised at the power behind her punches. Steve panicked slightly at her onslaught – he couldn't hold her off for much longer, not without fighting back. Above everything else, he didn't want to hurt her. The man on the ground wheezed again, trying to say something but failing. Skye's eyes flicked to him, giving Steve a chance to pin her arms to her sides. He held her in a tight hug and told her firmly, “Doll, you're okay. Stop fighting. You got them all.”

Then another single gunshot rang out. Steve heard the tell tale sounds of Tony's rocket boosters and sighed with relief. Either Barton would get the sniper or Tony would. He didn't have to worry about it any more.

“Is he okay?” Skye asked, blinking rapidly.

“I don't know.” Steve replied, loosening his hold slightly as she started to relax in his arms.

“He needs to be okay. Important.” Skye said softly, and her eyes fluttered shut. She slid down Steve's front, but his arms instinctively tightened around her - tightened on the warm, wet material on her torso.

“I need help!” Steve shouted loudly. He wasn't sure who was around, besides Tony. Someone had to be around.

“Cap?” Tony asked, landing beside him.

“Take her back to the Tower,” Steve said, picking Skye up and settling her in Tony's robotic arms. “As fast as you can. I think the sniper got her.”

“Shit.” Tony cursed. He wasted no time with idle chatter, just launched himself into the air, clinging tightly to his sister's limp form. Steve stared in horror at his hands. The light from Tony's boots showed Steve his blood covered hands.

When he looked up again, the man was gone. There was blood slicked along the concrete and the dumpster. He was hurt, but he didn't stay for help. Steve hesitated, deciding between following the man to give him medical care and going back to the Tower for Skye. Logically, he knew there wasn't anything he could do to help her right then. She was in Bruce's very capable hands. Irrationally, he didn't fucking care. Clint solved that issue when he pulled up alongside the alley in a car.

“Cap, get in. We need to get back.” He shouted, throwing the passenger door open. “Steve, Shield is coming to get them, don't worry. Get in the car.” Dumbly, Steve headed for the car. He didn't realize he was still holding his hands out in front of his chest until Clint gasped. “Is that yours?”

“Skye's.” Steve muttered. He couldn't manage more than that.

“Why was she out here?” Clint asked, flooring the vehicle's gas pedal. Fuck traffic laws, Skye was hurt.

“There was a man.” Steve said vaguely. He felt disconnected. Like he was missing something. Something big.

“Is he okay?” Clint asked.

“He ran off.” Steve replied.

“But...she was asleep.”

“She woke up screaming and ran off.” Steve nodded, finally able to string a few words together. The shock was strong and surprisingly overwhelming. Skye was hurt. Bad. She could die. He just got her back. (He still hadn't kissed her!) A bit of the shock burned away at the anger building in his chest. She risked her life for that stranger – and he had just ran off. If he ever saw him again, Steve was going to have serious words with that man.

“Steven woke us up like that.” Clint said finally. They had been working on a secret project for his room and had fallen asleep. “He was terrified. Nat's with him.”

“Jack didn't wake you?”

“No. Steven did. Said we had to find Skye. Jack told Tony. I followed him.”

 

0-0-0-0-0

 

“Is she okay?” Steve asked softly, still staring at his hands. Bruce had taken Skye into his lab by the time Steve got back to the Tower.

“We haven't heard anything yet.” Tony muttered, staring at the wall blankly.

“Dr. Banner is requesting that someone call Dr. Simmons.” Jarvis announced. “I have taken the liberty of doing that myself.”

“Thanks, Jarvis.” Steve said softly, looking horrified. Bruce needed help. And he couldn't offer any. Steve looked over at Clint, who was looking just as lost as he felt.

“Steve, go wash your hands.” Tony said softly. “You'll feel better. Go wash them.”

“But what if...”

“It will only take a few minutes to wash.” Tony interrupted. “Jarvis will get you if anything happens.”

“We just got her back.” Steve whispered, looking crestfallen. “What if...”

“She's going to be fine,” Tony interrupted.

“She's going to be fine.” Clint echoed.

“She needs to be fine.” Steve nodded, his voice cracking. He stood quickly, heading for a sink before his teammates could see him lose his composure.

“Move, move!” Steven yelled, shoving past Jack and Tasha to race into the room. Clint caught him around his middle before he could dash into Bruce's lab.

“Hey, kiddo. Can't go in there right now.” Clint murmured.

“But Bruce needs...”

“Dr. Banner is requesting a bag of 47's blood.” Jarvis chimed in.

“We don't have one!” Tony shouted at Jarvis. “Skye has the magic blood now, where is hers?”

“Dr. Banner didn't draw extra blood,” Jarvis supplied. “Ms. Skye was hesitant to having it laying around. Steven has permission to enter the lab.”

“See? Let me go!” Steven shouted, kicking at Clint's knees. He twisted free from his grip, falling to the floor. A bag of blood fell from his hands, but the boy hurried to scoop it up before it could hit the ground and rushed into the lab.

“How did he know?” Clint asked, still standing with his hands extended.

“Where did it come from?!” Tony groaned.

 

0-0-0-0-0

 

“Skye...doll...please...don't leave me. Don't leave _us_.” Steve whispered, clutching her hand. Days. That was all he had with her. _Days,_ and here she was – dying. Again _._ She lay unresponsive on Bruce's table. She was hooked to the full array of machines; between the IV lines, the blood line, and the cords attaching her to various machines, Steve wasn't sure where she began and the machines ended. She was pale – but not as pale than when they had found her initially. That was one small mercy; she didn't look dead. Bruce's words echoed in his head, _“We'll have to see if she can repair herself. I don't know how much blood it takes. I hope one bag is enough. There's nothing else I can do. Nothing else we can do.”_

“Steve, the man? The man from the alley?” Tony whispered, sticking his head into the room. “He came back.”

“I don't care.” Steve growled.

“He went for help, for Skye.” Tony said softly, laying a hand on Steve's shoulder.

“Is he here?”

“No. But he dropped something off,” Clint replied. Steve peeked over his shoulder, curiosity getting the better of him. Clint wiggled bags of blood. An armful of blood.

“The magic blood?” Steve asked, face falling. Skye trusted this stranger with something she didn't trust him with.

“He wouldn't stay. I tried.”

“Is he okay? There was blood...”

“He's not great.” Clint shrugged, that caused the blood to shift in his arms and topple onto the bed at Skye's feet. “But he's okay. He let me take a look at him before he left.”

“Why'd he do that?”

“So I wouldn't follow him.” Clint admitted.

“I would like to point out that I made no such promise.” Tony announced, rocking back and forth between the balls of his feet and his heels.

“Leave him.” Clint shook his head. “I promised.”

“Yeah, well, I would like to know where all of this blood came from.” Tony huffed, crossing his arms.

 

   

Steven's ceiling and a rough idea of his New York wall, except the colors would be reversed (black wall, lighter building colors).

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes, the banana virus is a real thing - as is the banana candy flavoring. Maybe that's why banana candy is so gross. Learn something new everyday.
> 
> It's not supposed to be a cliff hanger - the magic blood is going to make Skye better, so don't worry about her too much =)


	35. Forgot how frustrating Starks can be.

 

“Hi, doll.” Steve said softly, rubbing the back of her hand with his thumb. Her eyes had fluttered open slowly, glanced down to where he was holding her hand, then locked eyes on his. Her lips quirked up slightly.

“Hi. How long was I out?”

“16 hours,” Steve replied slowly. He pursed his lips, and nodded to himself, “16 hours.”

There was a very awkward, very heavy cloud of tension hovering between them. Between his lack of sleep, his intense worry for Skye, his annoyance at the man from the alley, and a Shield debrief for an event that he still didn't understand, Steve's mood left something to be desired.

“I don't even know what to say to you right now,” Steve admitted softly.

“Are you mad?” She asked, her face falling.

“Not mad. Frustrated. Scared.”

“Don't be scared.”

“You almost died. Again.”

“I'm okay, Steve.”

“Because the guy from the alley brought blood.”

“Is he okay?”

“I don't know. He didn't hang around.”

“Can I have my computer?”

“You gonna get in touch with him?”

“Yeah,” Skye admitted softly. Steve suppressed a small groan, but reached around himself to grab the computer that Tony had dropped off. They both knew she would want it. She accepted the computer and opened it on her lap. As she gave it a second to boot up, she risked a glance up at Steve. “Are you sure you're not mad?”

“You got yourself shot. For some guy that didn't even hang around.” Steve sighed, running his hands through his hair.

“I've known him for longer than I've known you,” Skye whispered.

“I'm not mad. I promise, I'm not mad. I just don't understand. How did you know?”

“That's hard to explain.” Skye deflected.

“Try?”

“It's just...” Skye sighed and rubbed her eyes. For a second, Steve felt bad for pushing her like this right after she woke. But she hadn't given him any indication that she wasn't okay. She sighed and looked over at Steve. “When people are important...like, _really important_ , sometimes I...shit, Steve, I really don't know how to explain this. It's happened like three times. Ever.”

“Try?” Steve begged.

“If people are important to me, sometimes I get _connected_ to them. I knew what was happening in the alley because I saw it. I dreamed it?”

“You dreamed that a Russian man was being attacked by super secret Russian assassins?” Steve asked, trying to keep the skepticism from his voice. Skye shrugged lightly and started typing rapidly on her keyboard. “You don't seem surprised about the Russians. Shield was surprised.”

“It's not a great explanation, I know, but...I don't know how else to explain it.”

“Shield picked up the team you took out. Tony made it sound like it was me that took out all of the Russians.”

“You took out half,” Skye winced.

“I took out way less than half,” Steve corrected stubbornly. “And mine will recover.”

“Yeah...” Skye muttered, continuing to wince. “I didn't care at the time. He just needed to be okay. Does Shield know about him?”

“No, not directly.” Steve sighed. “Tony altered footage from the alley, to help keep the man's identity protected - not that Tony could find anything out about his identity from the footage originally. He knew it was important to you, so he made double sure. Shield knows there was _someone_ there. The Russians needed a reason to be there.”

“What about all of the blood?” Skye asked, typing away while she listened to Steve. “I really don't want to be a lab rat. The magic blood needs to be a secret.”

“You're safe. He's safe.” Steve reiterated. “How long have you known him? Is he 47? He had bags of the blood. Jack has told us over and over that only you and 47 ever have the blood.”

“I don't know, a while?” Skye replied. “Is Jack around? Can I see him? He's probably being obnoxious. Hey, Jarvis, would you call Jack down for me?”

“Yes, Ms. Skye.”

“Great. I'm ready for some breakfast.”

“You're not getting out of that bed,” Steve said firmly. Skye laughed a little, closing her laptop with a flourish.

“You gonna stop me?”

“If I need to,” Steve grunted. Skye froze in place, one leg dangling over the side of the bed.

“I think you _are_ mad at me,” Skye said softly.

“He doesn't care about you, but you risked your life for him.”

“I didn't risk my life, Steve. I'm fine.”

“Cause of the blood.”

“That you said he brought me.”

“Why did he have the blood, Skye? If that's 47, I want to talk to him.”

“He doesn't want to talk to you,” Skye whispered back.

“Skye!” Steven crowed, running into the room. He leaped up on the bed and crawled up to her side.

“Hi, honey.” Skye smiled back, letting him cuddle up into her side.

“Careful with her,” Steve warned.

“Skye's fine.” Steven dismissed, wrapping his arms around her torso tightly. She nodded her agreement and pressed a kiss onto the top of his head. Steve saw Jack rushing off the elevator and growled his annoyance. She hadn't answered his questions. Steve stalked out as Jack rushed in.

 

0-0-0-0-0

 

“Your sister is awake,” Steve told Tony.

“I know,” Tony smiled. “Jarvis let me know. I'm giving her some time with her other brother before I go down there and smash the proverbial hammer on her.”

“She's not going to answer you,” Steve muttered.

“Why not?”

“Cause she didn't answer me.”

“I'm her brother.”

“So? Jack doesn't know either.”

“Jack isn't her real brother.”

“Tony, you've known her for a week. Pretty sure she's not going to tell you something that she won't tell someone she's been around for 35 years.”

“I'll worry about it.” Tony shrugged. “You're acting like...well, me.”

“I'm acting like you?” Steve growled.

“Whiney.” Tony nodded. “You've known since day 1 that she has her secrets. I don't know why you're so annoyed that she's still keeping them.”

“She risked her life for him and he didn't even stay.” Steve pointed out.

“Oh, I know. Don't worry, I'm working on tracking him. We can have words about that later.”

“Tony, she almost died.”

“Again. I know. _I know_ , Steve, but that doesn't mean you can take him away from her. If she thinks she's keeping him safe, she's not going to tell us. Ever. But you'll push her away if you're like this -” Tony waved his hand around Steve's face, “-with her. I'll track him. Let her have her secrets.”

“She tried to explain how she knew. That was one question she tried to answer for me.”

“Knew what?”

“That he was in that alley. That he needed help.”

“And how was that?”

“She said that when people are important to her, sometimes she _dreams_ of them.”

“She _dreams_ of them?” Tony scoffed back.

“She said it was a bad explanation, but that she didn't know how to explain it any other way. She said she gets connected to people.”

“So it's happened before?”

“Jack certainly knew something was up,” Steve shrugged. “She said it's only happened a few times.”

“Are you guys still going on about this?” Skye asked, carrying Steven off the elevator.

“Hey, Pip Squeak, get off her. She's not a jungle gym.” Tony sighed, trying to wave the boy down. He tightened his grip around Skye's neck and shook his head rapidly.

“He's okay, Tony.” Skye smirked, plunking down on a stool. Steve didn't miss the fact that she left an empty chair between them. It hurt more than he was willing to admit.

“I'm going to go run,” Steve muttered, stalking from the room.

There was a long beat of silence in the kitchen following his departure.

“He said he's not mad at me...but I think he's lying.” Skye admitted finally. Steven squirmed on her lap so he could grip her tighter.

“I don't think he's mad,” Steven said softly. “He was very worried about you. And he's annoyed about the blood. But he's not mad.”

“You still haven't told me where your bag of blood came from,” Tony said pointedly. Steven glanced at Skye and then back at Tony. He shrugged lightly.

“I'm ready for some breakfast,” Skye blurted out.

“I think you need to be checked out first,” Tony sighed.

“Nah, I'm good. I promise.”

“Skye, you were shot four times in the back. You're getting checked out.”

“Tony, I had magic blood. I'm fine.”

“You had magic blood last time.”

“I had one bag last time. Judging by how I feel, you've used 3?”

“Just about,” Tony nodded, frowning.

“See?” Skye smiled. “I'm good. I won't lie to you.”

“No, you will just refuse to answer my questions.”

“But I won't lie,” Skye smirked. “You don't _need_ to know. You _want_ to know. By the way, I hear you're keeping him secret for me. Thank you. Really, thank you.”

“You're welcome,” Tony shrugged. He didn't know the reasoning behind it, but he knew she was keeping him secret for a reason. It would come out eventually.

“I think I need some breakfast too,” Steven jumped in.

“We can go get some doughnuts,” Jack said from behind Skye. She jumped lightly at his voice. He laughed warmly and wrapped her and Steven up in a hug. “Sorry, sissy.”

“If I can have ten minutes to shower, can I come get doughnuts too?” She asked, tilting her head back to look at Jack.

“Oh! Me too!” Steven jumped in.

“Ten minutes, starting now.” Jack laughed, starting an imaginary timer. Skye and Steven scrambled from the stool and ran for the elevator, knocking each other aside in their rush to get to the elevator. Their laughter rang in the room even as the elevator carried them away. Jack turned to Tony with a severe expression that was completely different from the warm smile that had been on his face. He jabbed a finger into Tony's chest, “Stop doing that.”

“Doing what?” Tony huffed, rubbing his chest.

“Pushing her.”

“She needs to tell...”

“No.” Jack interrupted. “She was right. You don't need to know. You want to know. I'm happy here. She won't admit it, but she's happy here. If you scare her away with your pushing, I will murder you in your sleep.”

“You can't...”

“Jarvis won't warn you. Privacy mode protects against all sorts of things,” Jack interrupted again.

“Jesus, Jack.” Tony grumbled, rubbing his hands together nervously.

“Got it?”

“Got it.”

“Good.” Jack smiled widely, losing his aggressive posturing. “I'm gonna go get dressed. You wanna come get doughnuts with us?”

“Can I?”

“I wouldn't ask otherwise,” Jack huffed, walking away. He got onto the elevator still grumbling about stupid geniuses.

 

0-0-0-0-0

 

“Should have known to look for you here,” Steve sighed, plopping down next to Skye at the table. She was still eating her donut bites from a brown bag, following them with coffee that magically kept reappearing. Having Tony around was a blessing.

“I'll share my donuts with you if you promise not to yell at me,” Skye offered, extending the bag towards Steve. Jack and Steven screeched in the background, laughing at Tony attempting to bounce on the giant trampoline. Steve smirked and took a pastry. Skye held up a finger, stopping his words before he even said them, “And not a word about these not being healthy.”

“Eh,” Steve chuckled, putting the entire bite in his mouth. Skye giggled and nodded her approval. “I'm not going to yell at you. I'm not mad,” Steve told Skye after he chewed.

“Coulda fooled me.”

“I know you can't help your free spirit and caring about other people, but I can't help worrying.” Steve told her softly. “But worrying is not the same as being angry.”

“I know it doesn't seem like it to you,” Skye told Steve, “but I'm not usually hurt this much. It's just a nasty set of coincidences.”

“They come in threes,” Steve groaned, rubbing his face.

“I'll let you take the next one, if you want.” Skye offered with a small shrug. Steve couldn't help but laugh at that.

“You'll _let me_?” Steve asked.

“Well, I mean, assuming you're there.”

“Would you fix me up afterwards?” Steve asked, making his voice, the entire conversation really, as light as he could. He was still frustrated and worried, but not mad. He couldn't let her think he was mad at her.

“Aw, Face Plant,” Skye teased, rubbing her thumb down his jaw. “Of course I would fix you up.”

“Would you share your magic blood?”

“Eh, if you really needed it,” Skye giggled. “It's not something that usually gets used very often. Even Jack doesn't normally use this much. That's why I was so mad at him for getting off his routine. A lot of his medications require a pretty balanced diet. Too much vitamin K counteracts his blood thinners. Sugar is usually highly regulated, because of his stupid pancreas. In short, he's usually a lot healthier. He’s gonna get back on that bandwagon here really soon.”

“I'm not even going to bring up your breakfast right now,” Steve teased, looking down at her bag of donut bites.

“Good choice, Stevie.”

“You too?” Steve muttered. Skye took a swallow from her coffee, then extended the paper cup towards Steve.

“Me too, what?” She asked.

“With the Stevie,” he clarified, taking a sip of her coffee. He immediately made a face at the sweet drink.

“Aw, sorry. I'll let you save it for your boyfriends,” Skye teased lightly.

“Plural?” Steve asked, raising his eyebrow. Skye smirked and nodded.

“I know Bucky called you Stevie,” She whispered before shoving another donut in her mouth.

“What else did Bucky tell you?” Steve asked, his tone light but probing. Skye thought it over as she chewed. She swallowed then smiled shyly at him.

“I know you drew your first real _portrait_ of the kind Sister that taught you at Sunday school,” She offered. She smirked and her nose crinkled a little, “You gave it to her, as a Christmas present and wouldn't shut up _for weeks_ about the kiss she gave you on your cheek.”

“Did he tell you how jealous he was?” Steve smirked right back, relaxing back in his chair. He took another sip of the coffee, getting used to the sweetness. He was being deceptively casual; inside, he was in full freak out mode. Not that he didn't believe Skye before, not that he didn't trust Jack or the flash drive, but technology can be manipulated. Memories couldn't. She really knew Bucky. Bucky really remembered him. His best friend still existed.

“Hmm, no, not in so many words.” Skye giggled. “She was a beautiful, young Sister at the beginning of the story, but by the end she was middle aged and grey.”

“Is he okay, Skye?” Steve asked softly. She winced and considered his words. “I don't expect him to be great – I mean he shot at me, I know something happened to him - but I need to know that he's not awful...that he has everything he needs. Skye? Please, give me something?”

“How far did you get on that flash drive?” Skye asked finally.

“Do you know how much stuff in on that flashdrive?” Steve asked, incredulous. “I don't understand what half of it is, because it's all recent and I don't know what any of the modern stuff means!”

“It's not all recent,” Skye whispered. “In fact, most of it isn't. You need to finish reading it. Finish reading it, and then come find me.”

“Skye!” Steve huffed, frustrated again.

“He's alive. He's safe.” Skye told him firmly. She shrugged lightly and tossed Steve a small smile, “he's a lot better than he was. Read the flash drive, Steve.”

“How about together?”

“Skye!” Steven shouted, running from Tony. “Help!”

“Anthony!” Skye shouted teasingly, kicking off her shoes. She turned and handed Steve the bag of donut bites with a wide grin.

“You've asked me not to go after him, and I've respected that,” Steve said quietly, holding her in place by the wrist. “But I want to see him, Skye.”

“Trust me. I'm working on it, Face Plant,” Skye replied, then rolled free from Steve and raced towards the trampoline before he could do anything.

 

0-0-0-0-0

 

“What do you mean, you went to the trampoline place?” Bruce asked, scarily quiet. Jack swallowed and took a half step back and pulled Steven with him.

“I mean, I went to the trampoline place,” Skye replied with a charming grin and a flippant shoulder shrug. “See? Fine!” Skye offered, raising her hands and twirling.

“Tony was with us,” Jack added in a whisper.

“Shut it, Jack.” Bruce growled.

“And Steve,” Steven offered, though his tone was the exact opposite of Jack's.

“Brucie?” Skye asked softly. “You're looking a tich green around the edges. Can I escort you anywhere? A lockdown zone maybe?”

“You were on that gurney _20 hours ago_ ,” Bruce informed Skye, rolling his neck angrily. “You were this close to death 20 hours ago,” Bruce's fingers were centimeters apart.

“But...that was 20 hours ago,” Skye said softly. She looked genuinely confused.

“You don't get to remove yourself from my medical care,” Bruce informed her. “You don't get to take out your IV lines and heart monitor clips. You don't get to go get donut bites and coffee and bounce the afternoon away!”

“You don't get to tell me what to do,” Skye retorted, anger flushing her face.

“When you are in my medical care, I do!” Bruce shouted. Skye was faintly aware of Jack pulling Steven from the room, but her attention was on Bruce.

“I'm not in your care!” Skye shouted back. “I'm better. It's fine.”

“No, it's not fine!” Bruce groaned. He realized he was already shifting and scrambled away from Skye. “Shut up for a minute.”

“Don't tell me to shut up,” Skye grumbled, but did as he asked. Tasha was in the doorway, her eyes wide and on Bruce. Skye shooed her away.

“Get over here,” Tasha called in a slow, low tone. “Now, Skye.”

“Get out of my lab!” Bruce growled. Skye's chin quivered and she nodded, but headed for the stairwell on the opposite end of the room from Tasha.

“Skye!” Tasha called softly, holding out her hand. “Please.”

“Jarvis, I'll be in lockdown mode.” Skye informed the room as she bolted down the stair well.

 

0-0-0-0-0

 

“Is she really in there?” Tasha asked, standing at the elevator with a considerably calmer Bruce.

“She's never lied before.” Bruce commented. “I mean, she has her ways, but she said she'd be in lockdown mode. That's the van.”

“And the van is right there,” Tasha agreed. There was a long silence, then she looked over at Bruce with a wince. “But...what if she's not in there?”

“I'm not sure I'm the best person to talk to her,” Bruce admitted softly. “I didn't feel her getting me so worked up. I don't know why I got so worked up. She's just so frustrating and irrational! I mean, she's Tony Stark in female form. I deal with Tony, why can't I deal with her?”

“She didn't look like she understood either, if it's any consolation.”

“She was shot. Four times. _Four times, Tasha!_ And then she just pretends like nothing happened! How do you pretend like nothing happened?”

“Based on my impression of their life on the run,” Tony offered, strolling up to the pair from the stairway, “she wasn't allowed to let it bother her. She wasn't allowed to be sick. She's better, so she's fine. She's not going to pretend to be unwell.”

“She told me that the kids happiness always counted more than her own,” Bruce nodded softly.

“Jack's never taken care of her,” Tony smirked sarcastically. “She never let him. We all know she's been hurt, protecting Jack. Protecting herself. Protecting those kids. She's gotten good at pretending like she isn't hurt.”

“That's another Stark trait,” Tasha muttered, looking significantly at the blue shake in Tony's hand.

“I'm fine,” Tony dismissed. Bruce sighed and rested his head on the wall. He had a rip-roaring headache from his almost shift.

“Case and point,” Tasha sighed.

“You know what it makes me realize?” Tony asked softly, swirling his mug. “Just how badly hurt she was when we got her back. I mean, she had less blood, but her body was already producing the magic blood. It took her _days_ to bounce back from that, but less than a day to be fully recovered from four high powered rifle shots?”

“She hides it well,” Tasha nodded.

“Her brother doesn't,” Steve announced, strolling up behind them with Steven in his arms. Steven's arms were wrapped around Steve's neck and he was holding on for all he was worth. “You okay Dr. Banner?”

“Yeah,” Bruce waved him off. “Forgot how frustrating Starks can be.”

“Hey! I've been _good_.” Tony defended immediately.

“Yeah, cause he's trained you.” Tasha snorted.

“Well...I've still been _good_ ,” Tony repeated.

“She's you, five years ago.” Bruce muttered, waving his hand towards Gertrude. Steven humpfed from Steve's neck and buried his face deeper. Tasha did a double take at the boy.

“You mentioned her brother?” Tasha asked softly. “I'm assuming you mean Jack, not this one,” She forked her thumb at Tony.

“Oh, wait for it,” Steve sighed. “I'm sure he'll make his entrance right about...”

“Sissy!” Jack slurred, stumbling towards the van.

“Thank God he's not a Stark,” Tony frowned. “Starks hold their liquor better than that.”

“Three shots, Tony. This is three shots.”

“It's impossible to be that drunk off three shots,” Tasha winced.

“He's not a Stark, a super soldier, or a widow,” Steve smirked slightly. He wasn't really this calm. Bruce almost Hulked out on Skye – with Steven in the room. To say he was shaken would be an understatement. But the boy was also shaken, so Steve pretended not to be for his sake.

He frowned at his sudden insight - Skye had done this for years. Pretended to be okay when she wasn’t, for the sake of those in her care. No wonder she had so many secrets; she never felt like she could be completely honest. His stomach fell when he reanalyzed the look on her face that morning when she asked if he was mad. It was obviously important to her that the people around her were happy. He sighed and shifted Steven in his arms; he was going to have to work harder to make sure she was actually happy and not just pretending because everyone expected her to be. It was important to him too.

“How are you doing kiddo?” Tasha asked, reaching out to tickle his side. She winced and pulled back before even touching him. “Sorry, munchkin.”

“'s okay,” Steven mumbled.

“Sissy!” Jack hollered. He pounded on the door, taking care and the time necessary to count out the beats.

“Morse Code,” Tony muttered, shaking his head. “ _Open the door_.” Tony smirked and shrugged, “Roughly.”

“She's replying,” Tasha smirked. “She's inside.”

“And she's annoyed,” Steve smiled. “J _ackson, do it right or not at all_.”

“Fuck Skye!” Jack huffed, throwing himself down at the ground. Steven squirmed free from Steve's grip and hurried to Jack.

“He's quiet,” Tony observed, watching the boy comfort Jack.

“I probably scared him,” Bruce winced.

“What did he tell you?” Tasha asked.

“Nothing,” Steve replied. “They both ran onto my floor. Our floor? I should probably get used to calling it that. Sorry, they ran onto _our_ floor – Jack headed straight for the bar. Steven came to me. Neither one would tell me what happened, so Jarvis helped out.”

“So we're not sure which part he's freaked about,” Tasha summarized. “It might not have been you, Bruce.”

“Oh, I think it was Bruce,” Tony replied, holding out his tablet. It was frozen on a screenshot of Bruce's lab. “Not the Hulk though, Bruce. That's an important distinction to make.”

“Not sure how that helps,” Bruce muttered.

“Look at him!” Tony laughed, pointing to the look of rage on the little boy's face. “I think he was so mad that _you_ were yelling at her.” Tony laughed, the laugh gaining steam the longer he looked at the screenshot until he was clutching his side and gasping. “I think we're all lucky Jack pulled him from the room or he may have taken on the Hulk for her.”

“Where'd he go?” Steve groaned, looking around the garage for his boy.

“Skye! That's fucking rude!” Jack shouted from flat on his back. He was still right outside the van, but the boy was gone.

“Then do it right, Jackson!” Skye replied through the speaker system.

“It's not my fault he knows it better!” Jack shrieked, his voice getting dangerously high. Steve winced and rubbed his eardrum.

“I think he's in the van,” Tony smirked, replying to Steve's original question.

“Tasha, can I steal you?” Steve asked. “I've got...well, I need a hand with something.”

 

0-0-0-0-0

 

“ _Hi girlfriend,_ ” Tasha tapped out in Morse code. There was a pause where Tasha waited anxiously, barely refraining from shifting from side to side.

“ _This used to be a good system_ ,” came the reply from Skye.

“ _Open the damned door,_ ” Tasha grinned. She was still grinning when Skye slid the door open with an exasperated expression. Her look quickly switched to guarded when she took in Tasha's field uniform. “Hi, girlfriend.”

“I haven't seen a mission for you,” Skye blurted out, frowning. Tasha raised her eyebrow at that and Skye quickly scowled at her slip. There was a ping behind Skye, coming from her computer system and Skye relaxed. “Wanna go over it with me?”

“Are you inviting me in?” Tasha asked with a coy smile.

“If we only talk about the mission,” Skye said softly.

“Hmm, only?” Tasha argued. “How about not Hulk related?”

“Sometimes, I don't think even _I_ realize how much I love you.” Skye muttered indistinctly as she shifted away from Tasha. She grinned and scrambled in after Skye, watching her put the van back into lockdown mode.

“So, where am I going? I would love to be able to do the briefing before I get the briefing.”

“Are you going to pretend like you're all knowing?” Skye smirked.

“Maybe,” Tasha replied softly. “You gonna record it?”

“Maybe,” Skye replied, mimicking Tasha's tone.

“Hmm, glad to see you're doing better. Did you get enough lockdown time?” Tasha asked as Skye pulled up files.

“I'm working on it,” Skye replied distractedly.

“Working on something?” Tasha asked.

“Have a side project,” Skye replied.

“Steve told me about Bucky,” Tasha said softly. “He wanted help with that flash drive you made. He said you wouldn't get Bucky here until he read it. I think it's really great you're helping Steve with that. Bucky means a lot to him.”

“I know,” Skye admitted, smiling shyly. She was also a little pink in the face, like she wasn't use to compliments.

“I think I know him,” Tasha admitted softly. “Well, knew him.”

“Bucky?” Skye asked softly. Tasha nodded slowly, so Skye pressed, “Or the dominant personality?”

“The Winter Soldier,” Tasha replied.

“At the Red Room.” Skye nodded. “I know a little about that program.”

“He was one of the trainers brought in for us. He was the best. Brutal. Pitiless. But amazing,” Tasha informed Skye. “If you survived training with him, you were doing better than 90% of the class.”

“I'm trying to get him here. Bucky, not the Soldier. I mean, he's still kind of there, but Bucky is the dominant personality now. Most of the time.”

“Steve didn't take the news very well,” Tasha said softly.

“What news?”

“That his childhood best friend is the infamous Winter Soldier. That he's been alive all this time, under the Russian's control.”

“That's why he needed to read it before I get Bucky back. I need him to have processed that much, at least.”

“I don't think he put together that it was Russians in that alley,” Tasha said softly, flicking her eyes from her file to Skye. Skye ducked her head slightly.

“He's not ready yet,” She said softly.

“Is he okay? Steve mentioned there was blood.”

“Yeah, he's okay. He has a stash of the blood.”

“Tony is trying to find him.”

“He won't,” Skye shrugged lightly. “Not unless he wants to be found anyway.”

“I think you should get him here. We can help.”

“I know,” Skye smiled. “It would be good for him _and_ Steve to have each other back. Trust me, I'm working on it. One day, you're going to come back from a mission and there's going to be another body in the Tower.”

“Ugh, Skye. Not more testosterone. You have to stop bringing boys into the Tower.”

“Hey! I only have Jack! And you brought him, technically.” Skye replied, handing Tasha a tablet with her mission specs. “You're going to be gone a while. Few days, at best. Hey, at least you get Steve.”

“I'm not taking Steve,” Tasha retorted instantly.

“But...the mission is for you and Steve.” Skye frowned. She shot up and looked surprised, “are you breaking rules, Miss Widow, ma'am?”

“Well, yes. But it's for selfish reasons,” Tasha laughed.

“It usually is,” Skye shrugged.

“Steve kind of has a one track mind. Usually, it's awesome. He's on the mission and that's all. He can block everything else out and only worry about the here and now.”

“So you're excluding him because...?”

“Because right now his one track mind is on you,” Tasha replied bluntly.

“Shut up,” Skye laughed, shoving Tasha.

“I'm being serious. I think worry for Steven and Bucky is mixed in there too, but you're definitely it.”

“Why is he worried about Steven?”

“Because you keep having to fix him and we don't even know something is wrong.”

“He's not broken,” Skye defended. “It's just...different out here. Should I not help him? I could point out issues to Steve and then let him...”

“You are loved and appreciated by everyone in this Tower,” Tasha interrupted. “Everyone. Steven listens to you because he trusts you. Not that he doesn't trust us, but things mean more coming from you.”

“I just know what to look for,” Skye admitted softly, like she was guilty.

“Stop with the kicked puppy look,” Tasha snorted. “We like that you take care of Steven. It's a good thing. We only had him for days and we had him in full meltdown mode.”

“Bruce tickled his back, when they were looking at the spine.” Skye denied. “You couldn't have helped that.”

“But he doesn't trust us like he trusts you,” Tasha replied, flipping through the files. “If he did, he would have told us what the problem was instead of hiding and making flour bombs.”

“I think it's freaking awesome that he made a flour bomb!” Skye defended. “Clint should have respected his space.”

“And that is how we're different,” Tasha laughed. “To us, he's a child. We're treating him like a child. To you, I mean...he's still a child. But he's not a normal child. You know that. You see that.”

“He's going to show me how to make a flour bomb,” Skye replied bashfully. Tasha laughed and rocked back against the van.

“We couldn't figure out why he was so freaked,” Tasha laughed. “About that thing we're not allowed to talk about.”

“Sounds like we're talking about it,” Skye muttered dryly.

“We thought it was the green edges,” Tasha continued, like Skye hadn't spoken. “But Tony paused the video and his _face_.”

“What was wrong with his face?”

“He was _pissed_. At Bruce. For yelling at _you_.” Tasha told Skye firmly. She left no room for argument. “I'm glad Jack pulled him from the room.”

“I'm anxious to meet Hulk,” Skye said softly.

“Anxious?”

“Yeah. I want to know if I can take him.”

“You want to know...” Tasha trailed off with a deep sigh and a heavy head shake. “You're crazy.”

“What? I know I can take all of you guys,” Skye replied, laughing at Tasha's outraged expression. “You should get going, you’re supposed to be there in an hour.”

“Clint will drop me off in the quinjet,” Tasha shrugged. “We have some time.”

“Be safe, okay?” Skye requested softly, the humor sliding from her face. Tasha blinked, surprised by the concern. People didn’t worry about her - she was the Black Widow: assassin extraordinaire, bad ass, and unbreakable. Skye smiled softly when she read the surprise on her friend’s face and repeated herself, “Be safe.”

“I always am,” Tasha shrugged.

“That’s a lie. You’re like Steve; you think you’re invincible and put yourself in danger so other people don’t have to. I’ve seen footage, don’t deny it.”

“You’ve seen footage?” Tasha asked, raising an eyebrow. Skye smirked and lifted on shoulder.

“Shield’s tech department needs a serious overhaul.”

“Is that why you want the kids out of there so bad?”

“That’s one reason,” Skye nodded. “I’ve added some protection, where the children are concerned. Those agents from the other day can’t enter the room without the building going into lockdown.” Skye giggled behind her hand, “You should have seen their faces the first time they tried to get back in the room.”

“That’s how you solve your problems?”

“Well, Steve tried talking, I tried being physical - neither of those worked. Technology is our friend.”

“Okay, I really need to go,” Tasha laughed. “Girl time when I get back?”

“Yes, please!”

“Look out for Clint for me?” Tasha requested, pausing with her hand on the door handle. She glanced back at Skye over her shoulder.

“Of course,” Skye agreed, though there was a small frown playing on her features.

“He’s not as tough as he likes to think he is,” Tasha whispered.

“I think that is true for just about all of us,” Skye smiled. “Go. Mission. Be safe. I got Clint.”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry, it's shorter than usual but I just realized that you guys got two chapters back to back last week! Somehow I missed that. This will balance that out a little bit. The next chapter will be longer, I promise.


	36. It would look nicer on your floor

 

“Wanna take a walk with me?” Steve asked Clint, not even bothering to sit down next to him on the couch.

“Now? Dude, I _just_ sat down.” Clint groaned. Steve offered an off-handed shrug.

“I still get to own you for a day.”

“Day, Steve. You get me for a _day_. It's night.”

“Skye's slipped out.” Steve admitted softly.

“She's gone?” Clint asked, rocketing up. “Shit! Steve! You should have started with that!”

“She's coming back.” Steve offered, holding up the sign he had found taped to her van when he went to check in on lock-down mode (and maybe talk about Bucky). ( _Wasn’t that just a shock - not only had his friend_ not _died, but he had been an experiment for the last seventy years_ ). Now he could understand why Skye wouldn’t even consider bringing Bucky to the Tower until Steve had read that flash drive. That was a hard pill to swallow. He was glad he had time to process it in private.

“Don't freak,” Clint read aloud. “Just need some air. I'll be back.”

“So...walk?” Steve offered again.

“Did you freak?” Clint asked with a smirk, even as he raced to grab shoes.

“No.” Steve denied.

“Liar.” Clint chuckled. “You wouldn't be here otherwise.”

“I wanted to take Romanov.” Steve muttered. “At least she could have kept quiet about this.”

“That's a bold faced lie,” Clint laughed. “Everything comes back to me, eventually.”

“Besides, Tony would freak out.” Steve continued. “I just want to check that she's okay, and then we can come back. Hopefully without being caught.”

“Hmm, that's where I come in, right?” Clint asked, looking over his shoulder as he laced up his boots. Steve was in his standard “incognito” gear – a dark jacket with a collar and a baseball cap.

“I'm plenty stealthy.” Steve frowned. Clint didn't bother replying. He just laughed and shoved Steve into the elevator.

“Do you have any idea where she's going?” Clint asked as they exited the elevator at the main lobby.

“She took her phone?” Steve offered.

“Oh, now I see.” Clint nodded, pulling up sharp. “You want _me_ to ping her phone – knowing full fucking well that she'll know she's being pinged. You just want me as a fall guy!”

“I would never do that!” Steve argued. But then he continued in a much softer voice, “But it's a good idea, now that you bring it up.”

“Steven Rogers. Who would have thunk it?” Clint muttered, shaking his head. He knew, trouble or not, that he couldn't go back into the Tower without knowing Skye was safe. She would be mad if she saw them, but she had almost died _last night_. He hadn't gotten his protective instincts under control yet. He sighed heavily and waved Steve ahead.

“So...modern man,” Steve grinned, shoving Clint. “If you don't want to ping her phone, where should we start looking?”

“Okay, first! First,” Clint paused and tapped out a list on his fingers. He silently went through it, nodded his agreement with the list then looked over at Steve. “Let's head for a bar. Big enough to get lost in, not big enough to drown her out. She said she wanted air. That rules out clubs. But while we walk, we need a cover story. If she catches us, we need a _really_ good cover.”

“Okay,” Steve agreed. That seemed reasonable.

“ _And_ you're buying me a beer at every bar she's _not_ at.”

“So long as you don't deliberately pick bars you know she's not in.” Steve agreed.

“And I'm feeling hungry. You might as well make this a proper date.” Clint grinned, fluttering his eyelashes up at Steve. Steve laughed outright at that.

“A proper date?” Steve grinned at his friend. “Skye won't even let me take her on a _proper date_.”

“What? Really?” Clint asked, doing a double take. “Why?”

“Um, something about not wanting to get all dressed up and spend too much money?”

“Hmm.” Clint nodded, continuing his walking.

“Hmm?” Steve asked, tugging Clint back towards him by the collar. “That's all you've got? Hmm?”

“She doesn't think she's worth the effort.” Clint replied carefully.

“ _She doesn't think she's worth the effort?”_ Steve repeated, dumbstruck.

“Nat's the same way,” Clint nodded. “Women with low self-confidence are like...”

“There is nothing wrong with Skye's self-confidence.” Steve interrupted.

“Okay, then what about her self-worth? She doesn't think she's worth very much. She basically threw away her life for Jack...and then again for that guy in the alley.”

“Well, fuck.” Steve sighed. Clint giggled and shoved Steve, not even having to verbalize his thoughts. Steve shook his head with a small smile, knowing exactly why he was giggling like a school girl. Then he sighed and took his cap off to run his fingers through his hair. “How do you even...How do you fix that?”

“She's not broken, Steve.” Clint said softly. “You'll just have to show her how much she's worth to _you_.”

“That, I can do.” Steve nodded. Suddenly he was glad Tasha was unavailable; he didn't get enough one-on-one time with Clint. Sometimes he had really good insights.

“First bar,” Clint grinned, using both arms to point to it. Steve grinned and let Clint lead them in.

“We still don't have a cover story.” Steve muttered as he let his eyes adjust. Clint groaned softly and lead him to a dark corner where they could check out the bar without being noticed. A waitress came over and took their order, leaving quickly after Clint was gruff with her. Steve raised an eyebrow at him; it wasn't Clint's style to be rude without reason.

“I didn't want her hanging around.” Clint shrugged. “I wasn't that rude.”

“You weren't that nice.”

“Steve, flirting would be bad for _both_ of us. And not just because of our stealth mission.” Clint pointed out bluntly.

“Tasha would kick your butt, huh?” Steve grinned, taking a drag of his beer. The alcohol wouldn't do anything, but the flavor was good and he liked having this guy time.

“What did that one slip up cover your cursing for the evening?” Clint grinned.

“You know what I was just thinking?” Steve sighed. “That we should do this whole guy time thing more often...and then you had to go and open your trap.”

“We should do this more often.” Clint agreed, ignoring the second half of Steve's comment. “The girls have nights out. Why can't we?”

“Cause I have a kid now?” Steve offered. “Cause we get called away on a moments notice? Cause Tony would want to come and then it would be a whole damn media spectacle?”

“The ladies would watch Steven.” Clint argued back. “We are allowed to take time off. I mean, long term, we're going to need to get better about doing that. And we can either leave Tony behind or have Skye hack Jarvis and hold it over his head so he behaves.”

“You just earned guys night back.” Steve grinned. “I can't find fault in any of that logic.”

“She's not in here,” Clint sighed, draining his beer. “Next bar.”

 

0-0-0-0-0

 

“Okay, last one.” Steve chuckled, watching Clint struggle to keep up with him. “Then we'll check back in at the Tower before I have to carry you back.”

“I am not that drunk!” Clint muttered. “Jesus, slow down will ya? Oh, music. I hear music. Let's go there.”

“Let's get you some food, too.” Steve nodded, remembering to hold up his end of the bargain.

“God, I love you!” Clint moaned, tugging on Steve's elbow. “Let's gooooo.”

“Not that drunk, huh?” Steve grinned.

“I'm not.” Clint denied. Then he touched his finger to his nose several times, like that would prove things. Steve just rolled his eyes and shoved Clint towards a table near the back, looking the bar's menu over to see about food options. Steve ordered for Clint while he went to the bathroom, trying to be discrete as he leaned against the bar to place their order with the bartender.

“I got you food,” Steve told Clint, watching the older man on stage crooning to his guitar.

“Great. I'm famished.” Clint grinned. “This bar seems promising.”

“This one?” Steve asked, swiveling his head around the room. It was by far the quietest of the bars they had been to – the atmosphere was entirely different too. It was small and intimate, packing only about twenty men and women in the whole place. It was loud enough that he didn't feel the need to whisper, but not so loud that he wanted to shout. The lighting was low and the music was good. Definitely not the head-banging club music that Tony's idea of bars seemed to have. The man on stage was singing the blues; old timey blues.

Steve felt a smirk growing on his face as he surveyed the bar. There wasn't a soul in here that was younger than eighty, besides Clint of course. Frankly, it seemed more like _his_ kind of bar than hers. He resolved never to tell Skye about the old man bar he liked. He was terrified of what she would do with the information.

“There are only two cameras. And one is off,” Clint offered, nodding up to a camera in the corner. Steve frowned and located the other camera in the room. The red recording light was on over the bar, angled back far enough that it would only pick up direct transactions with the cash register. The other camera covered more of the room, but the light was off.

The older man bowed, responding to the clapping at the end of his song. Steve and Clint hurried to clap along. They needed to blend in after all.

“Okay, so where is she?” Steve asked, leaning back to give Clint a better view. He noticed the next singer come to stage and sit behind the piano, catching it all in his peripherals as a flash of red while scanning the room.

“She's graced us with her return, gentlemen,” Someone announced from off stage _. “_ Number 12, everyone.”

“Georgia!” A few men called out. “Lizzie Miles, Georgia on My Mind.”

“I don't see her,” Steve sighed. The woman on stage chuckled softly, but didn't argue their song choice. Clint smacked his arm, but didn't say anything. There was a smattering of applause as the piano started. A soft, low voice followed shortly after. Steve tuned in to the song, even without taking his eyes off a darker booth that he was checking out. Clint tapped him again, more insistently this time. The singer was good. She made the old song sound more modern, but kept it soft and low, matching the atmosphere in the room.

“Steve,” Clint gaped, smacking him harder. “Holy shit.”

“What?” Steve asked, still surveying the room. Clint reached out blindly and found Steve's chin. He grasped it firmly and turned Steve's head towards the stage. Clint just stared, his mouth open, as the girl continued to sing.

“She's good.” Clint blinked. A man in black walked through his line of sight, letting Clint break eye contact with the stage. He turned to look at Steve, watching as his surprised expression morphed into a pleased grin that he immediately tried to hide. Clint grinned and ducked Steve's chin, “Aw, look at that face! You're so precious!”

“Shut up,” Steve muttered, trying to hide his embarrassed smile.

“You're going to draw her attention if you keep staring at her like that,” Clint whispered. The bartender came and deposited food in front of them, making Clint loudly moan his appreciation. “Oh, food.”

“I'm going to draw her attention?” Steve smirked. Clint just nodded and shoved chili fries in his mouth. Steve chuckled and looked back towards the stage. Skye's eyes were closed, letting him believe that maybe, _maybe_ , she hadn't noticed them. Steve smiled, watching as an old man and woman wandered into a tiny dance floor. They danced like they had been doing it their whole life, even though their old bodies prevented anything but a slow shuffle with a few gentle twirls. Steve wondered if he would ever get that. Old age with the love of his life. He knew Clint was watching him, but since he had the good sense not to say anything, Steve didn't either.

Skye finished up her song without flourishes, getting quiet cheers from the older men in the room. She stuck her tongue out at one older man sitting near the front, and fell into a shallow curtsey. She had gotten herself dolled up for her night out. She was wearing a modest, old-fashioned dress that fell just below her knees and she had pinned her curls back away from her face. The man her curtsey was directed towards roared his laughter and waved her from stage, taking her place at the mic as the next singer.

“You're not allowed to take sabbaticals anymore, alright?” Another old man grinned at Skye, offering her a feeble elbow as he escorted her from the stage. The old man chuckled and patted her hand. “We missed ya, sweetheart.”

“Well, I'm back now, Fred.” Skye chuckled back, lightly hip checking him. They shared an affectionate smile as Fred deposited Skye at a table near the front. At a table with another man.

“He'll be here within the hour. He'll be glad to see ya.” Fred grinned toothily, patting her shoulder before walking back to the bar.

“She's on a date?” Steve asked softly, unable to keep the crack from his voice. The image he didn't know was forming in his brain – him and Skye dancing, both of them old and grey, went up in a cloud of smoke. He felt unreasonably disappointed. Jack had warned him about declaring exclusivity – he should have known better than to hope he was good enough for her. She had agreed to a date with him, but she was still out on a date with another man. That was his fault; he had had days to plan a date with her, but hadn't. His brain failed to supply him with the numerous reasons their date hadn't happened yet.

“Don't jump to conclusions,” Clint warned, watching Skye from the corner of his eye as he continued to eat his fries. Steve's own fries were sitting untouched in front of him. “She obviously knows the men here, and let's face it – any of them would be way too old to keep up with her.”

“He's not old,” Steve couldn't help but mutter, nodding his head towards the man Skye was sitting next to. For one, he had hair. That was more than 80% of the men in the room could claim. His hair, which hung below the baseball cap he was wearing, was still dark. Not even a hint of gray hair, at least that Steve could tell in the dim room. The hand that reached out to drop over the back of her chair was not an old man's hand.

They were engaged in conversation, with Skye turned towards him so they could talk. She was grinning and talking animatedly. The man shook his head at her antics, but Steve could tell by the way that his ears rose that he was smiling at her. He must have pointed them out to Skye, because her eyes rolled up to meet his. He completely panicked and forgot to look away. _Busted._

“We should leave,” Clint said quickly, catching Skye's attention as well. “She knows we're here.”

“No, really?” Steve replied sarcastically. Clint grinned and nodded.

“She definitely just said _Oh, I know_. I think the asshat pointed us out.”

“The asshat?” Steve couldn't help but chuckle. He knew there was a reason he liked Clint. Skye and the man stood and she gave him a hug, glaring at Steve and Clint over the other man's shoulder. She nodded her head towards Clint and him, but the man shook his head lightly. She reached up on her tiptoes and kissed the man's cheek and told him something with a soft smile, poking him in the chest as she did. The man's shoulders shook, making Skye grin. Then she turned her attention towards her wayward friends.

“Gentlemen?” Skye asked, strolling towards them, deceptively casual. Her hips swung lightly and her dress swirled softly as she made her way towards them. Steve swallowed hard and forced his eyes off her waist. She shot him a sideways smirk, somehow still showing her annoyance with them, when he met her eye. Clint cursed and deliberately took his hearing aids out and set them on the table, making Steve fight a smile. Skye gave him a look that shouted sass and _really?_ Then she went off in rapid-fire ASL, gesturing violently towards Clint. His face fell and, Steve would later swear, went pale.  Steve didn't know a single thing about sign language, but he could pretty well catch Skye's drift.

“It was Steve's idea!” Clint said quickly, dropping half of his mouthful of fries in the process. Skye paused, then had to throw her hands up in defeat.

“Sell out,” Steve muttered, kicking Clint under the table.

“Clinton!” Skye sighed, fighting a smile. “I'm trying to be mad at you!”

“We're having guys night.” Clint shrugged, putting his ears back in. “It's not our fault you came here.”

“Clint, I was here way before you.” Skye pointed out. “That excuse isn't going to work.”

“Skylar,” Clint replied in the same tone, “Last time you popped out, you got shot and almost died.”

“I did not almost die,” Skye scoffed.

“Only because that man brought all the magic blood,” Steve scoffed right back. “Was that him?”

“Was who him?” Skye asked, trying to play off an innocent expression.

“Him!” Steve jumped in, pointing towards the stage. Skye turned and took in the empty table and raised an eyebrow at Steve.

“Haven't the faintest idea who you're talking about.” Skye shrugged.

“Skye,” Steve sighed. “You know Tony'll want to find him.”

“With all the cameras turned off?” Clint asked softly, after exchanging a look with Skye.

“There are people here...they could have taken a video or...”

“Steve, these people are gonna be worse with technology than you are.” Clint pointed out. Skye plopped into Steve's lap with a smug grin.

“Skye...” Steve sighed again, wrapping an arm around her waist automatically. He didn't know what he wanted to say. He wanted to ask who the man was – but she wouldn't answer that question. He wanted to ask if it was 47. He wanted to ask if he was her boyfriend. He wanted to know why she was sneaking out of the Tower to meet him. He wanted to _know_ , but he had no right to any details of her life.

“You guys never let me out.” Skye sighed back, equally exasperated. “Yes, the last time I was shot...but I needed to get there. I needed to help. It was important, Steve. I can't explain right now, but you'll understand eventually.” Skye twisted Steve's cap backwards on his head, letting her take in his expression. She traced the stress lines by his eyes and frowned. “Steve, I know you worry, but you can't protect me all the time. You need to trust that I can take care of myself.”

“We just got you back, Skye.” Steve replied. “I can't help but worry.”

“How old are you actually?” Skye sighed. “I don’t mean continuous, I mean actually lived. How old are you?”

“I was 25 when I went in the ice,” Steve replied. “I was found in 2012, so I’ll be 28 this summer.”

“You’re the baby of this entire outfit, you know that?” Skye replied, not even pausing at his actual age. Steve sighed when he realized she probably already knew. “I’m not saying you need to change, but you are allowed to act your age. Let loose. Have fun. Don’t worry about the consequences.”

“Captain America doesn’t have that luxury,” He replied pointedly. Skye sighed and shook her head at him.

“Aren’t you the one always telling me that Steve Rogers and Captain America are two very different men? Why should Steve Rogers be held to Captain America’s standards? At least in the Tower.”

“Tony needs…”

“Tony is a 45 year old man,” Skye interrupted. “There’s no reason you have to be in charge of him. He can make his own choices and deal with his own consequences.”

“I could say the same about Jack,” Steve shot back easily. Skye grinned and nodded.

“Oh, don’t worry. My eyes have been opened. Let’s make it our project. Together.”

“To act our age?” Steve clarified.

“Yes,” Skye nodded, putting another, now colder, fry in her mouth.

“That means you have to act 53?” Steve smirked. Skye laughed at his proud expression and caressed the back of his head where her hand was resting.

“Your wingman is terrible,” Skye deadpanned, shooting a look over to Clint's suddenly empty chair.

“I'm out of fries!” Clint half shouted from the bar. Skye giggled and stole one of Steve's semi-cold fries.

“He's not my wingman,” Steve felt the need to add. Wingmen were for dating. For finding girls. He didn't need that. He already had a girl. Maybe. Skye frowned again, running her hand down Steve's cheek.

“Is that what this is about?” Skye asked softly. “He's just a friend. A very good friend. But _just_ a friend.”

“You didn't introduce him to us,” Steve replied just as softly.

“Another time,” Skye promised.

“Soon?” Steve asked. “You can bring friends to the Tower, you know. You're not our prisoner.”

“Soon.” Skye agreed. She took his cap from his head and tossed it on the table. Then she leaned forward to press a kiss to Steve's forehead. “Your food is terrible, by the way.”

“Sorry, doll.” Steve shrugged. He tightened his grip around her waist and smiled at her. “You look really nice tonight.”

“Thanks,” Skye replied, ducking her head to hide the blush stealing across her cheeks. “It's a friend of mine's birthday today.”

“I'm sorry he felt like he couldn't stay,” Steve said softly. “We didn't mean to scare him off.”

“You didn't scare him off,” Skye replied. “He's not here yet.”

“Oh. It wasn't that guy?” Steve asked, nodding towards the table by the stage.

“Nah,” Skye shrugged.

“I thought you didn't make friends,” Steve teased lightly. Skye ducked her head and nodded.

“This is different.” She said softly.

“How come your mystery friend gets a kiss on the cheek and your man only gets a forehead kiss?” Cling asked, dropping back into his seat. “Hardly seems fair.”

“Steve knows why,” Skye shrugged. She twisted on his lap to look back at Steve and returned the smirk that he was wearing. Yeah, he knew exactly why. “Are you okay being _my man_?”

“I don't know. Are you okay being _my girl_?” Steve shot right back.

“Why do I have to be a _girl_?”

“Are you okay being _my woman?”_ Steve asked, raising his eyebrow. He scrunched his nose and shook his head. “Nope. Doesn't sound right. You have to be my _girl_.”

“Yuck.” Clint muttered, walking back to the bar.

“You started it!” Skye giggled. She turned back to Steve, draping her other arm around his neck. “Let's get him super drunk.”

“But then I'll have to carry him back,” Steve fake whined. Skye grinned and nodded.

“Think of all the blackmail opportunities!”

“True.”

“Besides, I promised Wifey that I would watch out for him. He looks like he needs a night out.”

“You talked with Tasha? I couldn't find her.”

“Yeah, before she left for her mission. She's going to be gone for a few days.”

“Women,” Steve huffed with a grin. “You and your secrets.”

“You were supposed to go with her, you know,” Skye brought up casually. “She told your Director that you weren't feeling well.”

“I feel fine. Why would she pull me from the mission?” Steve frowned.

“Something about you not being worth a damn in the field if your mind isn't on the mission,” Skye replied, running her fingers through his hair trying to settle his hat hair. He didn't reply, just grimaced a little. There was a definite strain of truth there. Skye smirked and leaned forward to kiss his cheek, but Steve turned towards her ready to argue his case. The kiss intended for his cheek landed on the corner of his mouth, effectively shorting out whatever response Steve was preparing. Skye blushed and pulled away quickly, trying desperately to ignore the cat calls from Clint. The bartender, another older gentleman, looked decidedly annoyed. Skye grinned and scurried over to the bar to reassure him.

Steve sat stock still, cursing himself. For what, he wasn't exactly sure – either for accidentally rushing her or for not reacting faster and getting a proper kiss. He ducked his head, embarrassed. He shouldn't be doing things like that in public anyways. Skye had a big enough target on her back without media coverage of their fledgeling relationship. When Skye and Clint didn't return, Steve grabbed his and Clint's empty beer glasses and headed to the bar to return them.

“Steve, this is Alan,” Skye introduced, prompting him to offer his hand. She curled her arm around his waist, leaning into him even as he took Alan's hand. Steve grinned at Skye's gesture, but directed it towards the barman.

“Nice to meet you, Alan.”

“If you can keep our friend here,” Alan replied, shaking Steve's hand, “I'm sure we'll get along famously.”

“That's the plan,” Steve smiled. “But she's stubborn.”

“God, I hate when people talk about me like I'm _not sitting right here!_ ” Skye huffed, reaching over to steal one of Clint's new order of fries.

“I'm flattered,” Clint smirked, “But I'm just a man.”

 

0-0-0-0-0

 

“He's here,” the old men whispered, staggered so it sounded like a round. One man had lost his hearing aides and shouted though, making Skye giggle into Clint's shoulder.

“That's going to be you, Shouty McGee.”

“Deafy McGee,” Steve corrected lightly. Skye giggled and twirled away from them, letting the old men pull her away from her friends. They surrounded her, hiding her in their bulk, until a very old man tottered in the door. Clint settled back in his chair with a soft smile, watching Skye interact with the old men. They were all giggling and trying to be quiet about it.

“What's going on here!?” The old man they were so excited about coming asked grumpily.

“It's your birthday, George!” Fred called out.

“I know, damn it,” George grumbled, swatting at people with his cane when they came too close. “There's only one person I want to see on my birthday.” John, the man that followed Skye on stage, was at the piano and started playing softly. Skye waited for her cue, then started singing softly, still surrounded by the old men. “Louise?” George asked softly, his mouth falling open in shock.

“Hey, I know this song,” Steve told Clint, grinning widely.

“It's from the twenties,” Alan replied, setting more beer by the pair. He smiled and watched Skye swing to George, then pull him to the dance floor. They shuffled slowly, Skye still singing to him. “She's a good girl,” Alan remarked, watching her with a fond smile.

“Louise?” Clint asked softly, tilting his chair back to look at Alan.

“George's late wife,” Alan clarified. “If you close one eye and squint the other, Skye kind of looks like her. He's got Alzheimer's. Louise always sang this song to George.”

“How old's he turning today?” Steve asked.

“95,” Alan replied. “He's the last surviving member of his unit.”

“He was in WWII?” Clint asked, pointing towards the grouchy old man. Except, now he wasn't grouchy. He was smiling at Skye like she was his Earth and Moon. A few other couples joined them on the dance floor, making sure to give the pair space to shuffle.

“Yes, sir.” Alan nodded. “Most of us served, in one way or another.”

“He may steal your girl,” Clint snorted, watching George's hand slide lower on Skye's back. She rolled her eyes and lifted his hand higher. George grinned cheekily and slid his hand right back down. Skye laughed and spun him away from her, twirling him slowly, before pulling him back to her.

“Oh, I don't think George means it,” Alan defended quickly, shooting a wary look at Steve. “Really, he doesn't mean it.”

“Relax, Alan,” Steve reassured with a smile and a head shake.

“It's just...well, we all know who you are.” Alan admitted. “Skye didn't want us to bring it up, but I can't just ignore it. You're safe here – to relax, I mean.”

“You mean you recognized him with his super secret disguise on?” Clint gasped, clutching his chest dramatically.

“Yeah, well. We know who you are too.” Alan shot back.

“I didn't try to be sneaky!” Clint laughed. “No one recognizes me.”

“No one recognizes me, either.” Steve muttered.

“Well, we did.” Alan shrugged, recognizing a long standing argument when he heard it. “But we've known Captain America for longer than the youngin' here.”

“Captain America?” George asked loudly, swiveling his head to scan the crowd.

“Damn it, Alan!” Fred groaned. Skye laughed and dragged George (slowly) over to their table. Steve stood instantly, offering George his hand and then his chair.

“George, this is Mr. Steve Rogers,” Skye introduced gently, dragging a chair over to sit next to him. Clint kicked another one closer to Steve and soon they were all sitting again.

“Louise, you act like I've never met Captain America,” George sighed. He gripped Steve's forearm tightly and leaned forward to whisper to Steve, “I swear she's heard the story a million times. Everytime she acts like it's the first.”

“I would love to hear this story,” Clint interjected smoothly.

“Would you tell it to us?” Steve asked, smiling kindly. George grumbled lightly and tugged Skye closer to him. Skye, in turn, sighed loudly and waved to him.

“Just do it,” she muttered. George grinned and transferred himself to her lap. Alan shot Steve a look from the corner of his eye, but he just smiled and shook his head.

“It was the winter of 1940,” George began, twisting so he could hold onto Skye.

Steve smiled at the affection on both his face and Skye’s; he could see now why she said he was different. It wasn’t so much a friendship as Skye taking care of a feeble old man. Sure, the affection was there, but he thought she was his wife. It was so like Skye to play along. He couldn’t help the rush of pride that swelled in his chest at her choices. She didn’t have much to give - not being on the run all the time - but she gave all of what she had. Steve realized, with considerable guilt, that he hadn’t been listening to George’s story. “...and this _boy_ walked up to us in this _god awful_ costume uniform. Wouldn’t have protected him from anything. Leather jacket over the top, like it would make him impenetrable.” George scoffed and looked over at Steve. “I was right by the men that would become your Howling Commandos,” he informed him with a dry sigh. “Dugan looked at you and asked if you knew what you were doing. You looked like it was your first day on the job and we were skeptical about your rescue mission. You remember what you told him, Captain?”

_"Yeah, I knocked out Adolf Hitler over 200 times_ ,” Steve chorused with Clint and Skye. Clint giggled and stood.

“George, do you mind if I take your lovely wife for a dance?”

George looked torn, but sighed and nodded. “One dance,” he offered graciously, making Skye giggle. She shifted him onto his own chair and let Clint lead her onto the dance floor. George turned to look at Steve, “He better respect her,” he informed him seriously. That broke a laugh free from Steve, making all the veterans turn and look at him. He caught Skye’s giant grin from over Clint’s shoulder and shook his head.

 

0-0-0-0-0

 

“Shh, it's late.” Steve whispered, trying to shush Skye and Clint. Clint was drunk. So, so, very incredibly drunk.

“Shh!” They both shushed him back, then giggled helplessly.

“I'm never taking you two out in public again,” Steve informed them, trying to sound serious. They both snorted, calling his bluff easily. Skye waved her arms at him, amused by the way his jacket sleeves covered her hands and made her seem disproportionate. Even though it was way too big for her, Steve really liked the way she looked in his jacket.

“You would totally take us out again and you know it,” Clint drawled, leaning heavily on Steve.

“Is that really something I know?” Steve asked, laughing lightly.

“Yes,” Skye replied easily, leaning on Steve's other side. “You know you love us and our antics.”

“The veterans sure seemed to like us,” Clint nodded. Skye giggled loudly.

“They were so excited to meet you, Steve! You made George's night. You have no idea.”

“Oh, I have an idea.” Steve drawled back.

“We need to get to bed before Tony catches us,” Clint mock whispered.

“I hope he doesn't know we left.” Steve frowned.

“Bed,” Skye agreed. “Please, Steve, bed.”

“I'm going to my own bed,” Clint pointed out as he called the elevator down.

“I don't _have_ my own bed!” Skye laughed.

“You have a bed,” Steve retorted. “Hell, you have a whole room.”

“Yeah, but Steve...Steve, Steve, Steve...” Skye shook her head at him, making Clint burst into drunk laughter. “ _Steve_ you provide such delicious body heat!”

“Yeah, Steve. Delicious.” Clint replied, laughing. The elevator opened at Clint's floor and he stepped out. “My lady,” Clint bowed towards Skye. “We shall repeat our adventures tonight.”

“Good sir,” Skye replied, falling into a curtsey, “We shall.”

“Go to bed, Clint.” Steve smiled.

“You two behave,” Clint grinned, wiggling a finger between the pair as they walked him to his bed. He didn't shed any clothes, but let her push him onto his bed and pull his boots off.

“No promises,” Skye replied, winking. He grinned and pulled Skye down next to him on the bed.

“You can stay here tonight.” Clint offered, star fishing her body. “There's plenty of room and Nat will be gone.”

“Hey!” Steve laughed, swatting at Clint.

Clint nuzzled his face on Skye's shoulder and told her softly, “I could be your teddy bear for a night. Not in a Steve way. Yuck. Just, bonding time, you know?”

“How about we do some bonding time when you're not drunk?” Skye laughed.

“Aw, no.” Clint whined. Steve huffed and pulled Clint off Skye.

“My girl, remember?” Steve teased, pulling Skye to his side so Clint couldn't hook her with his feet.

“Better take care of her,” Clint told him sternly, though the effect was lost by his glazed eyes and swaying finger.

“Or else!” Skye added, mimicking Clint's face at Steve.

“Go to sleep, Clint.” Steve laughed.

“Nighty night,” Skye told him, leaning over to press a kiss on his forehead. Apparently she had been neglecting her favorite Archer. She could fix that. Clint smiled sleepily and waved them both out of his room.

“Bed?” Steve offered, calling the elevator back.

“Bed.” Skye agreed, significantly calmer without Clint to feed off. “I had fun tonight. Thanks for letting me stay out.”

“I didn't _let_ you do anything, Skye.” Steve replied, pulling her to his side and towards the elevator. “I'm not your boss. You're perfectly capable of making your own decisions...hmm...95% of the time.”

“Is it that other five percent that worries you?” Skye asked, smirking.

“Damn straight,” Steve grinned.

“Hey, J? It's me tonight.”

“Yes, Ms. Skye.”

The elevator pinged open to reveal an angry Tony.

“Where have you been, young lady?” Tony asked, not even bothering to hide his anger. The scotch in his hand wasn't helping. Steve knew he shouldn't look over at Skye to see her reaction to Tony's words, but he couldn't help himself. Her eyes lit up and a grin was working its way onto her face.

“Young lady?” Skye asked, completely unintimidated by Tony's grumpy face.

“Yes, young lady. Where have you been?”

“I'm older than you!” Skye laughed. “You're the young lady. Young lad?”

“She was with me, Tony. It's fine.” Steve offered, stepping in before Skye's laughter could gain any steam.

“Did you get her drunk? God, you both reek of alcohol.”

“Maybe it's just your glass!” Skye chortled. She reached out and snatched Tony's glass, draining it in one long gulp. Then she fanned her face and coughed. “Holy shit, man.”

“You did get her drunk!” Tony gasped, turning on Steve. “It's not fair to do that. She can't keep up with you. Hell, no one can keep up with you. She's sleeping on my floor tonight.”

“I am not,” Skye inserted loudly. “Hey, Jarvis? Take us to Steve's floor please.”

“No, Jarvis. She is not going to Steve's floor.” Tony rebutted.

“Jarvis...” Skye warned. The elevator stayed put at Clint's floor.

“It appears you need to decide on a destination,” Jarvis replied. Steve grinned and watched how this power play was going to pan out. Both Skye and Tony looked up at the AI like he had personally offended them.

“You're not going to his floor drunk,” Tony argued, crossing his arms. “I know you're heading to his bed because Jarvis has indicated you haven't slept alone. I'm not going to let him take advantage of you.”

“Take...advantage...of me??” Skye gasped, leaning on Steve for support. She laughed until her face was red and she was falling over. Steve bit his lip and pulled her to his side, trying to keep her upright. “Him?”

“Yes, take advantage of you. Look, he even made you wear this ridiculous dress! You can't tell me that...”

“It does look very nice on you,” Steve told Skye, softly but loud enough that Tony could hear. He was a little worried about the color of Tony's face - but he dealt with Tony's shit everyday. Tony could deal with his for tonight. Skye's face was totally worth it.

“It would look nicer on your floor,” Skye replied immediately, stretching her arm around Steve's body to pinch his butt. He jumped at the contact and started blushing. Skye's grin morphed into something softer, sexier. “Jarvis, open the doors. You don't have to take me to Steve's floor.”

“As you wish, Ms. Skye.” Jarvis replied, opening the doors. Steve glanced at Tony's red face and decided to poke the bear a little further. He tossed Skye over his shoulder, slapped his hand on her backside for support, and hurried for the stairwell in the corner of the room. He turned his head just enough to see Tony's open mouth and shoot him a smirk. Steve didn't hear Tony's threats thrown at his back because Skye was laughing so hard.

He carried her all the way to his floor because she was unable to get her laughter under control. Everytime he thought she was done, she would snort and start giggling all over again. He set her down gently, sliding her along his front as he lowered her to the floor. Her face was red and wet, but her eyes were bright and happy and that made all the difference in the world.

“Did you see his face?” Skye asked, still giggling. She wiped at her eyes, sniffling slightly. “I'm going to have to hack that picture. So worth it!”

“I missed it,” Steve replied, brushing her curls from her face. Over the course of the night and the upside down ride to his floor, most of Skye's curls had tumbled free of their pins. She still hadn't backed out of his space, seemingly content to stand just out of the stairwell with her body pressed against his - and he was acutely, embarrassingly acutely, aware of where their bodies were in contact. Skye swallowed loudly and stood on her tiptoes, pressing herself up towards his face.

“You touched my ass, you know.” Skye whispered, running a finger lightly across his bottom lip. His tongue snaked out to lick her finger, making her giggle lightly.

“You touched mine first,” Steve replied, hoping his heart wasn't beating as loudly as it felt like it was. Skye offered him a soft smile and brushed her nose against his. When had his face fallen to her level? Oh man, she smelled like him. Even though it had been days, it still caught him by surprise just how much he liked her smelling like him. It didn't help that they had been sharing a bed or that she was still using his body wash even though she had her own now. If he didn't know better, he would swear she was doing it on purpose.

“Didn't say I minded it,” Skye admitted, pushing herself a little closer still. She brushed her lips lightly across his, then pulled back quickly. She looked unsure of herself and Steve did not like that look on her.

“Neither did I,” Steve smirked, then leaned down to capture her lips again. She grinned against his mouth and wrapped her arms around his neck, holding him to her.

“Let's get to your room before we wake someone up,” Skye whispered against his mouth.

“Good idea.” Steve grinned, tempted to toss Skye back over his shoulder. He grabbed her hand and hurried to his room, thinking he had heard noise from Jack's room. Skye pinned Steve against the wall the second he stopped, stretching up to kiss him again.

“Tony is going to flip that you're taking advantage of me,” Skye giggled when Steve pulled back enough to get a breath.

“Jack told me you can't get drunk,” Steve replied easily. “It's not taking advantage if you're in your right mind.”

“God, that boy ruins all of my fun.” Skye snorted. She grinned and wrapped her arms around his neck, holding herself close to him. Steve tightened his grip around her waist and lifted her so he didn't have to bend as far. She giggled against his mouth and hummed softly. “I have a confession.”

“Oh yeah?”

“Yeah.”

“And what's that?”

“Well, two actually. One: I really, really like kissing you. And two: I don't mind being picked up when it means I get to kiss you.”

“I have a confession, too.”

“Oh yeah?”

“Yeah.”

“What's that?” Skye giggled.

“Two actually.” Steve grinned back, deliberately echoing her words. “One: I really, really like kissing you, too. And two: I've been thinking about getting to kiss you again since...well, since you kissed me in the garage all those months ago.”

“Does that mean I can kiss you any time I want?” Skye asked, though her voice had lost its teasing tone. Steve beamed and kissed her again, bringing one hand up to cup her face.

“Only if that means I can too.”

“Deal,” Skye agreed easily. “Except around people we don't know.”

“Deal.” Steve grinned. “I'd like to keep you all to myself.”

“You're such a sap.” Skye muttered, pressing a light kiss to his nose.

“Only for you,” Steve laughed lightly. Skye groaned and dropped her forehead to his shoulder.

“I'll meet you in bed?”

“Yeah, doll.” Steve smiled, resisting the urge to duck his head. He was embarrassed about a good many things in the new century, but kissing a beautiful dame was something he refused to be embarrassed about. Especially since it was Skye that he was kissing. She pressed one more gentle kiss to his lips, then twisted free from his arms and headed for the bathroom.

 

She was asleep by the time Steve finished brushing his teeth.

 

Steve couldn't help but mirror her small, satisfied smile when she turned into his heat.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Whoo, big chapter for Steve =) I forgot to give credit for a few things, so I'm going to do it now. Lilo and Stitch is Disney's; Chan Ho Yin is the gifted from Agents of Shield (the flame guy) and I totally stole the whole platelets stabilizing the serum from that episode; The Parent Trap is also Disney. I think that's it.
> 
> Also, I'm trying to maintain as much cannon truth as I can - but sometimes Marvel cannon and Comic cannon don't match, so that's why there may be some discrepancies. It's not usually important to the storyline.


	37. Did you want to go get married?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm heading out of town for my little brother's graduation, so I'm posting this chapter early - but you won't get another update until next Friday/Saturday. It's longer than usual, to make up for the weird timing.
> 
> Also, I've fallen behind on replying to comments (I just suck at it; I'm so sorry), so I'd like to take a moment and just thank everyone for their support and their kind words. They mean a lot, even if you don't get a reply from me. Special shout out to: LadyWinterlight, Arvi, stayingsilver, fiction_before_reality, Millaray, lexyawen, Jttorkildson, PurplePeopleEater, bgmermkn, Cyrstalove09, Orlha, Tamara, Geeky_MikaBoo, Wolf, hellaskye, Emme+S, Plantmistress, mmischief, and violetfrost (and anyone else I may have missed) for their feedback. I honestly didn't think I would get this much support, so THANK YOU.

 

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“Whoa, you're still in bed?” Steven asked, crawling up the covers to Skye and Steve. “Are you sick, Steve? Do I need to go get Bruce for you?”

“No, buddy.” Steve replied, his voice groggy with sleep. If it was coming from anyone else, he would suspect a joke – but Steven sounded serious. “Just had a late night, that's all.”

“Psh, early morning is more like it.” Skye groaned. She was still spooned into Steve, so her back rumbled against his chest. Steve couldn't help his smile, because she was still in bed. And she was still in his arms. She had stayed the whole night; that was a first. He didn't bother hiding his grin; she wouldn't see it anyway. He tightened his grip on her waist, pulling closer to her heat, and pressed a kiss to the side of Skye's neck, making her giggle sleepily, “Stop talking and go back to sleep.”

“But...the sun's awake so I'm awake!” Steven retorted. Skye giggled and pulled him under the covers, letting him snuggle up to her.

“Jack made you watch Frozen, huh?”

“Nope. Tony did. He said I needed to see it so I understood _the reference_ when he starts calling Steve, Elsa.”

“Aw, man. That's worse than Capsicle!” Steve groaned.

“At least you get to be a queen.” Steven shrugged. His eyes roamed over Steve's face and he cocked his head to the side. “You look funny in the morning.”

“Gee, thanks, kid.” Steve chuckled, rubbing the sleep from his eyes. “Well, I'm awake.”

“I'm not.” Skye muttered. Then she grinned sleepily at Steven, “But I could be convinced to get out of bed for pancakes.”

“Cake? For breakfast?” Steven asked, looking surprised.

“Pancakes,” Skye corrected. “Breakfast food. I don't know how to explain pancakes.”

“They're like...bread...but sweeter?” Steve tried. Steven still looked confused.

“Huh. Guess we're going to have to make some pancakes so he knows what they are,” Skye shrugged, feigning innocence.

“I like sweet things,” Steven shrugged his agreement. “Can I help make them?”

“Are you better at cooking than her?” Steve asked, nodding his head towards Skye. “She ruined pudding.”

“Dude! How did you even hear about that!” Skye huffed, tossing up her arms.

 

0-0-0-0-0

 

“The sun. It hurts.” Clint moaned, shuffling slowly into the kitchen. He would rather still be in bed but, despite his hangover, his stomach was gnawing at itself. Besides, he hadn't found a single thing coffee couldn't make better.

“I'm surprised you're awake,” Skye chuckled, pouring orange juice into glasses. “Here, have some fluids while I make you some fresh coffee.”

“You're my favorite today,” Clint mumbled, gulping at the cold liquid. “Why are you so perky?”

“My metabolism is closer to his than it is to yours.” Skye shrugged, nodding towards Steve. Clint looked horrified.

“You mean you weren't drunk?”

“Can't,” Skye shrugged again, measuring out coffee grounds.

“Don't tell Tony,” Steve grinned, looking over his shoulder.

“That would ruin all of our fun.” Skye agreed.

“What's drunk?” Steven asked, peeling a banana. He was in slicing them as pancake toppings. He was half covered in flour from helping Steve mix the pancake batter.

“When you have too much alcohol.” Skye responded promptly.

“Then you make poor choices and lose motor control.” Steve added. He leveled Steven with a firm look, like his seven year old ward was going to be hitting the booze. “Not that that's something you're going to worry about for a long time.”

“Is that why Tony gets weird sometimes?” Steven asked.

Clint snorted into his orange juice, “sometimes?”

“Maybe Bruce could teach you more about this,” Steve mused, “Lessons will have to start soon.”

“Lessons?” Skye asked.

“Cause I can't go to school, yet.” Steven nodded. “Clint doesn't want strangers around and Tony doesn't want doofuses teaching me things. So...Tasha's going to teach me Russian. Clint is doing math and 'practical' physics. Tony is going to teach me computers and chemistry with Jack. Jack is going to teach me Mandarin too, cause that's what you taught him first. Oh, and some mechanical stuff.”

“What about Steve?” Skye asked, choosing to ignore how much the boy knew about her. Jack had been chatty.

“History and English,” Steve supplied.

“Aw, what does that leave me?” Skye asked, faking a pout.

“Interpersonal development and troubleshooting,” Clint chimed in. “You're the only one that always knows what's going on with the kid.”

“You sound smart today,” Steven noted. “Maybe you should get drunk more often.”

“It's sad that, at best, you can only _sound_ smart.”

“We still love you,” Skye grinned, handing Clint coffee. “What kind of grease would you like with your pancakes?”

“I get to eat some?” Clint asked, looking surprised.

“Well, yeah.” Skye grinned. “We are responsible for this.”

“I think we have bacon or sausage,” Steve nodded his agreement with Skye.

“Bacon.” Clint said decisively. “And a fried egg. Nope, two fried eggs. Over medium.”

“Now you're just pushing your luck,” Steve laughed, handing Steven the first of the pancakes.

“I like peanut butter,” Skye told the boy. “You can try it with peanut butter and banana.”

“Can I try just a little bit?” He asked, crinkling his nose.

“Of course,” Steve laughed. “I would recommend butter and syrup.”

“Or strawberries and cool whip,” Clint added, wagging his eyebrows.

“We don't have cool whip or heavy whipping cream,” Skye replied, digging the bacon out.

“Do I trust you with that?” Steve asked, smirking.

“Steve! The instructions changed!” Skye huffed loudly.

“Uh huh,” Steve laughed, scooting over to give her some room at the cook top.

“Besides, you're here to keep an eye on me.” Skye smirked, knocking her hip into his.

“Just, don't poison me, please.” Clint groaned. “My stomach can't take any more.”

“You're so dramatic.” Skye laughed, placing bacon slices in the frying pan.

“I like the peanut butter, and I like the banana,” Steven jumped in. Half of his pancakes were missing.

“Well, now you know.” Steve smiled.

“Try the butter and syrup,” Skye grinned, depositing them in front of him. “It's the classic approach.”

“Here you go,” Steve smiled, handing Clint a plate of pancakes.

“I could get used to service like this.” Clint yawned. “Jarvis, would you block some sunlight?”

“Of course, Mr. Barton.” Jarvis replied. The windows to the outside were dimmed until Clint stopped squinting.

“Much better, thanks.”

“Fluids, Archer.” Skye reinforced, turning away from the bacon to fill him another glass of water. Steve shook his head at Steven – there was so much syrup on his plate that his pancakes were drowning. He took a messy bite, lifting the entire pancake with his fork, dripping syrup down his front and all over his face.

“Hmm,” He moaned, “It's so good.”

“Winner, winner.” Steve grinned at Skye.

“You're not the winner until we exhaust all of the possible options.” Clint chimed in, sipping a fresh cup of coffee.

“That means you're going to have to make us more pancakes, Steve.” Steven grinned. His face was a giant, sticky mess.

“You're going to need to wash,” Skye grinned. “You get the Messy Marvin Award.”

“I get an award?” Steven gasped, looking surprised.

“Not a real one,” Skye laughed. “It's just something you say when someone makes a mess.”

“Bacon, Skye.” Clint groaned, waving towards the popping pan. Steve had walked away from the stove, bringing a wet paper towel to wash Steven's face. Skye's eyes went wide and she ran back to the pan. She tried dodging the flying, hot grease, but it still popped onto her skin. She shoved the pan off the hot burner, forgetting to use a potholder so she didn't get burned.

“Shit. Fuck. Whore, cunt, slut, bi-i-itch.” Skye cursed. Clint choked on his coffee as he started to laugh. Steven just calmly covered his ears and finished chewing his last bite of pancake. Steve nodded his approval and grabbed Skye's wrist. He man-handled Skye over to the sink, grabbing her around the waist to guide her. He turned on the cold water and held her hand under the water. The pan of bacon suddenly whooshed into flames.

“Jesus Christ.” Tony groaned, his tone clearly annoyed as he strode into the kitchen. He grabbed baking soda and dumped it on the flames. “You can't put water on a grease fire!” Tony informed the kitchen severely. Skye and Steve just smiled at his mood.

“We didn't!” Steve replied.

“Why not?” Steven chirped.

“Chemistry lesson number one,” Skye invited, waving her hand towards the boy.

“After I've woken up, okay?” Tony sighed, softening his tone towards the boy. His hard tone came back as soon as he whirled back towards Steve and Skye. He was still holding her hand under water, his arm still coiled around her waist. There wasn't much space between them. “What did I say about this?”

“He didn't take advantage,” Skye retorted. Clint started laughing as he caught on, then he clutched his head and let out a low moan when the movement jostled his headache.

“Were you with them?” Tony asked angrily. “You were! They were on your floor! You guys went out without me?”

“Tony, you wouldn't have liked it.” Steve shrugged. “Besides, you were with Pepper.”

“And you're incapable of being discrete.” Clint added. Skye giggled against Steve's chest, making him grin too. He dropped his face into Skye's shoulder to hide his amusement though; Tony was really mad.

“I can be discrete!” Tony all but shouted.

“No, you can't.” Steve argued.

“Says the super soldier who thinks a hoodie and a cap are subtle.” Tony rebutted.

“He hasn't gotten caught yet!” Steven grinned. When Steve was happy, he was happy – and Steve looked very happy standing there with Skye. The affectionate look Steve shot his way when he heard him defending him made his heart race. He never had anything like this before.

“{It's nice having a family, huh?}” Skye asked, smiling tenderly.

“{I really like our family.}” Steve agreed. He should have known Skye would catch it. “{I'm glad you're letting me be a part of it.}”

“{Oh, honey.}” Skye replied, “{You're very important to their family. I hope you know that.} Now, finish eating.”

“It's creepy when you switch back and forth.” Clint informed her. “How long did it take you to learn it?”

“I don't know,” Skye shrugged. “I was young and I catch on to things fast.”

“What about you, Pip Squeak?” Tony asked, his annoyance temporarily forgotten.

“I don't know. It's just...there.”

“It's just there?” Clint frowned.

“Yeah,” Steven replied, ducking his head self-consciously. “It's just there in my brain. I know all the words. It just takes practice to...flow.”

“Skye and Jack are smoother than you are.” Tony noted.

“Sometimes my tongue gets tied up,” Steven nodded.

“But how did it get there?” Steve asked. “You can't just upload data into someone's head.”

“I don't know.” Steven shrugged. It wasn't something he thought about or worried about. It just _was_. “I don't remember the beginning.”

“Hey,” Skye said softly, pulling free from Steve. She hurried to his side and let him hug her. “It's not a bad thing that you don't remember. Sometimes, it's better that way, okay?”

“Like how you don't remember stuff from when you were gone?”

“Exactly like that.” Skye nodded. She kissed the top of his head and smiled. He smiled back, then giggled when her stomach grumbled loudly.

“You need to eat.”

“Here, doll.” Steve smiled, setting a plate next to Steven at the counter.

“Thanks,” Skye smiled, settling on the stool. The bacon was ruined between the burning and the baking soda. She gave up on it, with only an apologetic frown towards Clint. He waved her off between bites of his pancake.

“I'm good,” He dismissed.

“What are you getting up to today?” Steve asked Skye.

“Something quiet and dark,” Clint muttered.

“Movie?” Skye offered. Clint looked up with a surprised smile.

“With me?”

“Movie date with my favorite Archer?” Skye grinned, “Uh, yes please.”

“I have conditions.” Clint grinned back.

“Snacks and cuddling?” Skye laughed. “I think we can manage that.”

“It's like you're a mind reader,” Steven gulped.

“We would love for you to join us,” Clint told him, leaning around Skye.

“I think I could manage that,” Steven shrugged, making everyone in the kitchen laugh, though Tony's was still laced with an angry edge.

“Great.” Steve nodded. “I need to run a few errands outside the Tower. You're sure it's okay that Steven joins you?”

“I can go with you instead, if you'd like company.” Steven offered.

“And make you miss out on cuddles and snacks?” He asked, gasping in fake shock. Steven paused licking his fingers clean to grin at Steve.

“You're right. I'll stay with Skye.”

“And your favorite uncle.” Clint couldn't help but add.

“Favorite Uncle, favorite Archer, favorite wing-man. You're everyone's favorite.” Tony grumbled softly; they weren't supposed to hear him. Steven frowned and jumped down from his stool. He pulled Tony into a sticky hug.

“You know, you _still_ haven't shown me your robots.”

“He hasn't seen Iron Man?” Skye gasped, though her surprise was real.

“We've been busy.” Tony grumbled. “You were gone, and then you were dead. And then you were back. And then _you got shot_!” Steven winced and returned to his stool as Skye got off hers. She grabbed his hand and pulled him from the kitchen.

“Tony, what's wrong?” Skye asked softly, pulling him into an unused office. He frowned and crossed his arms defensively.

“Nothing is wrong.” He retorted petulantly.

“Yeah, I can see that.” Skye replied. She pried his arms loose from his torso and forced herself into his personal space. “I'm going to hug you until you tell me.”

“But I don't mind hugs from you.” Tony sighed, wrapping his arms around her shoulders.

“Is this about last night?” Skye asked softly. He wasn't too much taller than her so she didn't have to look up very far.

“No. Yes. No. A little bit?” Tony floundered.

“It wasn't planned.” Skye told him softly. “I sneaked out. Steve and Clint were trying to find me, to make sure I was safe. They were just going to check and then leave, but I made them stay. We didn't mean to exclude you.”

“You left?” Tony asked, tightening his hug.

“Not to leave. Just to breathe.” Skye nodded. “So, if this isn't all about last night, what else is wrong? I promise Steve didn't _take advantage_.” She couldn't keep the sarcasm out of her voice. Tony couldn't fight his chuckle back.

“I was really mad when I accused him of that.” Tony admitted. “And maybe a tiny bit drunk.”

“You know we don't love Clint more than you, right?” Skye told him. “You can't be my favorite Archer, but you can be my favorite brother?”

“What about Jack?”

“Favorite biological brother,” Skye amended. She smirked up at him, “Besides, Jack is less my brother and more my kid.”

“Is he? Your kid?”

“No,” Skye scoffed. “But I've raised him since he was 10, and I felt responsible for him long before that. I just...I couldn't slip into a _mom_ role. But overprotective sister? I've got that one down pat.”

“You mother hen us anyway,” Tony smirked.

“I know. Bad habit. I'm sorry.”

“Are you okay with me stealing Steven for robot time?”

“So long as I get to steal you for sibling time, sometime.” Skye grinned.

“Just us two?”

“Just us.” She agreed. “Anything you want.”

“Except free falling from the Tower?” Tony smirked. Skye huffed and smacked his chest.

“No free falling,” She agreed. “Let's play it by ear. Every time we try to plan anything, something comes up.”

“Deal.” Tony nodded. He relaxed in her hold, finally giving in completely to her hug. “I'm sorry I was grouchy.”

“I'm sorry you thought we love Clint more.” Skye replied. “We love him different, not more. Okay?”

“Okay, Sweetheart.” Tony smiled.

“Steve makes really good pancakes that I didn't hardly get to eat!” Skye informed Tony. “Let's get you some.”

 

0-0-0-0-0

 

“You look comfy,” Steve grinned, coming up behind Skye to rest his hands on her shoulders.

“Shh, he's sleeping,” She whispered back.

“No, 'm not.” Clint mumbled into a pillow. He was draped across her lap; her fingers kneading his lower back.

“You were,” She laughed softly. “You were snoring.”

“I was breathing through a broken nose.”

“You're basically recovered,” Skye snorted.

“You could get me some magic blood to fix my nose and tailbone.”

“Magic blood isn't for your comfort,” Skye retorted. Steve sighed and vaulted the couch to sit beside Skye.

“Hey, you're actually pretty warm,” Steve smiled, pressing into her side. He hoped he could derail their argument.

“You should have heard her shivering before,” Clint scoffed, not bothering to open his eyes. “I had to get her a blanket _and_ provide body heat.”

“Well, this looks like a win-win situation here.” Steve laughed, patting Clint's shoulder. “How's your head?”

“Better,” Clint replied, twisting slightly so he could look up at Steve. “It was dark and quiet, which was nice. But the sugar and caffeine banished the headache and _I swear to God_ , her fingers are _magic._ ”

“Did you get all your errands done?” Skye asked. “You weren't gone for very long.”

“They were short errands,” Steve shrugged. “Are you guys almost done with this movie?”

“Yeah, then Clint needs to go train.” Skye couldn't help the grin on her face when he groaned.

“Food and a shower first,” Clint argued stubbornly.

“Sure thing, buttercup.” Skye giggled.

“You gonna join him or...”

“Eh, I'd be open to suggestions,” Skye offered, smiling.

“Consider yourself booked,” Steve smirked. He pressed a light kiss to her temple then got up from the couch. “I'm going to go find Steven.”

“I'll meet you downstairs,” Skye nodded. “I need to shower.”

“Steve, just go already.” Clint grumbled. “You're ruining my massage.”

“What are we doing?” Skye asked, twisting to ask Steve as he left. He shot a cheeky grin her way and shrugged.

“It's for me to know and you to find out.”

“I hate surprises,” Skye muttered after he was gone.

“Don't ruin his fun,” Clint replied softly. “He's excited about this.”

“I'm not going to ruin it.”

“He's just trying to show you he cares,” Clint informed her, rolling so he was looking up at her. His expression was soft but serious.

“I know he cares,” Skye admitted. “That's the problem. Caring about me is going to get him killed.”

“We're grown men and can care about whoever we want. We know the risks.” Skye raised an eyebrow at him and he grinned, “Yeah, I care about you too. Get over it.”

“That's a fucking stupid choice.” Skye frowned.

“We're superheroes,” Clint reminded her.

“You're still stupid,” Skye muttered.

“Eh, never been accused of being smart.” Clint laughed. “Point is, we risk our lives all the time for complete strangers. We're allowed to put ourselves at risk for someone we care about. You can't take that choice from us. It's our decision to make.”

“Clint...”

“You wouldn't like it if we tried to remove your choice,” he pointed out logically. “You can't remove ours.”

“Clint!” Skye moaned, trying not to let his logic deter her.

“Admit it, you care about us too.” Clint told her, completely serious. “You hide it...well, you're _trying_ to hide it. But you like it here. You like having somewhere to belong. You like having people that you can trust to have your back. I spent some time in the system, when I was a kid. I know that's not the same as what you and Jack went through for the last 35 years, but I know what it's like to only have yourself. I know what it feels like to finally find a place in the world.”

“I was raised in an orphanage,” Skye admitted softly. She blinked slowly, surprised at herself for sharing that bit of information. Clint raised his eyebrows at her overshare, looking just as surprised as she was.

“I'm sorry,” Clint said softly, rolling into her hips so he could wrap his arms around her waist in an awkward hug. “I'm sorry you went through that, but it just makes me even more glad that you're ours now.”

“Fucking sappy,” Skye frowned.

“Go shower so Rogers can take you out,” Clint laughed, pushing free from Skye. He knew not to push her any farther. She was remarkably like Tasha when it came to emotional stuff. Being emotionally stunted must be a trait of bad ass women.

“Hey, by the way, you _are_ smart,” Skye said firmly. She grabbed his face and planted a wet kiss on his forehead. “And don't think I won't keep reminding you of it.”

“Yucky,” Clint grimaced, wiping his forehead dry. “And, missy, don't _you_ think we won't keep reminding you that we care. You're important to us.”

“And that's my cue.”

“Have fun!” Clint called out as she walked away.

 

0-0-0-0-0

 

“I get to spend the day with _both_ of you?” Steven grinned, bouncing in place in the elevator. He had a tight grip on both Skye and Steve's hands.

“Half a day,” Steve corrected lightly. The boy just nodded; Steve had given him a rundown of his plan for the day.

“I can't believe I get to spend half a day with you _both!_ ”

“I invited Jack, too.” Steve shrugged. “But he was going to chat with Fitz soon. He also mentioned something about not watching old people moon over each other.”

“Moon?” Steven asked softly. Steve just shrugged. He could infer what Jack had meant, but didn't want to have that talk with Steven just yet. “Skye, aren't you going to be too hot in that? It's hot outside.”

“Probably not,” Skye admitted, adjusting her jacket around her wrists. “But I've got layers on, just in case.”

“It's weird that you're so cold all the time,” Steven remarked, skipping between them as they left the secret tunnel.

“I know,” Skye winked, “But it's a great excuse to get cuddles.”

“You get cuddles anyway,” Steve retorted lightly.

“I need them!” Skye laughed. “Cuddles are...”

“...good for the soul.” Steve and Steven chorused.

“Damn straight.” Skye grinned. “How was Iron Man?”

“He was awesome!” Steven grinned. “Tony showed me all of them!”

“All of them?” Steve asked. “How many does he have?”

“Like...thirty!” Steven replied, squirming with excitement. “It's like an army!”

“Thirty.” Steve stated, looking over at Skye with a concerned expression.

“He went through an alien portal with a nuke,” Skye shrugged. “Of course it rattled him.”

“That was years ago, Skye.”

“You do what you have to, to protect the ones you love,” Skye replied softly. She could see that Steve disagreed with her. “It's not like he's flaunting them around. You didn't even know about them. They're protection. Back up. A worst case scenario, if you will.”

“I think Tony is training one to help him dance,” Steven interjected quickly.

“What's your worst case scenario?” Steve asked.

“You saw it.” Skye shrugged.

“I don't think I did,” Steve muttered, but he dropped it. They could discuss it later. Skye's grimace confirmed his suspicions.

“I hope your plans for today include food,” Skye grinned, rubbing her stomach.

“It's first on the list,” Steve laughed, resisting the urge to drop his arm around her shoulders. He knew she wouldn't want to draw attention like that to him, if _she_ was identified, and he didn't want to expose her to the media on the off chance that someone recognized _him_. His Captain America cowl protected him from most attention – people knew Captain America; they didn't look for Steve Rogers.

“You know me so well,” Skye smirked.

“Well, it has been _hours_ since breakfast,” Steve snorted.

“What's on the menu?” Steven smiled, rubbing his own stomach.

“I have something in mind,” Steve smiled, “But we could do something else, if you have something particular in mind.”

“Let's do your idea.” Steven beamed. Skye's matching grin had his chest fluttering in a way that would have had him concerned, pre-serum.

He had told Tasha he hadn't wanted kids – hadn't thought a family was in his cards. He still didn't really have a _family_ , not with these two at least, but he could see them becoming his family. Sure, the Avengers were family, but Skye and Steven (hell, even Jack) were a different kind of family. He just hadn’t expected Steven to take to Skye so quickly or so thoroughly. That was an unexpected perk - that his kid loved his girl. He grinned when he looked over and watched Steven quickly and animatedly tell Skye about their last adventure on the town with Jack, Clint, and Tasha.

He was aware that his entire life plan was suddenly different. He found his attack strategies (in the two assignments he had been given since Steven came to live with them) were a little less reckless, a little less self sacrificial. Hindsight was 20/20 and he could see now that he had been drawing unnecessary heat to himself to protect the other Agents, or Avengers, in his care. He knew himself well enough to know that he would probably still do it; he was a Super Soldier and would recover faster than a non-enhanced, but now he had something to live for. He just needed Bucky back and he would have achieved perfection.

He made a mental note to ask Skye about it later. She knew where he was.

 

0-0-0-0-0

 

“I think he had fun,” Skye smiled. Steven was out cold on Steve's shoulder. He grinned and knocked his hip into hers.

“I'm glad. What about you?”

“Um, pizza, ice cream, arcade games, a _Carnival_ , and carnival _food_?” Skye ticked the items off on her fingers, scoffing lightly. “Best date ever.”

“You're not too tired, are you?” Steve asked, stepping back into the secret tunnel. Skye grinned and followed him in, shaking her head. “Good, cause we're not done.”

“We're not done?” Skye asked with a small frown.

“Nope,” Steve laughed. “Remember, Steven only gets to spend half the day with us.”

“But...”

“We're going to drop him off at the Tower and you're going to change into something warmer.”

“Warmer?” Skye repeated, dumbstruck.

“You were cold when the sun was out!” Steve replied teasingly.

“But...”

“I'm being a selfish, old man.” Steve offered patiently. “I need some adult time with just you. If you're okay with that.”

“Just me?” Skye asked softly. If he didn't know better, he would say she sounded shy.

“I always have to share,” Steve replied, suddenly feeling unsure. He didn't want to push his luck and the conversation was unexpectedly sounding like they were declaring themselves. They joked about it – but this felt serious. It felt real.

“But, I'm nothing spec-”

“Skye, don't you dare finish that sentence.” Steve interrupted firmly. He reached for Skye's hand, having to shift Steven slightly to one arm to do it. He was pleasantly surprised when she let him take her hand. They were safe in the tunnel; no one would see them (except maybe Tony).

“You don't have to do anything else for me tonight,” Skye said softly. Steve wanted to scream out with frustration, but instead he pulled her to his side.

“Do anything _for you_?” He laughed. “Haven't you been listening? I'm the selfish one. I know Tasha could be back from her mission at some point tonight and that she would love to see you, but I also _really don't_ _care_ what she wants. She can wait until morning. I get you tonight.”

“You don't mind?” She asked softly, ducking her head.

“I would mind sharing you,” Steve replied honestly. She blinked up at him slowly, a small smile dragging her lips up. His sincerity was hard to doubt.

“I had fun today,” Skye admitted softly. “But some adult time with just you sounds pretty damn perfect. Thank you, for putting today together.”

She leaned up onto her tippy toes, using Steve's arm to pull herself up to his face, then pressed a gentle kiss to his lips.

“Sappy,” Steven mumbled into Steve's neck, making the two adults laugh.

 

0-0-0-0-0

 

“Jesus, you look like he's dragging you to your death,” Jack joked.

“Shut up, Jackson,” Skye muttered, dragging on another layer of clothing. She had always run a little colder than most, but this was just obnoxious. She didn't have enough clothes for this. Maybe she could steal Tasha tomorrow and get some more layers. Or she could just shop online. That sounded easier. She nodded to herself, making a mental note.

“Are you okay?” Jack asked, stepping into the room. “I can go tell him you're sick.”

“No, that's okay.” Skye replied, smiling softly at his offer. “It's just...I'm not used to... _people_.”

“Being allowed to be around people? To care about people?” Jack asked. There was no judgement, no accusation. He knew why they couldn't make attachments. He had never liked it, but Skye was good company (most of the time) and the consequences would have been earth shattering. Skye ducked her head and nodded slowly. “Oh, sissy.” Jack teased lightly, pulling her into a hug. “You've always been good with people. But you've always been good at taking care of _other_ people, never yourself. Things are different now.”

“It's still weird,” Skye admitted.

“I feel the same way,” Jack offered with a shrug.

“With Fitz?”

“Yeah, with Fitz.” Jack smirked. “Part of me is super excited that he likes me, that he wants to get to know me and spend time with me...but another part of me is terrified that he's not going to like what he finds. I'm afraid that he's going to realize how fucked up the last 35+ years have been for me. I'm afraid he's going to make me care and then leave.”

“Jack...”

“But the biggest part of me is afraid to get close because I know that everyone we've gotten close to gets taken away from us. I can't let that happen to him. I know I shouldn't, especially after knowing him for only a few weeks, but I really care about him. Like...a stupid amount of caring.”

“I won't let anyone hurt him,” Skye promised.

“That's not your job,” Jack replied firmly. “But we both, Fitz and I, know that you'll do anything you can to keep us safe. Fitz has never really had that. His parents didn't understand his genius – just shipped him off to boarding school where he was the nerdy little boy among teenagers. He has Simmons, and she's protective in her own way...but not like that. Ward puts up with him and Simmons, but they're not close. He'll protect them in the field, but it's because that's his job – not because he wants to take care of them.” Jack giggled and pulled back from Skye, “You should have seen how excited he was that you _adopted him into the family_. You stood up to Ward for him, for us.”

“I will beat his ass if he threatens Fitz or you.” Skye retorted with a snarl. Jack threw his head back and laughed loudly.

“We kind of want to provoke him, so we can watch.” Jack admitted.

“If you're not around, I'll have Jarvis record it for you,” Skye smiled.

“Good. Now, the point behind all of that was that I know you're nervous. You're scared to get attached, because so much has already been taken from you. You don't want to get Steve hurt, or let anyone use him against you. And I get it – _God, do I get it_. But Skye? You deserve to be happy. You deserve to have someone, like I have Fitz. Just take it day by day, don't make any rash decisions. Just...have some fun and be honest. I bet Steve is just as nervous as you are. Let him know how you're feeling. I know you're not the best at that, but you should try. It's really helped Fitz and me.”

“Thanks,” Skye whispered, pulling Jack back in for another extended hug. “I love you.”

“I know.” Jack smiled. “I love you, too. Let the others in, Skye. They deserve the chance to love you too.”

“I'll try.”

“Good. Now, Steve is probably pacing a hole in the floor.”

“Can I borrow a hoodie from you? My hacking hoodie is missing.”

“Tony has it,” Jack grimaced. “I gave it to him on his birthday, cause we gave him the pillow early.”

“You gave him my favorite hoodie?” Skye asked, whining just a little bit. Jack chuckled and nodded.

“The weirdest part is that I've seen him wearing it around the lab.”

“Guess Steve gets to buy me a thimble after all.”

“I don't even want to know,” Jack chuckled. “Let's find you another layer, huh?”

 

0-0-0-0-0

 

“Jesus, Steve. You just spent all day with her. Relax.”

“Shut up, Clint.” Steve groused.

“Your pacing is driving me crazy.”

“Shut up, Clint.”

“I don't even know why you're so nervous.” Clint grinned, enjoying seeing the anxious side of Steve. “We both know how she feels about you.”

“Clint, _shut up_.”

“Oh, touchy.” Tony smirked, strolling into the living area with a glass of scotch. “What's wrong, Capsicle?”

“He's taking Skye out.” Clint replied helpfully.

“Again?” Tony frowned, looking at the time. It was late in the afternoon. “Didn't you just get her all day?”

“Yeah, but he had to share with Steven,” Clint giggled. Steve groaned and rubbed his hands over his face.

“ _Clint._ ”

“We need to teach you how to share.” Tony sighed, plopping down opposite Clint. “I want some time with her too.”

“She is your sister,” Clint agreed.

“Speaking of which,” Tony said seriously, sitting up straight and setting his glass on the table. “She _is_ my sister. Here's my version of the shovel talk: You hurt her? Jarvis will leak video of you – the worst kind of video. Groupies will follow you around forever, you won't be able to escape them. I'll...”

“Oh. my. God.” Skye groaned, interrupting his neat little speech. She threw herself onto his lap with a loud moan. “Tony, stop.”

“It's okay, doll.” Steve smiled, the tension easing from his features.

“It's obnoxious,” Skye retorted.

“He needs to know I've got your back,” Tony informed Skye, not willing to back down. Skye rolled her eyes over to Steve, who just smiled and tucked his hands into his pockets.

“We can go?” Skye offered. “That'll stop the crazies.”

“Maybe teach them a lesson and not come back for a few days?” Steve teased.

“Hey!” Tony and Clint argued instantly. Skye giggled and squirmed off Tony's lap despite his attempt at keeping her there.

“Maybe just a few,” Skye nodded, walking over to Steve. He pulled his hands free and returned her hug.

“How many layers did you put on?” Steve laughed, raising his eyebrows at her bulk. Skye frowned and muttered something that sounded like _all the layers,_ but Steve wasn't sure.

“Okay, okay, get out of here. Steve, have her home by 9:30.” Tony grinned, waving them off. Now it was Skye's turn to laugh.

“You're not my dad and I'm an adult. We'll get back when we get back.”

“Your kid will be upset if you don't come back,” Clint pointed out.

“Good God. We're coming back!” Skye groaned. She pulled free from Steve's arms and dragged him to the elevator. “Bye!”

“Remember to wrap the little guy up before you let him out to play!” Clint shouted as the doors closed. Steve instantly turned red – he swore he was sweating through his clothes. Skye chortled and dug her phone out, shooting Clint a text message that read: **psh, little guy?** Steve tried to prevent her from sending the message, but she was faster than he was. It got her into his arms though. Skye grinned and glanced at Steve's mouth.

“I've wanted to kiss you all day,” Skye admitted softly. Steve's responding smile was blinding.

“We were around people we didn't know all day, doll.” Steve whispered before ducking his head to oblige her.

“Are we going to be around people we don't know tonight?” Skye asked after their kiss broke apart.

“For the first part,” Steve replied, tugging her face back up to his. He couldn’t get over the fact that he was getting to do this.

“I'm nervous, about this.” Skye said softly. “Jack advised me to be honest.”

“If we're being honest, I'm nervous too.”

“Yeah?” Skye asked shyly.

“Yeah.” Steve nodded. “I'm nervous that you won't like me, after you've gotten to know me. I'm nervous that someone is going to recognize me and that it'll paint a target on your back. I'm nervous that you won't like what I've set up...but mostly, I'm nervous that I won't want to bring you back after I've had a taste of having you for myself.”

“That's a lot of nervous,” Skye giggled slightly. Steve pulled her to his side and out of the elevator. They were in the garage, surrounded by Tony’s fancy cars. “I'm nervous that you won't like _me_...but I'm also kind of freaking out that you _will_. I'm nervous that the retrieval team will catch up to us. I don't want to give them any more ammunition. I'm nervous that they're going to steal you, or anyone else from the Tower, and use you against me...”

“I can't promise they can’t find you,” Steve said softly when Skye trailed off. She had stopped walking and was clutching his hand. “We weren’t thinking about that when we took down their facilities; we just wanted you back. They probably already know you’re with us. I can't promise that we've eliminated everyone from that _fucking_ program.” Skye giggled slightly at his cursing, which was what he was going for. He smiled and pressed a chaste kiss to her lips. “I can't promise that no one will ever end up hurt, but _I can promise_ that we'll keep looking until we're sure we've gotten everyone. I _can_ promise that we'll put up one hell of a fight if they try to take us from you, and I _can promise_ that if anyone ever tries to mess up your happiness, I will end them.”

“That's a lot of promises,” Skye whispered.

“You've got to realize that you're making yourself a target by being with me, just as much as I'm making myself a target by being with you.” Steve replied, pulling her hand to his mouth.

“It's not the same,” Skye whispered.

“No, probably not.” Steve agreed, “But I'm willing to deal with your crazies if you're willing to deal with mine.”

“You just want protection from the groupies,” She teased. Steve laughed and lifted her to his face.

“Maybe,” Steve agreed softly, then cupped her face with one hand and kissed her. “But as an Avenger, as a Shield Agent, I’ve gotten - hell, we’ve all gotten - on some powerful people’s bad sides,” Steve pointed out when he felt like Skye hadn’t taken his point to heart, “and I am more worried about those people than I am the groupies.”

“Do I need to go kick some ass?” She asked, softly. She made a subtle face at Steve though, so he knew she heard him.

“We're on a tiny bit of a time schedule,” Steve said regretfully.

“Hmm, we can just stay here,” Skye murmured, holding his face between her hands. She smiled and leaned forward for another kiss.

“Nope,” Steve laughed. “Video cameras. Shoot. I forgot about them. Tony is probably watching this. That’s a little weird.”

“No, he's not.” Skye denied, shaking her head. She smirked and kissed him again.

“Privacy mode?”

“Privacy mode.”

“Okay, well, let’s go before your brother throws a fit.” Steve grinned and took Skye’s hand, pulling her across the garage.

“Are we taking your motorcycle?” Skye asked, her eyes lighting up.

“No,” Steve replied, “you’ll freeze to death. But if you want, we can go for a ride during the day sometime.”

“It’s a date,” She agreed with a little bounce in her step. Steve grinned and opened the passenger side of the SUV. The windows were tinted dark enough that they would have privacy on the road. Skye ducked her head a little at the curtsy, but pulled herself into the seat. Steve hurried around to the drivers side and let himself in. “Wait, I thought you couldn’t drive.”

“Who told you that?”

“Jack. Said he had to drive Gertrude all the way back because you didn’t have your license.”

“Well, I do now?” Steve shrugged.

“Did Tony hack the system?” She smirked, twisting towards him as he started the engine. Steve’s lips twitched and she bust out laughing. “He did!”

“To be fair, Clint gave me lessons. I just didn’t take their test. Have you seen the lines at the DMV?”

“You little rule breaker,” Skye teased, grinning proudly at his little act of rebellion. “That’s how a 28 year old should act.”

“I’m glad you approve?” He replied, sounding unsure. Truthfully, he couldn’t make himself go on a date with Skye driving them around. It was one thing if she wanted to drive - it was another thing entirely if she _had_ to drive because he couldn’t. His pride wouldn’t let him. Besides, it was a stupid rule that he had to go stand in line when Tony could take his picture and insert it into their system.

“So, boss, what’s on the agenda? Or is it a secret?”

“First, I was thinking we could go check on the kids at Shield. It’s been a few days.”

“I want to see if the magic blood held,” Skye agreed quickly.

“I know,” Steve replied softly. “You talk in your sleep a little.”

“Sorry,” She said softly. Steve frowned, but waited until he merged with traffic before he reached across the center console for her hand.

“Don’t apologize,” He said softly, running his thumb over her knuckles.

“You’re willing to give up some date time for me to go check on the kids?” Skye asked softly, trying to mask the surprise in her expression.

“It’s important to you,” Steve replied with a tiny shrug. It wasn’t like he was giving up his _whole_ night.

“What are we doing after Shield?”

“Picking up dinner.”

“You’re being super...evasive,” She laughed.

“Hmm, see how that feels?” Steve teased. “Does it make you feel frustrated?”

“No,” She muttered petulantly. He came to a stop at a red light, laughing loudly at the look on her face.

“We’re picking dinner up because we’re going to take it somewhere else,” Steve told her with a smug smile.

“Somewhere without people?” She asked, perking up a little at that.

“Just one people.” Steve replied, his own expression lighting up too. “But he won’t be around.”

“Oh God, just tell me!”

“Hmm, no.” Steve shrugged nonchalantly. “Don’t want to. You _want_ to know. You don’t _need_ to know.”

“I know what your doing.”

“Yep.” He laughed.

“It’s not funny.”

“I disagree.”

“Steven Grant Rogers!”

“You wanna bust out full names?”

“Yeah,” Skye sassed.

“Well, Skylar Elizabeth _Stark_ ,” Steve shot back with a grin, “I was going to let you pick out snacks for the ride down to Headquarters, but…”

“Hey, back it up,” Skye placated quickly. “I’ll be good.”

“Hmm, thought so.”

“What’s your full name?” She asked, twisting her hand in Steve’s to lace her fingers between his.

“That is my full name.”

“Didn’t you get confirmed?” Skye asked, frowning slightly as she searched her memory. “I thought you were Catholic.”

“Ugh, Skye…” Steve moaned, looking over at her with a wounded expression.

“Now you have to tell me.”

“You have to PROMISE not to laugh. And you can’t tell anyone else.”

“I can’t promise not to laugh,” She replied truthfully, “But I can try my best. And I’ll cross my heart and hope to die - it’ll be secret. I promise.”

“No dying,” He replied with an exasperated moan. “You’ve done enough of that for both of our lifetimes.”

“You’re stalling,” she remarked.

“Thaddeus.”

“Thaddeus?”

“My mother thought Jude was too common,” Steve admitted.

“St. Jude Thaddeus?” She asked, her mouth dropping open. “The patron saint of impossible causes?”

“Only you would know that,” Steve sighed, shaking his head. “Yes, but he’s also the saint of Hope.”

“And being passionate, even in difficult situations,” Skye nodded, smiling fondly. “Your mother had you pegged.”

“What are you, a walking encyclopedia?” Steve laughed.

“Nah, just read a lot.”

“Was Skye always your name?”

“No,” She laughed. “It wasn’t. I was raised in an orphanage, remember?”

“Yeah, doll. They gave you some shit name - your words, not mine.”

“A really shitty name,” Skye agreed.

“Your parents didn’t name you?” Steve asked softly, glancing away from the road to look over at her.

“Nah,” Skye shrugged, like it wasn’t a big deal. “The nuns at St. Agnes said I was dropped off with nothing. No name, no note, no blanket...they always said it was a good thing I was left in July… Anyway, I’m probably better off without them. I’m pretty awesome and they’re missing out.”

“They sure are,” Steve agreed, squeezing her hand. There was a gas station ahead, so he quickly pulled off; the timing couldn’t be better. Skye obviously didn’t want to continue that discussion. She turned to Steve with a shy smile when she realized what he was doing. He smiled back and brought her hand up to his mouth so he could brush a light kiss across her knuckles.

“I was told it’s not a road trip if snacks aren’t involved.”

 

 

“Do I have to wear a visitor badge this time?” Skye asked, squeezing Steve’s hand one more time before releasing it.

“Nah, you’re with me. I’m your badge.”

“My shield?” She teased.

“Hmm, maybe,” he smirked.

“Ooh, hot stuff,” Skye smirked. “The kids better be okay.”

“I’m sure we can teach them another lesson if we need to,” Steve laughed. He wanted to reach out and take her hand again, but they were in public - they were at _Shield_ \- and he didn’t want to expose her like that. “I will help this time. Two warnings is one warning too many.”

“Well, at the very least the agents from before can’t come back in the room,” Skye shrugged, lifting one corner of her mouth.

“What did you do?” Steve asked, lowering his voice because they were approaching the side entrance.

“The building goes into lock down if they try to go in the same room as the kids.”

“Any room?”

“Any room,” She nodded.

“I guess that there’s more than one way to solve a problem,” Steve laughed lightly.

 

 

When they got to the kids room, they both paused. The children were sitting in rows on the floor, watching the adults in front of them with amused but bored expressions that they were trying to hide. The agents appeared to be speaking to the children in different languages, but they all wore similar expressions of frustration.

“{They’re still trying to figure it out?}” Skye asked the kids, grinning.

“{They’ve been at it for _days_ ,}” A boy moaned. He was bored of it.

“Hey, you know what they’re saying?” An agent asked, turning to the duo with a surprised expression. She didn’t expect Captain America to come check up on the kids, but she also didn’t expect an adult to know the language.

“Maybe,” Skye teased, shrugging lightly. She smirked at the kids, making them giggle. They all started talking over each other.

“{Did you come to play with us?}”

“{This is the most boring thing we’ve ever done!}”

“{Even worse than isolation?}”

“{Hey, at least it was quiet!}”

“{Why don’t you let him talk?}” An older child sighed, waving towards Skye.

“{Whoa, whoa, whoa,}” Skye laughed, catching a little boy as he ran up to her. She caught a glance of Steve as she lifted him, unsurprised that he had fallen into Captain America mode. He couldn’t be Steve at Shield. She swung the boy onto her hip easily, “{Let’s back it up a bit. First, I’ve got some kiddos I need to check in with - then we can do something fun.}”

“Captain, a word?” One of the agents asked, waving him to the corner. The kids giggled at his exasperated expression, but he allowed himself to be pulled off to the side of the room.

“{The sick kids?}” A teen girl asked.

“{Well, hopefully they’re not sick any more,}” Skye replied. “{Come on up, let me take a peek.}”

“{No needles this time, right?}” The small girl that Skye had cured first asked.

“{Hopefully not,}” Skye replied. “{Let’s see how you’re doing though.}”

The children that received her blood hurried forward, standing at attention in front of her. Skye sighed and waved them down. “{Relax. I’m not them. I don’t expect that from you.}”

“{It’s hard to remember that,}” The oldest boy replied. Skye smiled and nodded her agreement.

“{I know, but don’t worry - I’ll keep reminding you.}”

“{Deal,}” The boy grinned.

“{How are you feeling?}” Skye asked, walking over to him. The boy on her hip swung around to her back, clinging to her like a monkey. He was almost as small as Steven, so he was probably one of the youngest kids. “{Feeling angry?}”

“{Not because of the serum,}” The boy replied back truthfully. Skye paused, her hands stilling in his hair.

“{Because of what?}” She asked softly. She resumed checking him over, tilting his face one way and then another.

“{We’re bored. We’re in here all the time, but there’s nothing to do.}”

“{Tony and I sent some stuff over,}” Skye frowned.

“{We haven’t gotten anything,}” The boy shrugged. “{I mean, they gave the movie stuff back, but we only have the three movies from last time. We can only watch them so often.}”

“{Consider that problem fixed,}” Skye told him firmly, finally dropping her hands from his face. “{I’ll make sure it ends up here before I leave for the night. You look better. Do you feel better?}”

“{Yeah, I feel fine.}”

“{You can be honest with me. You’re not going to be in trouble if you’re not okay.}”

“{Honest. I’m fine. Maybe a little bored, but I don’t feel sick any more.}”

“{Good,}” Skye smiled. She pulled him in for a hug, surprising the boy. It took him several long beats before he realized what she was doing. “{Hugs work better when they’re returned,}” Skye informed him in a whisper. He chuckled and wrapped his arms around her, relaxing into her embrace. “{Hmm, much better.}”

“{Hey, I want one of those, too!}” Someone called from the group. There was a chorus of agreement, which made Skye laugh.

“{They’re called hugs and you can have as many as you like!}”

There was a wall of children rushing at Skye, pushing her back and down to the floor. They were all giggling like mad, squirming trying to get closest to her. Steve finally broke free from the agents interrogating him, leaving them frustrated at his lack of cooperation, and laughed when he couldn’t see Skye through all the bodies. He vaguely heard the door close behind the agents and relaxed his stance.

“Help!” Skye squeaked from the bottom of the pile. She shoved her hand through a gap in the bodies and reached for Steve, “Steve, help! The crazies are attacking me!”

“Cannon ball!” Steve shouted, running at the group. The kids screamed and scattered, leaving Skye alone on the floor. He laughed and dropped onto the floor next to her, “I’m not sure why you’re complaining. They’re exactly your kind of crazy.”

“Normal is boring, Steve,” She informed him, turning her face towards him to shoot him a pleased smile.

“I wish we weren’t around people we didn’t know right now,” Steve told her softly. Happy Skye was his favorite.

“I have to track down the toys Tony and I sent over,” Skye told him softly, “but then we can go.”

“You don’t want to see the scientists?”

“I’d rather not ruin our adult time,” She admitted. “Maybe we can come back in a few days.”

“Tomorrow?”

“Maybe.”

 

0-0-0-0-0

 

“Okay, what _are_ we doing?” Skye asked for the tenth time. They had left Headquarters and then almost immediately picked up a package that Steve wouldn’t let her open.

“You’re really bad with this whole patience thing,” Steve remarked, drumming his fingers against the steering wheel. They had stayed longer than he anticipated, mostly because they had had to fight tooth and nail for the toys the Stark siblings had sent, and he was a little antsy to get to their destination. They wouldn’t miss their ride, but he was anxious to start his alone time with her. He hadn’t had anything to share in a long while, but he found it incredibly difficult to share his girl (he smirked proudly at that satisfying thought). _His_ girl. Sometimes dreams do come true.

“How about a clue?” She begged, pulling on her seat belt so she had enough room to twist in her seat.

“A clue?”

“Yeah. A clue.”

“Hmm, it may be a little cold.”

“A little cold?”

“Breezy,” Steve clarified. “Don’t worry, I brought blankets.”

“You’re very prepared,” Skye grinned. “How far out are we?”

“Hmm, ten minutes - give or take. Depends on traffic.”

“We’re not going in an airplane, are we?” Skye asked, trying to hide her wince. Steve laughed and shook his head.

“I wouldn’t do that to you, doll.”

“Thanks for taking me to see the kids,” Skye replied.

“You’re very welcome,” Steve smiled. He squeezed her hand (because, yes, he grabbed her hand the second they were back in the privacy of the SUV) and released it when he needed to park.

“A boat?” Skye asked, her eyebrows raised in surprise. He couldn’t help his grin. It was hard to surprise her. Granted, he knew she could have figured it out if she tried - they had been driving towards the ocean for the last hour. “Do you know how to drive a boat?”

“Nope,” Steve laughed. “I mean, I could probably crash us pretty well. I’m good at that.”

“Hey, no crashing okay?” Skye asked softly, leaning across the vehicle to kiss him lightly.

“That’s why Kevin is here,” Steve replied after kissing her back a little more thoroughly. Her cheeks were tingled pink and she was trying to hide a goofy grin, but she returned his affection with similar enthusiasm.

“Is Kevin the other people we have to be around tonight?”

“Yes, but he’ll be below deck. We’ll be up top.”

“Mr. Rogers!” Kevin called out, waving to him when they finally stepped out of the SUV. Steve grinned and waved back, but opened the back of the SUV to grab the package that they had stopped for. He draped a blanket around Skye, seeing her shiver already. It was cooling down as the afternoon dragged on, and the cool, damp breeze from the ocean made the air extra chilly. Skye grinned when he finished tucking the blanket around her, leaving her more or less immobilized. Her arms were trapped within the blanket (not that she was complaining; _What? It was warmer that way_ ). Steve checked over his shoulder discretely, then pressed another kiss to Skye’s lips. She giggled lightly and tried to lick him.

“I think you’re as bad at the whole patience thing as I am,” She remarked.

“Shh,” Steve shushed jokingly, caressing her chin as he withdrew his hand. “Let’s go. There’s more stuff on the boat already.”

“What’s that?” Skye asked, nodding towards the package.

“Dinner,” Steve laughed. “You haven’t eaten in hours!”

“You eat as much as I do!” Skye retorted quickly. “Besides, I feel like that’s one of the first things you learned about me, Steve.”

“That you eat like a horse?” He laughed, remembering his bumbling attempts at asking her out on their run all those months ago.

“Uh huh,” She laughed. “Sure I can’t carry anything?”

“Nope, it’s just this,” Steve smiled. “Come on, let me introduce you to Kevin.”

“Mr. Rogers, I must say I’m a little surprised,” Kevin teased as the pair approached them.

“Sorry, we’re a little late,” Steve apologized.

“That was my fault,” Skye stepped in, wiggling a hand free from the blankets so she could extend it towards their driver for the evening. “Nice to meet you, I’m Skye.”

“Now I’m even more surprised,” Kevin laughed, taking her hand. “Kevin O’Kieff.”

“What part are you surprised about?” Skye asked with a small smile.

“That Mr. Rogers loosened up enough to take a boat ride for fun,” Kevin replied easily.

“Oh, don’t worry - he’s going to start acting his age,” Skye giggled, looking over and up at Steve.

“This was a mistake,” Steve grumbled playfully. “I should have known you two would get along.”

“Aw, Steve, I’ll behave,” Kevin retorted kicking at a rope on the dock. “Let’s head out before it gets any later. Let me take that to the kitchen.”

“You live on here?” Skye asked, nodding towards his boat.

“Not actually,” Kevin replied. “I just spend a lot of time here.”

“Well, she looks lovely,” Skye smiled, allowing Steve to steer her on board.

“Thank you, ma’am.” Kevin grinned. He grabbed the box from Steve and nodded to a set of stairs. “Head on up, I’ll be in the front if you need anything.”

“Thanks, Kevin.”

“He’s nice,” Skye smiled.

“Yeah, he is,” Steve agreed. They headed up the stairs to the open top above; there was a railing around the edges, but otherwise nothing to disrupt the view. There was a giant pile of blankets strapped down and covered with a thin tarp.

“I totally get your clue now,” Skye laughed. The wind made her hair whip about her face, but she turned to Steve with a pleased smile.

“Sorry, it’ll be a little less windy when we get out of port,” Steve apologized. “It’s supposed to be a calm night.”

“It’s okay,” Skye shrugged. “Can you hold the blanket so I can tie my hair back?”

“Sure thing, doll,” he smiled, taking the proffered blanket. She reached up and quickly braided her hair away from her face; Steve took the time to unstrap the blankets.

“You two ready up there?” Kevin asked, shouting up from the bottom of the stairs. Steve looked over at Skye with a raised eyebrow and she laughed and nodded.

“Yeah, we’re good!” Steve called back, popping his head over the railing of the stairs.

“You two behave up there, you hear me?” Kevin teased. He could obviously hear Skye’s return laughter, because he mouthed to Steve _I like her. You should keep her._ Steve smiled and nodded his agreement.

Kevin smiled affectionately and headed back to his cabin. Steve might have been born before him, but Kevin was in his sixties and felt a fatherly sort of affection for the young man. They had taken several short fishing trips when he had needed a break from the other people in his life - especially once his entire team moved into the same building. The last time he had spoken to Steve, they had figured out how to cohabitate peacefully, but it had taken a while for them to get there. He smiled and shook his head; the girl was good for him. He had never seen Steve smile so much in all the time he had known him.

“So, is Kevin a friend?” Skye asked, accepting the blanket back from Steve.

“A good friend,” Steve nodded. “He lets me tag along when I need a break from Tony. He was a life saver the first year or two that we lived in the Tower.”

“Hmm, I heard you and Tony butted heads.”

“Tony found it hard to accept that I got to know his father when he never had the chance...and I found it hard to deal with his immaturity after New York.”

“But you have common ground now,” Skye smiled.

“Yeah, you.”

“You two were better before Jack and I burst into your lives,” she retorted. Kevin started the boat, so she shot Steve a slightly panicked look. He smiled and tugged her into his arms. He held onto the railing with one hand and her with his other. Kevin slowly left the dock, then the small port, heading quickly for the open sea. Steve glanced down and saw Skye’s tight grip on the blanket.

“I thought you said boats were okay?” He asked softly, rubbing his fingers over her exposed knuckles.

“Never been on a boat,” She admitted. “At least, not like this.”

“Kevin is very good at what he does,” Steve reassured. “You don’t need to worry about crashing. The weather is supposed to be really nice tonight, so you don’t need to worry about storms.”

“I trust you,” Skye replied softly.

She took a slow breath and relaxed back into Steve, surprised to find that she did trust Steve to take care of her. Half of her panicked at that thought - it would be easy to slip into complacence around him. She couldn’t afford to let her guards down that far, but it was also really hard to resist. Steve understood her on a level that she didn’t expect, especially this quickly. She remembered the way he had wordlessly distracted her from the orphanage conversation when he realized how uncomfortable she was. Jack was good with her moods - but he had had 35 years to learn to gauge them. Steve had had considerably less time, but he already surpassed Jack. Not that it was a competition. Her relationship with Steve and her relationship with Jack were polar opposites. She knew better than to compare them, but that didn’t mean she couldn’t compare Steve to pretty much every other man in her life.

She twisted slightly, pressing her back against Steve’s chest as the boat picked up speed. Every passing day only confirmed her suspicions: this was too perfect. It would fall apart soon, so she was damn well going to take advantage while she could. It would definitely hurt like hell, but the happy memories would be worth it in the long run. Like he could hear her thoughts, Steve wrapped both arms around her, helping to hold her blanket in place. She felt his smile when he pressed a kiss to her temple. Oh, yeah. This was going to rip her heart into shreds. She knew better...but she was weak. She couldn’t resist getting to know her _biological_ brother - and wasn’t that just the biggest plot twist of her life? She had always assumed her parents were...well, she wasn’t sure exactly. Dead beats? Scumbags? But Howard Stark wasn’t either of those. Not really. He had misplaced priorities, maybe, but he wasn’t a scumbag. He probably hadn’t even known about her; She would have been born when Howard was younger; he had been quite old when Tony was born - but she had eight years on Tony. Maybe it was her mother that was the scumbag. At least half of the mystery had been resolved. She sighed and pushed those thoughts away. She had plenty of time to consider them when she wasn’t on an _actual, real life date_ with Steve Rogers. What was her life?

 

 

“It’s beautiful,” Skye smiled softly, looking out at the ocean as the sun set.

“You’re beautiful,” Steve replied easily. She glanced over at him with a bemused expression, like she was waiting for him to start laughing. He frowned and pulled her closer to his side, “You are beautiful, and I’m going to keep telling you until you believe me.”

“I don’t ne-”

“You’re beautiful,” Steve repeated, cutting of her response. She blushed and ducked her head shyly; his sincerity was hard to doubt. He tilted her face back up so he could press a gentle kiss to her lips, “You’re beautiful and I’m so glad you’re my girl.”

“I’ve never had something like this. I’m half waiting to wake up from this.”

“If this is a dream, then I don’t want to wake up,” Steve replied softly. Skye giggled lightly and leaned into his warmth. “Sappy, I know,” Steve laughed, cutting her off before she could even say it.

 

 

“I’m glad you brought blankets,” She told Steve a while later. Their dinner was finished and the sun had fully set. Kevin had driven them far out into the ocean, so they were away from the light of the city. The two were flat on their backs, laying on a pile of blankets on the floor, looking up at the stars that stood out against the dark sky. Skye snuggled closer, letting Steve slip his arm under her head.

“It’s important to me that you’re comfortable,” Steve replied, turning to kiss her temple.

“What about you?” She asked, turning partially onto her side so she could make out his silhouette. “Are you having a good time?”

“I’m happy,” Steve grinned. “I’m easy to please, but you make me happy.”

“You make me happy,” She admitted. She had promised Jack she would be honest with him, so she was trying her best. “I didn’t need all of this, but thank you.”

“I saw how you looked at Steven’s ceiling,” Steve laughed. His chest bounced lightly, making her giggle.

“Stop being so observant, Mr. Rogers.”

“I can’t help it,” He chuckled. “I always pay attention to the things that are important to me.”

“Do you know any of the constellations?” She asked, trying to divert that conversation before it started. Yes, Steve was important to her, too...but she also knew better than to jinx herself. She wasn’t ready to give this up, not quite yet.

“Hmm, some of them.” Steve smiled. He pointed up towards the stars, so she turned back onto her back so she could see better. “I really only know the ones that help me navigate. Do you know any?”

“Try me,” she smiled. Steve chuckled against her side, making her grin.

She loved how easily Steve laughed. Clint had pointed out the night before that Steve wasn’t usually like this, but she had dismissed that thought. There was no way Steve wasn’t usually this happy. If anything, it was his newly acquired “son” that made him happy - not her. She meant it when she said she wasn’t anything special. At least, not in the way people kept telling her. She was a science experiment with magic blood that no one, including herself, understood. She had been excited at the opportunity to have the infamous Bruce Banner look at it, but he hadn’t been able to turn up anything that she hadn’t already known.

“What about that one?” Steve asked, pointing out a cluster of stars.

“Andromeda,” She replied easily. “Legend says her mother boasted that she was the most beautiful woman in the world, and the other gods took offense. Poseidon, God of the Sea, created a sea monster to destroy her. Andromeda was chained to a rock and left for the sea monster. Perseus had just killed Medusa and happened upon her chained to the rock. He used Medusa’s head to turn the sea monster to stone and then took Andromeda as his bride.”

“You really are a walking encyclopedia,” Steve laughed.

“Nah,” She denied. “I just read a lot.”

“We can get you some books,” Steve offered, turning his head towards her. “Or a library card?”

“I can always download books,” She shrugged. An actual book was way better than an electronic copy, but they also took up space. Poor Gertrude was already busting at the seams and couldn’t support her book habit. She saw Steve’s frown through the darkness so she twisted into his side and kissed him. One corner of his mouth twitched up like he could see what she was doing. She decided to ignore that in favor of kissing him again. His lips were soft and warm, and she was quickly falling in love with the gentleness that he used with her. He didn’t treat her like she was fragile or delicate, but rather something to be taken care of even though she could do it perfectly well on her own. She smiled at Steve, knowing he was trying to assess her mood, and ran her palm over his cheek. “You’re getting stabby.”

“Hmm, sorry.” Steve replied softly. Kevin had set the anchor, so they could speak without trying to talk over the motor noise. “It grows fast.”

“Have you ever grown it out?” She smiled, trying to picture Steve with a beard.

“No,” he laughed, scratching his chin with the hand not holding Skye. “My dad’s beard grew out red - we are Irish, after all - so I’m afraid to see if mine will too.”

“Afraid?”

“Doll, Tony would never stop with the ginger jokes.” Steve replied dryly. She couldn’t hold back her giggle at that. Tony would definitely have a field day with that. “Apparently, gingers don’t have souls,” Steve continued.

“Aw, poor Stevie!” She giggled, dropping her face into his shoulder to muffle her laughter.

“I’m glad my suffering amuses you,” he teased, joining her laughter.

“Sorry, Face Plant,” She grinned, pulling herself partially across Steve’s chest. The floor was padded with blankets, but her sharp hip bone was uncomfortable to lean against for long. She was glad her appetite had returned; she was regaining the weight she had lost rather quickly. She wouldn’t need to worry about stabby hip bones for long.

“Are you okay?” Steve asked, ever observant.

“Yeah,” she nodded against his chest. “I’m just having trouble resisting you.”

“Well, at least we have the same problem,” Steve replied into the top of her head. He shifted slightly, pulling her over him a little bit more so his hip wasn’t in her stomach. He tugged another blanket over her and secured it with his arms. She hummed and pressed a kiss to his chest.

“We were teasing about staying out for a few days,” she murmured contently, “but I don’t think I’d mind if we didn’t go back ever.”

“Ever?” Steve replied doubtfully. She giggled and nodded slowly. “I wonder how long it would take Tony to send out a search party.”

“We can try it out sometime,” she laughed. “Not tonight though. You would have to tell Steven ahead of time.”

“Jack can watch him,” Steve shrugged.

“He would worry. You would need to tell him.”

“Or you could,” Steve nodded. “He listens better to you than he does to me.”

“That’s not true.”

“It is. I’m not mad. Frankly, I’m glad you two get on so well because I was at my wits end with his meltdown. He wouldn’t tell me what was wrong, but it just kept getting worse.”

“He doesn’t know how to talk to you, yet.”

“I figured that one out,” Steve nodded. “I’m glad he has you to model from. He’s more relaxed, so we’re more relaxed.”

“You guys all have different expectations. When he had his meltdown, it was cause Bruce tickled him. But they didn’t know about the tickling thing, so they assumed they did something wrong. Tony, especially, didn’t want to tell you. You can’t raise a kid without being on the same page.”

“We’ve never done this. I didn’t intend to go to Shield and adopt a kid. Hell, the Tower is probably the worst place for a kid - well, for any kid except Steven. Could you imagine a ‘normal’ child in the Tower? That poor kid.”

“Are you going to keep Steven?” She asked, giving up and shifting on top of Steve entirely. She rested her chin on his sternum, using her fingers to disperse her weight.  

“I want to adopt him - especially now that you’re helping us figure out this whole family thing.”

“Whole family thing?” She laughed. Steve smirked and nodded.

“Yeah. I’ve never had a kid. He’s never had a dad - not that I’m his dad, but -”

“He thinks of you as his dad,” Skye interrupted softly. “I mean, maybe not in such specific terms. He’s never _called_ you dad, but he thinks of you as his parent, or what his idea of a parent is.”

“Yeah?”

“Yeah.”

“He told you that?” Steve asked, removing one arm from around her so he could prop his head up on some blankets so he could see her better.

“More or less. I’m paraphrasing.”

“So you don’t think he’d mind if I wanted to adopt him?”

“I think you would crush him if you sent him away.”

“I’m not sending him away.”

“Shield’s going to want him back at some point.”

“They can’t have him,” Steve shrugged dismissively.

“You’re kind of possessive,” She giggled.

“I’m _protective_ ,” Steve corrected. “Very protective.”

“Yes, you are.”

“As much as I would like to stay here forever, I think we should probably head back. We’ve got a drive ahead of us.”

“Five more minutes?” She asked, pushing her lip out in a pout that she knew Steve would see right through. He laughed and stretched up to kiss her.

“I don’t know what’s scarier,” he admitted, “that I know what you’re doing but am still going to give in, or that you already know how to work me.”

“I’m not trying to work you over.”

“I know, doll. But you knew that face was going to earn you five more minutes.”

“I am pretty cute,” she giggled.

“No,” Steve denied. “You’re beautiful. Thank you for letting me take you out.”

“You’re welcome?”

 

0-0-0-0-0

 

“I can't sleep,” Steven admitted, dragging his feet into the common area.

Everyone was still up, watching a movie. Tony and Clint had refused to let Steve take Skye right back down to his floor, even though they both looked dead on their feet. Pepper had put the boy to bed earlier in the evening, then retired to bed herself. Jack was running diagnostics on the comms units, filtering through data that Fitz kept sending him from the Bus. Skye was leaning against Steve’s side, his arm draped across her chest. (Tony had rolled his eyes and shot the pair a disgusted look, but didn’t comment.) Clint had no problem with their closeness - he had Skye’s legs across his lap and they were sharing a blanket.

Skye popped up from the couch quickly, seeing the carefully hidden distress on the boy’s face. He may have addressed the whole room, but he was only looking at Skye. Steve shifted forward, getting up as well.

“Stay,” Skye smiled, waving Steve down. “I'll quiz you on this later. Come on, Steven.”

“I'm sorry I interrupted,” Steven frowned. Skye scooped him up into her arms and carried him back onto the elevator.

“Shush,” Skye admonished softly. “Don't ever apologize for telling us what you need.”

“I tried,” Steven whispered, wrapping his legs around Skye's waist and dropping his head onto her shoulder. “I tried to sleep, but something just feels...different.”

“Hmm.” Skye nodded, considering his words. “Good different or bad different?”

“I don't know yet. My stomach is all swirly and I kind of feel like there's something stuck in my throat.”

“Well, you let me know when you figure it out okay? Your gut is a very good tool. You should learn to listen to it.”

“Okay,” Steven agreed sleepily. He was exhausted from the day. Clint had taken him to an outdoor archery range after Steve and Skye left for their adult date - and that had turned into dinner at a park. Snuggled up on Skye's chest, he couldn't remember what had had him all riled up. “Will you stay until I fall asleep?”

“Of course, honey.” Skye reassured him. “And you know where to find me if you wake up again, yeah? You are always welcome to come into Steve’s room, even if we’re sleeping.”

“Tony said that if the door is closed and it sounds like you're fighting, I shouldn't go inside.” Steven told her, lifting his head long enough to give her a serious look. “Do you and Steve fight?”

“No.” Skye chuckled. “We disagree sometimes, but we can always talk things out. I don't think that's what Tony meant.”

“Jack said it was cause you need some private time.”

“Everyone needs private time,” Skye smiled. “How much depends on the person though.”

“I don't like having very much private time.” Steven yawned. Skye grinned and rubbed her head on him like a cat. “Tony says it's cause I'm like you. Jack agreed with him. But, I don't know if I believe them. I think you like private time but you're bad at telling people to give you some.”

“How about you go to sleep and we can discuss this sometime when you're not half asleep?” Skye teased lightly.

“I'm not ready for you to go.” Steven blurted out, holding onto her tightly. “I feel like...like...like I'm going to lose you? That whatever is coming is going to change things – for good and for bad.”

“Hmm, can I tell you a secret?” Skye said softly, swaying in place. “It might make you feel better.”

“Who is it a secret from?”

“Everyone.”

“I don't know if I should keep a secret from Steve.”

“Just for tonight?” Skye laughed. “Can you keep it just for tonight?”

“Okay.” Steven agreed, even though the apprehension was clear on his face.

“You know how I move around a lot?” Skye asked, grinning when Jarvis put on soft music. Her swaying was timed perfectly with the song.

“Yeah. Cause they were coming for you and Jack.”

“That's true.” Skye agreed. “Well, I met a lot of people that way.”

“Oh. Good people?”

“All kinds of people.” Skye nodded. “Most of them were very good people.”

“Good. You deserve good people.”

“Well, one of the people got to be pretty important to me. Some bad stuff has happened to him, but he's getting better.”

“Like us?”

“Like us.” She agreed. “He's coming to the Tower. I'm sneaking him in tonight.”

“Your friend is coming? Here?” Steven asked, his eyes wide with excitement. He knew that would make Skye happy.

“He's coming.” Skye nodded. “He might have some bad days, like sometimes we have bad days, but I think it's going to be good for him.”

“Good and bad.” Steven mused. “Like my gut.”

“Your gut is good,” Skye smiled. She reached up to brush his hair away, then planted a kiss on his head. “Now, maybe you'll feel better about this whole change.”

“Is he nice? Your friend, I mean?”

“Oh, you're going to love him.” Skye grinned. “Now, let's get you to sleep, huh?”

“I'm not going to lose you, am I?”

“No, honey.” Skye frowned. “You may have to share some, but everyone at the Tower gets shared.”

“Okay. That means you're staying here.” Steven said firmly.

“I'm staying here.” Skye nodded, adding silently _for now_. The boy tightened his hold around her neck and tucked his head under her chin. “Hey, Jarvis? Turn it up a little?”

 

0-0-0-0-0

 

When Steve sneaked onto his floor, Skye was dancing with Steven. She was singing softly, twirling slowly around the room. Every now and then Steven would giggle sleepily, so he knew the boy was still awake – though barely. He was relaxed now, slumped into a limp puddle in Skye's arms. Steve smiled and leaned against the door frame, content to just watch.

This was just one of many reasons why he was glad Skye was there - her woman’s touch on the boy. He knew that Steven was asking for her when he came upstairs; he wondered if it should bother him more that he was seeking out reassurances through Skye and not him, but it just didn’t. It made both of them happy, which made him happy. He had special memories of just him and his mom, so he was glad Steven was getting to create his own memories with Skye. She wasn’t his mom, but she fell into that role easily. He could see why Jack thought of her as his mom.

“Do it again,” Steven asked softly, slurring the words against her skin. Jarvis let the last seconds of the song play, then started it over again. Skye grinned up at the ceiling, then over at Steve. Steven didn't pick his head up, so he didn't see Steve watching them dance.

“Is he okay?” Steve mouthed to Skye. She smiled and nodded slightly. He could see she had it handled so he ducked his head and pointed behind him. “I'll be in bed.”

“He isn't sneaky,” Steven muttered a minute later, making Skye giggle.

“Don't burst his bubble,” Skye whispered. He nodded slowly.

“Can you do the lullaby?” Steven mumbled.

“The lullaby?” Skye asked softly.

“Yeah. Jack sang it for me.” Steven nodded, then he sleepily started humming the song. Skye smiled and pressed a kiss to the top of his head. If Jack had sung it for him, he had made it further past Jack's guards than he knew. It didn't surprise Skye one bit; after all, he had made it past her guards too. She waited until Steven was breathing heavily against her neck, snoring lightly every third breath, then deposited him carefully into his bed.

“Sleep tight, baby.” Skye whispered, running her hand down his cheek.

 

0-0-0-0-0

 

“He finally down?” Steve asked, walking out of the bathroom. His face was still wet, so Skye knew he had finished his bathroom routine already.

“Yeah,” Skye nodded. “He just needed a little reassuring. I'm going to go brush my teeth.”

Skye smiled at herself in the mirror as she brushed her teeth, trying to keep herself calm. Steve would definitely be alerted if she was more wound than usual, but her body was tingling with suppressed excitement. She washed her face and brushed her teeth, then headed back out. She expected Steve to be in bed already, but he wasn't. He was standing near the bed, still dressed in his khakis and button up. She quirked her mouth at him, wondering why he was blushing.

“Steve?”

“Uh, we never...” Steve swallowed audibly, then tried again. “You like to dance.”

“Yeah, I like to dance,” Skye agreed, cocking her head at him. She walked up to him, running a hand down the buttons on his shirt.

“I was thinking we could.” Steve said softly.

“Dance?” Skye smiled up at him. “I thought you didn't know how.”

“Maybe less dancing and more swaying?” Steve shrugged. She grinned and reached up to rest a hand on his shoulder, then grabbed his hand with her free one. He wrapped his other hand around her waist, pulling her half a step closer. Jarvis pulled up slow music, making Skye grin. “Did you plan this?”

“I didn't think having community movie night was a good way to end our date,” Steve admitted quietly. “And it felt wrong just climbing into bed with you after today.”

“Would you rather I slept somewhere else?” Skye asked, just as softly. “I can move out.”

“Move out,” Steve grinned, shaking his head.

“Why are you laughing?” Skye asked, frowning exaggeratedly.

“In my day, you moving in would have been a really big deal.” Steve smirked. “Like...now that we're married, you _need_ to move in, kind of a big deal.”

“Did you want to go get married?” Skye teased.

“You don't get to tease me,” Steve huffed, pulling her hips to his with a jerk. “I'm trying to tease you!”

“Trying being the key word.”

“Ouch, doll.” Steve laughed. “You just offered to move out like it wasn't a big deal that you were moved in.”

“We would be living together anyway.” Skye shrugged.

“True.” Steve conceded easily. “But sharing a Tower and sharing a bed are completely different things.”

“Are you okay sharing with me?” Skye asked softly. The music was still playing but they had stopped their slow dancing. Steve's eyebrows jerked together, trying to figure out the look on her face. “I kept waking up here, so I assumed it was okay. I don't want to make you uncomfortable, Steve.”

“I like knowing where you are,” Steve admitted, by way of answering her. She nodded, like she already knew that.

“And I like your body heat,” Skye admitted back, making Steve nod his agreement. “But you didn't answer my question.”

“Skye, I...” Steve pursed his lips and collected his thoughts. He knew he had to get this right. “In the 40s, this would have been scandalous. For you. People would make assumptions about you, and I wouldn't have let you get that reputation... I wouldn't have let you move in, not without being married.” He paused, assessing how Skye was taking this. She was just watching him, patiently waiting for him to finish. He smiled a little and quirked his eyebrow, “But this isn't the 40s. I've been living in a  tower with Tony for years, and frankly, that's more scandalous than anything we do in private.”

“Tony's more scandalous than Captain America getting _a girl_?” Skye asked, her eyebrow raised in disbelief. Steve laughed and bent down to kiss her.

“This Tower houses two long-term relationships, two brand new relationships, a part-time Alien, a part-time green rage monster, and a man in a tin can. To name a few.” Steve grinned. “If I've learned anything from Tony, it's that I don't really give a hoot what people think. There are a lot weirder things happening that they can worry about.”

“So...that's a yes?” Skye asked lightly.

“Yes, I'm okay sharing with you.” Steve grinned. “Though _okay_ is such an underwhelming word. I think it would physically hurt to have you two doors down.”

“You know I'm not in bed with you for that long, right?” Skye asked softly, teasingly. Between her late nights and his early mornings, they were only in the same space for an hour or two.

“I know,” Steve smiled, pressing a kiss to her lips. “I'm working on fixing your sleep schedule. You stayed last night, so maybe I just need to wear you out before bedtime. How'd I do at not formal and dressed up?”

“You did a really good job,” Skye smiled, reaching up to tug him down for another kiss. “I hope you didn't worry about it.”

“I didn't.” Steve lied. “You didn't catch my slip.”

“Not spending too much money?” Skye smirked. Steve nodded slowly. “Tony swapped your card out for his, sneaky sneaky. Since half of his money is my money, I paid for half of the date and that totally works for me.”

“Starks.” Steve muttered darkly.

“Sorry.” Skye told him. He shot her a look of justifiable disbelief and she quirked her mouth up. “A little bit. I'm a little bit sorry.”

“Go get your pajamas,” Steve laughed, pushing her away. “We've had a very long day and I'm ready for bed.”

“Gotta get your four hours in,” Skye nodded, twirling and heading for a drawer that held her clothes.

“Like you sleep any more than I do.” Steve laughed, pulling his pants off. Skye changed quickly and strolled back to him, helping him undo the buttons on his dress shirt. Steve swallowed and followed the motion of her fingers with his eyes. She reached the bottom and slid her fingers inside the open flaps, deliberately keeping her fingers from slipping inside his under shirt. Slowly, she trailed her fingers upwards on his chest, then down his shoulders, pulling his shirt off. He let his shirt fall into her hands, waiting for her eyes to flick up to his. The adorably shy, unusually vulnerable expression on her face, when she finally did look up at him, had him desperately trying to recall some moisture into his mouth. He blurted out, “These are new.”

“New?” Skye asked. He cringed and plucked at her pajama top to explain. He didn't trust his brain with words right now. It wasn't like he hadn't seen her skin before. He had given her a gauze bath for heaven's sake! But this was different. Her skin was distracting in a way he wasn't used to. Her eyes twinkled and understanding lit her face. She pulled his face down for a kiss, then twisted over to tell him, “You get cuddly when you're worried.”

“Cuddly?” Steve winced.

“Cuddly.” Skye confirmed seriously. “Great for body heat, terrible for sneaking out of bed. Which, I think, might be your motivation.”

“Sorry,” Steve frowned.

“It's cold in here,” Skye shivered. “Let's finish this in bed, huh?”

“It's not cold,” Steve scoffed, letting Skye drag him to the bed anyway.

“You can totally shed that shirt, if you're hot.” Skye offered.

“Oh, yeah?” Steve laughed. “Do I need to tell Tony you’re trying to take advantage of me?”

“Skin to skin contact is good for lowering blood pressure and stress levels,” Skye nodded. Steve smirked and tried to decide if she was being serious.

“You just want cuddles.”

“I always want cuddles,” Skye dismissed. “But, skin to skin contact would make me feel better, unless you are uncomfortable – in which case, forget I said anything.”

“Who am I to stand in the way of your health?” Steve teased, deciding that even if she was kidding, he would be more comfortable sleeping without his shirt. Normally he stripped down to his boxers for sleeping. Skye didn't share his reservations about disrobing, as evidenced by her changing right in front of him, but he had needed to work up to sleeping normally again. He shrugged and pulled the shirt over his head before sliding into the bed next to Skye. She was shivering under the cold sheets, so she instantly slid over into his side.

“Oh, my God. You're delicious,” Skye moaned, draping herself around him. She pressed her face onto the bare skin at his shoulder and moaned again. Steve chuckled and pressed a kiss to the top of her head as he wrapped his arms tightly around her.

“You were right,” Steve admitted softly. “I already feel calmer.”

“Told ya,” Skye mumbled, burrowing into his chest.

“Hey, tomorrow can we talk about bringing Bucky in?”

“Hmm, uh huh,” she mumbled sleepily, his heat pulling her under.

“Good night, doll.”

Skye was already out.

 


	38. Dibs on the arm

 

“Shh,” Skye shushed, pressing her fingers to her lips as a silent order. The man at the end of the bed frowned slightly and cocked his head at her. She grinned and flipped the sheets back, inviting him into the bed. His eyes flicked to the man lying next to Skye, then smirked at her. He kicked his shoes off and unbuttoned his pants. When he had stripped down to a t-shirt and his boxers, he slid into bed next to her. He was careful not to touch her with his metal arm; he knew from experience how cold it could get. Neither of them felt uncomfortable with him climbing into bed – they had known each other for a while, after all.

Skye bit her lip, smothering a giggle. They needed to sleep; Steve would be up in a few hours and she wanted to see his face when he realized who she had managed to sneak into the Tower. The man ducked his head and grinned back at her, enjoying her obvious amusement. He didn't get that reaction from people. 

This dame was different. She had found him when no one else could. Found him when he didn't want to be found. But honestly, he needed it. He needed a friendly face with no hidden agenda. He needed someone on his side. She had been upfront about knowing Stevie, and never pushed him into coming back. Mentioned it, yes – often. But she always made it clear that  _ he _ had to make the choice; that  _ he  _ had to decide when he was ready. Not that she hadn't removed his decisions in a few cases. He grinned, remembering her no nonsense tone when she ordered him to shower and eat. He had gone meekly, trusting her to have his best interests at heart (even if he didn't). It was surprising, really, just how quickly he trusted her. 

She was funny and caring and warm, and those qualities stuck out in stark contrast to the qualities the people he had spent the last (however many) years with. She was a breath of fresh air, and he had been concerned when she suddenly dropped off the grid. He had received a very brief email from her normal address, but all it had said was  _ Steve would love to see you _ . Nothing else. It hadn't taken him long to realize that something bad had happened, though it had taken some time to figure out exactly what. She was his priority; Steve was safe and would still be there after he found her.

She knew how to find him, but he only had clues on where to find her. He knew she didn't want him prying, and he had respected that. But he had growled a few curses when he acknowledged how much time he wasted trying to put the clues together. By the time he sorted through the pieces, she had been gone days. Her bunker,  _ she was living in a fuckin’ bunker and she had the gall to tease him about his arrangements? _ , was destroyed. Everything useful had already been picked over and taken, leaving him with nothing but unease over what had happened. Unease and anger -  _ lots _ of anger. They had found her. 

Falling back into soldier mode, he had followed clue after clue until finally he had something to go on. He wasn't proud of his intimidation tactics, but it got him an answer he was looking for. Turns out, the soldier could come in handy.

He hadn't realized how important she had grown to him until he realized how close he had come to losing her. 

Then she invited him to the park, saying Steve and she would be there the following day. It was up to him whether he wanted to reveal himself or not. She just thought he might want to see some friendly faces. Oh, was she right. He had had some terrible nightmares the night before and watching Stevie with her was just about enough to cure his heartache. If Steve could land on his feet, then he sure as hell could too.

He had to hand it to his friend (if they could still be called that), he knew how to pick 'em. He might have waited ninety some years to find the right girl, but he had done well. She was smart and witty, but she was damn beautiful too. She wasn't afraid to stand up to him, even when he slipped back into soldier mode. He smiled, thinking back to her lecture about  _ tough love _ as he was puking his guts out. He hadn't revealed himself at the park, but Skye knew he was there. She had blown him a kiss behind Steve's back as they walked away. Her soft smile of understanding almost had him running after them. Almost. Steve could be damn stubborn, so it would be good for him to have someone who wasn’t afraid to put him in his place.

After everything, she still wanted him around. Still wanted him to come live with them. He could grin and agree that he was coming to get to know Stevie again, but if he was honest with himself, she had a larger part in his being in the Tower than Steve did.

And now she was letting him crawl into their bed.

And  _ damn _ if it wasn't the softest bed he had ever laid in. He was desperately sleep deprived, caused by an onset of paranoia, nightmares, and living more or less on the street. She had tried to set him up in a safe house, but he couldn't make himself stay there for anything other than showers. He was worried about them finding him. 

He was worried about this, too –  sharing a bed. It had never been an issue before, not with Skye, at least, but there was a vague memory that was trying to push itself forward, and he didn't quite have it in his grasp yet. All he knew was that, before Skye, it had been a long while since he shared a bed, and that that person had been important to him. 

It frustrated him beyond belief that he had those small tickles of a memory, but nothing substantial. He would just have to wait and hope more of the memory would come back.

Steve adjusted against Skye, pulling his face into her neck. He mumbled something softly, rubbing his nose down her neck. Skye continued to run her fingers through the short hairs at the nape of his neck, lulling him back into slumber. It wouldn't do to have him wake now. Now it was his turn to bite back a laugh. The super soldier was slipping up if he allowed another man in bed with him and his girl. Skye's hand sought out his under the covers, making sure he stayed close. Not that he had any intention of leaving; it had taken him a long time to find himself, longer still to convince himself to find his friend. He couldn't beat a reception like this. Skye hummed faintly and adjusted between Steve and him. 

He fell asleep feeling loved...safe. He could land on his feet, too. With his friends' help.

 

0-0-0-0-0

 

Skye woke first, due to her excitement. She would need a nap later, but right now it was worth it. Their midnight visitor had shifted in his sleep so he was pressed just as tightly against her as Steve was. She was grateful she ran cold lately, otherwise she would be stifling. His metal arm was hidden under his pillow, but his other arm was draped across her waist. Steve was still buried in her neck, one leg pressed between hers. His hand cradled her face, holding her like she was precious. 

Their guest woke next, blinking when he realized the position they were in. Skye just grinned, so he shrugged and closed his eyes again. Skye didn't seem bothered by his closeness, had never been bothered by his closeness, so he didn't extract himself. His past lacked basic human elements, and he desperately missed human touch. Hmm, kind touch. He missed  _ kind _ touch. It didn't hurt that she also craved that contact and encouraged him at every turn. If he wasn't reaching out for her, she was reaching for him – and that suited him just fine.

Steve woke slowly, curling himself tighter against Skye's body. His first indication that something was wrong was the extra hand he could feel pressing into the naked flesh between his hip and Skye's. He froze momentarily, then pulled Skye closer to him. Jack's hands weren't rough – not like this.

He slowly extracted his face from Skye's neck, trying not to wake her or whoever else was in his bed. He felt vibrations against his chest and absently wondered if Skye was having a nightmare. He wouldn't be surprised if she was finally processing everything that had happened to her. He would deal with that after he figured out who was in his bed. He was more concerned about the immediate threat. He frowned and finally got a good look at the man. His hair was far too long and his face was gaunt in a way Steve wasn't used to, but there was no doubt in his mind who was in his bed.

“Bucky?” Steve squeaked, his voice still gravelly from sleep.

“Shh, 'm sleepin',” Bucky mumbled in a deep Brooklyn accent, pulling closer to Skye. Skye's giggles erupted from her chest, making Bucky grin. He opened his eyes just enough to peek at Steve, breaking into his own gentle laughter when he saw the shock on his face. Steve finally seemed to process what was happening and looked at Skye with an open mouth. 

“What? You said you wanted to meet my friend sometime soon.” Skye smirked.

“What? Bucky? When? THE BAR! How did you sneak him in?” Steve gaped. Skye pressed his mouth closed with gentle pressure to his chin. Bucky chuckled at Steve's lack of filter, though he hid his amusement in Skye's shoulder. The boy he knew was still there, hiding behind the super soldier body, which made him feel infinitely better about this situation. It made it easier to get to know who Steve was now.

“That is a really stupid question, considering who you're asking.”

“I know how you got him into the Tower,” Steve grumbled. “How'd you get him in bed?”

“You were tired,” Skye smirked.

“I'm good, in case you were wonderin’.” Bucky mumbled.

“Yeah, I see that.” Steve retorted, flipping Bucky's hand off Skye's waist. “Getting all comfy on my girl.”

“Hmm, she did invite me into bed.” Bucky smirked, dropping his arm right back where it had been. “Maybe you haven't been takin’ care of her...”

“You really did take all the stupid with you, didn't you?” Steve interrupted. He grinned and threw himself over Skye to surprise Bucky with an awkward hug.

“I'm starving,” Skye commented before Steve could realize that Bucky wasn't hugging him back. His grip on her hip was painfully tight. “Can you believe Bucky hasn't had chocolate chip pancakes? I mean, really.”

“You want me to make pancakes, don't you?” Steve asked, pulling back and pretending to roll his eyes. “We just had pancakes yesterday.” Bucky grinned at Skye, tucking himself closer to her side, then they both turned on Steve with puppy dog eyes.

“Please, Stevie?” They asked in sync. 

“I'm sure I'm not going to enjoy you two together,” Steve commented, trying to keep a straight face. He failed, miserably. How could he even pretend to be angry? He finally had everything he ever wanted. A beautiful girl, his best friend, a makeshift family of his own choosing, and a home. He couldn't be happier.

“You have no room to talk.” Skye informed him. “You and my brother got together.”

“Oh, really?” Bucky asked, raising an eyebrow. Judging by Skye's tone of voice, there was a story there, but he was instantly protective – thinking Steve left her for another...man? “I didn't know you had it in you, Stevie.”

“Or in someone else...” Skye coughed, hiding her smirk. Bucky lifted his head to look at her. She smiled and shook her head. “I bet Steve would love to tell you all about it over chocolate chip pancakes.”

“I can take a hint, you know.” Steve sighed, extracting himself from Skye. Skye grinned and tossed the covers back, stretching. 

“Whew, you two are hot.” She commented, flapping her shirt. She pointed to her red side, the side Steve had been sleeping on, and then the damp spot on the front of her shirt from where he had sweat overnight, “See, Steve? Cuddly.”

“Point taken,” Steve smirked.

“Pancakes,” Bucky ordered, pointing to the door. Steve grinned and shook his head, pulling on jogging pants and a fresh shirt.

“You coming?”

“Yes, sir.” They grinned. 

“Bucky, maybe we can talk later?” Steve asked, almost shyly. He wasn't dumb. He could see Bucky was more comfortable with Skye than he was with him. It didn't surprise him though – Skye had been trying to convince him to come to the Tower for a while. Meanwhile, Bucky hadn't spoken to him since the train incident. Shit, the train. 

Skye though - He was comfortable with Skye. She was hard to resist. 

Bucky watched the emotions flicker around Steve's face, then offered him a lazy salute. Steve laughed and left. Bucky smiled; Skye was right – Steve hadn't really changed that much...if you ignored the fact that there was a girl in his bed.

“You actually slept,” Skye said softly, reaching over to smooth Bucky's crazy hair.

“Can't help but feel safe with you, Солнышко.” Bucky admitted, shrugging softly. She could see he didn't want to continue that topic, at least not yet, so she switched tactics.

“You didn't show him your arm.” Skye commented, sitting up.

“It didn't come up.” Bucky replied, shrugging. Skye mulled over his words, then shrugged.

“I'm glad you finally came.”

“You didn't leave me much of a choice.” Bucky snorted lightly. “If I'm here, I can keep an eye on you. I can keep you from makin’ stupid choices. Besides, I think I've gotten as better as I can on my own. Did that even make sense? I think I need you and Stevie to finish puttin’ me back together.”

“Oh God, don't turn this all touchy feely. So not my style. Let's go help Steve with pancakes.”

“Deal.” Bucky grinned. “You're goin’ to have to eat a whole stack, get some meat back on your bones.”

“Get up,” Skye grinned back, pushing him off the bed. Bucky did as she asked, but reached down and pulled his pants back on, unwilling to wander this new place in his boxers. He contemplated pulling his glove and jacket back on, but he also knew it would be better to have it out in the open. Besides, Skye would be there to run interference. He would much rather have the metal arm conversation now, with her present. She twirled her fingers, making him turn around. Skye scrambled to her feet, bouncing on the bed, then launched herself at Bucky's back. She wrapped her arms and legs around him, then pointed to the door, giggling. 

“Jarvis, to the kitchen please.” Skye giggled, directing Bucky to the elevator. 

“Yes, Ms. Skye. Good Morning, Mister...” Jarvis waited for Bucky to answer.

“You get to pick your name now,” Skye prompted. “Bucky, James, Señor Metal Arm. Whatever pleases you.” 

“Bucky works for me.” He replied softly.

“Jarvis, this is Bucky Barnes. Please add him to the security system. He can have all the access I have.”

“Yes, Ms. Skye. Good morning, Mr. Barnes.”

“What did you do? And what is that?” Bucky asked, looking at the top of the elevator.

“Jarvis, Tony's AI. Basically a fancy computer system. I just had him add you to the programming so security won't try to round you up.”

“You would do that for me?” Bucky asked, ducking his head shyly. He knew Bucky from the 40s had never been this shy, but he wasn't that man anymore. Not very often, at least.

“Well, yeah...Señor Metal Arm.” Skye replied, bursting into laughter. She was still giggling when Bucky walked them into the kitchen.

“What are you laughing about, crazy?” Clint asked, spinning in his chair to face her. They could hear her laughter coming up the elevator. Bucky stiffened at the sudden movement, fighting to not see the man as a threat, but taking a few steps back with Skye anyway. Just to be safe.

“Archer!” Skye grinned, waving from Bucky's back. “This is Steve's totally better half, Bucky Barnes! Bucky, say hi.”

“Better half,” Steve scoffed lightly.

“I do have a name, Skye.” Clint said dryly. He grinned and stood, extending a hand to Bucky. “It's Clint. Clint Barton, if you were wondering.”

“Nice to be here,” Bucky replied softly, taking Clint's hand and shaking it firmly. Skye laughed and slipped from his back, rushing over to the breakfast bar. Without Skye to hold onto, Bucky's arms fell loosely to his sides.

“What. Is. That?” Steve asked slowly, seeing Bucky's metal arm for the first time. Logically, he knew about it. The file had been very clear that it was no longer his actual arm, but  _ knowing _ about something and  _ seeing _ something were two very different things. Once again, he was glad for Skye’s foresight.

“It's a metal prostetic, Steve. Don't make it weird; I thought you read the flash drive? Bucky, come sit by me.” Skye smiled, pushing him onto a stool. She adjusted her stance and deepened her voice, “I'm Captain America. This pancake batter is going to be extra fluffy because I'm beating it senseless while I stare... _ which is totally rude, Steve _ .”

Steve glanced down at his hands, realizing Skye was right. He was still beating the batter and he was being rude. He sheepishly set the bowl on the counter and took a step away from it. Clint snorted and took a sip of his coffee. There was a heavy silence, until Bucky softly quipped, “Well, at least there won't be any lumps.”

“Sorry, Bucky.” Steve said softly. “You caught me off guard.”

“It's okay,” He shrugged. He was used to it. 

“You going to warn Tony before he comes down?” Steve asked, turning the stove top on.

“Tony?” Bucky asked, turning towards Skye.

“He's Howard Stark's son,” Steve supplied helpfully.

“Really? Stark had kids?” Bucky asked, cocking his head.

“Just the one. Thank God.” Clint muttered into his mug. 

“What does that make Skye?” Steve asked. No one had a good answer for that one. Bucky frowned at what was going unsaid. He didn't understand.

“Jarvis, when he wakes, would you warn Tony that we have a guest? Make sure he knows he's a friendly, please.” Skye smiled, slipping from her stool. She poured two cups of coffee and handed one to Bucky, black. “Jarvis, could you also wake Jack for me? Tell him he needs to train today. Invigorate Protocol 3, if he ignores you.”

“Yes, Ms. Skye.”

“You need to stop adding protocols to Jarvis,” Another male voice sighed, staggering tiredly into the room.

“Did you even go to bed?” Skye asked sternly.

“Did I give you permission to bring strays into my Tower?” Tony countered, gratefully accepting the coffee Skye passed him over the breakfast bar.

“Finders, Keepers.” Skye replied cheekily. “I found him. I get to keep him.”

“She takes after you, after all. You take after her?” Steve shrugged when Tony turned his stare to him. “Not sure why you're surprised.”

“Tony Stark.” Tony sighed, not extending his hand. “You are?”

“Bucky?” He replied, ducking his head to hide behind his hair.

“You don't sound very sure about that.” Tony remarked, taking in the man over the top of his coffee mug. He was unprepared for Skye flipping over the counter with easy grace, landing neatly between Tony and Bucky. He stumbled back half a step, ignoring Skye's gentle laughter at his reaction. She adjusted her stance, leaning back on Bucky's side. He adjusted his metal arm around her waist, letting her get more comfortable and using her as a human shield against the man in front of him. If this man was anything like his father was, he wasn't sure he was prepared to deal with him. Not yet. Tony's eyes flicked down to the metal hand on Skye's waist, then back up to hers. He didn't say anything, just raised an eyebrow.

“Tony,” Skye said pointedly. “I want you to meet Steve's  _ friend _ Bucky. Well, James Buchanan Barnes. I'm sure Howard told you a few stories.”

“What?” Tony asked, his eyes flying to Steve's.

“You knew about her side project,” Steve grinned. He shrugged and added batter to a hot skillet, then added a few chocolate chips on top. 

“Come on, they're his  _ first _ .” Skye sighed, pointing to the pancakes. “Break your stupid health rules and give the man some chocolate.”

“Fine,” Steve sighed, adding more chips. He raised an eyebrow, asking if that was an appropriate amount. Skye grinned and blew him a kiss.

“Skylar Elizabeth!” An angry voice shouted. Bucky grabbed Skye and spun her so she was behind him, instinctively putting himself between her and the danger. Skye took one look at Jack's dripping form and bust into laughter. The entire kitchen rang with the happy sound. Skye sank to the floor, clutching her sides in a way that seemed painful. She took a deep, ragged breath and exhaled more laughter. 

“It's not funny.” Jack hissed, holding out his dripping arms.

“I warned you against ignoring Jarvis.” Skye gasped.

“You're dripping all over the floor,” Clint pointed out dryly, taking a long drink of his coffee. Bucky's eyes shot over to him quickly; he tried to hide his smirk at the man's dry sense of humor. That was something Bucky didn't know about him. 

“Thank you, captain obvious.” Jack retorted.

“Hey, I'm the Captain.” Steve grinned. 

“Of course you are, honey.” Jack sighed. He finally noticed the man shielding his sister. “Hey. You're the guy from the computer.”

“How very profound.” Skye giggled, letting Bucky pull her up from the ground. “Bucky, this is my brother Jack. Jack, James Buchanan Barnes.”

“Her side project.” Steve clarified, seeing Jack still struggling to figure out why the man was familiar.

“Oh! You're Mister-Stop-Calling-Me.” Jack grinned, extending a wet hand. “Nice to meet you.”

“Hi, Jack.” Bucky smiled shyly, taking his hand. “I've heard a lot about you.” 

“I hope at least some of it's good,” Jack smirked. Then he noticed the metal arm and gasped. “Lordy, that's a beauty. Can I take a look at it? Does it come off? Is it waterproof? How strong is it?”

“Breathe.” Skye interrupted. “Let's get food in our systems first, then you can go all mechanical on him. Maybe,  _ if you ask nicely _ , he'll even let you play a little.”

“Right. Sorry. That was rude.” Jack blushed. His sister's message was well received. “When you're more comfortable, I would love a chance to play a little. Let me know when you're ready?”

“Uh, okay?” Bucky replied, feeling a little overwhelmed. 

“I'm going to go shower now,” Jack smiled, backing out of the room. “Might as well, since I'm all wet.”

“Sorry, about him.” Skye shrugged, nodding her head towards Jack's retreating form.

“Do I get bonus points for restraining myself?” Tony asked, smirking.

“Sure thing, Pops.” Steve nodded. “You get as many points as you want.”

“Enough to kick your ass?” Tony retorted.

“...enough that you can restrain one arm or one leg during training.” Steve offered, smirking. He knew he could still beat Tony.

“Deal.”

“Training?” Skye asked, cocking an eyebrow at Tony, “When  _ is _ the last time you did any training?”

“Well, I'm staying. When did you sneak your stray into my building?”

“Last night. You should have seen Steve's face when he saw him this morning.” Skye bounced in place, grinning.

“Wait, you snuck him in past the super soldier?” Tony gasped dramatically.

“He was tired,” Skye whispered back, just as dramatically, exchanging a smirk with Bucky. Steve blushed and concentrated on the pancakes, making Tony laugh out loud.

“Please, no more details sweetheart.” Tony grinned, holding up his hand.

“Is this why you haven't moved into the fourth room?” Steve asked with a small frown. “Cause you were saving it for Bucky?”

“I'll cut up some fruit,” Skye grinned, untangling herself from Bucky's side. “No bananas, I know.”

“You read my mind.” Steve grinned, shaking his head at her lack of response. She had definitely saved that room for Bucky. 

He absently wondered what would have happened if Skye had moved out of his room, like she had offered the night before. Would she move in with Bucky? She had reassured him that they weren't  _ like that _ , and he believed her, but they were obviously very comfortable with each other. Steve had no problem with Bucky being in  _ his  _ bed with Skye, but he wasn't sure how he would feel if they were in Bucky's bed. Steve frowned at himself; he knew better than to get territorial – Skye wouldn't appreciate it and Bucky wouldn't know what to do with him.  

“What's wrong with bananas, punk?” Bucky asked softly. Steve never minded bananas before. His eyes shot up to Bucky's, a wide grin stretching across his face. He grabbed a banana off the rack and hurried around the bar to pass Bucky the banana and give him a hug.

“I'm really glad you're here, Buck.” Steve said softly, holding his friend tightly. Bucky looked to Skye, who just smirked at his uncomfortable expression. Skye pressed her lips together, desperately trying to restrain her laughter when Steve  _ still _ didn't release Bucky. 

_ “Told you,” _ Skye mouthed to Bucky, smirking. She mimed giving Steve a hug, nodding enthusiastically when he took the hint and lifted his arms to return his hug. Clint hid his wide smile behind his coffee mug. It was funny to watch the reunion, in a sad kind of way. It was clear how much they had lost. When Steve finally pulled away, Bucky had to force himself not to show him his discomfort. Skye smiled and shook her head lightly. “{You're such an idiot.}”

“{Preaching to the choir, sister.}” Bucky retorted back in Russian.

“{I'm surrounded by idiots,}” Clint sighed, reaching across the bar to refill his coffee mug.

“{Hey!}” Skye gasped. “{One: it's super rude to listen in on private conversations. Two: it's super rude that you called me that. Three: You better include yourself in the idiot pool.}”

“{Yeah, but then Bucky would think it was a private conversation when it wasn't.}” Clint shrugged.

“{You could have just told him!}” Skye squawked. 

“{HELLO FRIEND. MY NAME IS CAPTAIN AMERICA.}” He shouted over the top of all of their voices. They all turned to look at Steve, mouths agape – even Bucky's. Skye was the first to break the silence in the kitchen by laughing.

“Sorry, were we being rude?” She asked through the giggles, clutching Steve's arm. He pretended to be offended by her laughter, prying her free from his arm without looking at her. Bucky had dropped his head, but his shoulders were heaving so Steve knew he was laughing, too. “Do you know any more? I want to hear more, Steve.”

“That's all I've got.” He admitted after a beat.

“No, it's not.” Bucky contradicted softly.

“Bucky!” Steve hissed.

“You have the same tells, Stevie. It's not my fault.” Bucky offered, shrugging lightly.

“Come on. Out with it.” Clint grinned.

“ButIdon'twanna...” Steve whined softly.

“Do it.” Skye prompted, grinning.

“{This way to freedom.}” Steve tossed out casually, softly, with a flick of his wrist and a shrug of his shoulder.

“Holy I don't think so,” Skye gaped, her mouth open in a perfect Oh of surprise. “It's so...it's so...patriotic. It's so...daring. It's so...”

“Fucking Perfect!” Clint laughed, holding out his phone to catch the scene.

“You got it?” Skye asked, eyes wide. “I mean, I was gonna hack Jarvis, but your angle is going to be so much better!”

“Is it hacking if you do it every day?” Clint asked, shooting Tony a look. Clint and Skye grinned when Tony started pouting.

“I recall telling you about my  _ new _ group of super hero friends,” Steve huffed out, crossing his arms angrily.

“I might go with you,” Tony muttered, still pouting about Clint’s barb at his sister’s ability to get into his systems.

“But, Stevie, it's just so...you.” Bucky said softly, into the quiet of the kitchen. There was another beat of quiet, and then they burst into laughter.

“Okay, you can stay, Stray.” Tony informed Bucky with a smirk. Bucky's eyes immediately shot to Skye's, surprise written all over his face. She just smiled and mouthed  _ I told you so _ again. Then she turned her attention to Steve, who had his back turned to the group in a fake pout. 

“I'm sorry we were being rude, Steve.” Skye apologized, ducking her head to get into Steve's line of sight. He knew she would see right through him, so he wasn't surprised at the delighted grin on her face. She wrapped her arms around his crossed arms in her best attempt at a hug. “Face Plant?” Steve groaned, uncrossing his arms and pulling her into his chest.

“Fucking kittens,” Tony muttered, shaking his head. He turned to look at Bucky, giving him a pointed look at the banana. Oh, yeah. The banana. That's what they had been doing. Bucky peeled the banana and took a bite. His reaction was less dramatic than Steve's had been. He made an odd face, but took another bite from the banana. Skye wouldn't let him eat anything that was unsafe. There was something different about the banana though.

“Tastes different.”

“Apparently there was a banana plague.” Steve shrugged.

“Huh,” Bucky grunted, finishing the banana. “Ours were better.”

“Old man problems. Tony knows all about that.” Skye laughed. “What fruit do you want with breakfast?” She asked before pressing a kiss to Bucky's cheek.

“Whatever is around is fine.” Bucky mumbled, blushing.

“I'm not that old.” Tony grumbled.

“You just missed his birthday, actually.” Steve offered, coming back around the bar to turn off the stove. There was a massive pile of pancakes on the counter next to him.

“Yeah? What'd he turn? 60?” Bucky snorted, forgetting for a moment that he and Steve weren't bantering in their own small kitchen. Skye's laughter reminded him that they weren't the only ones in the room.

“It's okay, we still love you.” Skye laughed, refilling Tony's coffee mug.

“I'm the youngest person here! ...not that you have any room to speak, Mr. Barnes. You're literally the oldest person in this room.”

“Looking pretty good for 98, huh?” Steve grinned, setting a plate in front of pancakes in front of his friend.

“I'm younger than you,” Clint muttered to Tony. Tony didn't reply, just backhanded the man in silent reprimand.

Skye brought out butter, peanut butter and syrup, placing them in front of Bucky. She spun away to prepare the fruit salad, not catching the odd look Bucky gave her. Steve grinned and dropped into a stool beside Bucky. 

“The little weirdo eats hers with peanut butter,” Steve explained, reaching over Bucky to steal the syrup.

“It's delicious.” Skye laughed, buried in the fridge.

“Do you want help?” Bucky asked, watching her dig through the contents.

“Steve...” Skye said warningly. Steve grinned and patted Bucky's shoulder.

“She'll ask for help if she wants it,” He told his friend. “Not necessarily if she  _ needs _ it, but if she wants it.”

“Shut it. We were doing perfectly fine, thank you.” Skye emerged from the fridge, tossing fruit at Steve. He grinned and caught the fruit, placing it in a neat pile on the counter for her.

“Hey, you ended up here. I'm not complaining.” Steve grinned.

“Ugh, you two.” Tony retched. Bucky smirked at his dramatics, though he hid it behind his hair. He felt much more comfortable around Skye and Steve. He felt more like himself around them. He felt himself easily slipping back into easy banter when talking with Steve. He wasn't sure about Tony yet. He found himself rather liking Clint, or at the very least liking his protectiveness of Skye. The couple of times they had met before weren't under the best circumstances, so he was grateful to get the chance to get to know him and repay him for taking care of Skye and Steve. Clint chuckled at Tony's face, but got up and got some pre-cooked sausages out of the fridge. He arranged them on a plate and popped them in the microwave.

“How about we hear the story about Stevie and his boyfriend?” Skye suggested, cutting fruit as she talked. “Speaking of which, eat your breakfast.” Skye commanded, pointing towards his pancakes with her fruit chopping knife. “You've been neglecting yourself again, Bucky.”

“Again?” Tony asked.

“I feel like I heard something about Stevie's amazing boyfriend,” Jack offered helpfully, coming back into the kitchen, dry this time. He smirked at Steve and sat next to him on the breakfast bar. Skye refilled everyone's coffee and set fruit in front of each person before taking the peanut butter from Bucky. 

“I bet Jack would love to tell you all about this,” Skye winked, spreading peanut butter on her pancakes. 

“Dude! He made me sleep with him. Like in his bed. I was totally okay going to my own floor but he was all,  _ I need you close to me _ – needy, right? Well, one thing lead to another and I spent the whole week in his bed.” Jack offered enthusiastically. Skye grinned at Steve's reddening face and stabbed her pancakes repeatedly with her fork.

“A week and then some,” Clint snorted, shoving half a pancake in his mouth. Skye made a face and shook her head at his table manners. 

“Wait, that actually happened?” Bucky asked, seeing Steve's red face. Skye laughed and nodded. Steve handed her the syrup and watched as she drenched her pancakes, shaking his head at her breakfast. She was worse than Steven.

“The details have been lost in translation,” Steve laughed, handing Jack a plate of pancakes. “But yes. He wasn't used to sleeping alone.”

“Good thing you stepped up,” Skye snarked.

“Aw, sausages!” Clint muttered, hurrying to the microwave to pull the plate. He rolled a few onto his plate, then passed it down the line.

“I even got an honest to goodness cuddle.” Jack nodded. “It was a lazy cuddle, but  _ it was  _ a cuddle. He even said so.”

“It's true. Jarvis can confirm that,” Skye remarked cheekily and turned to find the chocolate chips. “Aw, Steve. Where'd you put them?” Skye whined. 

“Watch her stomp her foot,” Jack whispered behind Steve's back. Bucky raised his eyebrow at the group dynamic.

“I'm not going to stomp my foot,” Skye replied, struggling to hide her smile. “But Steve needs to tell me where he hid the chocolate chips. And for the love of God,  Bucky, seriously, eat your breakfast.”

“She'll go all Mom on you if you don't.” Jack warned, skipping the peanut butter and syrup all together. He ate his pancakes dry.

“Steve, please?” Skye asked, pushing her bottom lip out into an exaggerated pout. “I'm still getting all better and I need my chocolate.”

“We both know you're all better,” Steve smirked, making Skye grin. Bucky was missing the joke, but the flirty tension he didn't miss.

“You're in so much trouble.” Bucky whispered to Steve. Steve nodded his agreement and pulled the bowl of chocolate chips out from under the bar.

“Yay!” Skye grinned, sprinkling some more on her pancakes. Steve shook his head but couldn't hide his smile.

“You're supposed to be eating healthy.” Steve pointed out as Clint reached over the counter to snag a bite of her pancakes. He moaned and nodded, grabbing the bowl of chocolate chips from her. She grinned and offered him the peanut butter.

“Shh...” Skye shushed Steve. “Do you hear that? It sounds like a giant  _ Give a Shit _ bug.” She smashed her hand on the counter. “Whoo, don't worry. I got it.”

“So much trouble.” Bucky chuckled. “Do you really eat your pancakes like that or do you just enjoy rilin’ him up?”

“Both?” Skye replied, cutting up her pancakes. “Wanna try? It's damn good.”

“I don't know...” Bucky stalled. Steve was shaking his head beside him.

“Do it. Peer pressure. We're almost peers.” Skye grinned, holding a forkful out to Bucky. He grumbled but let the small woman in front of him badger him into trying her breakfast. Steve grinned and patted his friend's shoulder, still getting used to the metal arm.

“Looks like you're in trouble too.”

“This is nauseating to watch.” Tony sighed heavily. “Is this going to turn into a threesome situation?”

“Tony,” Skye smirked. “Are you sure you want to hear about my sex life?”

“Hey! It could be us three!” Jack pointed out, waving down the line to Steve and Bucky. Skye grinned and bumped Bucky.

“You up for a threesome with my brother?”

“Your other brother?” Steve muttered. Bucky frowned heavily; there it was again. Skye caught the frown this time around though.

“Tony, Bucky is a little behind the birthday dinner news times. Would you like to catch him up or should I?”

“Oh, me.” Tony grinned, sitting straighter. He smirked and looked at Bucky past the others eating at the bar. “These doofs all like to think they have a claim on Skye here. Do I have to add you to that list?”

“Uh, yes.” Skye grinned, even as Bucky shrugged. He wasn't sure what Tony was asking.

“Ugh, another one?” Tony groaned, even though he was expecting that answer. The  _ Winter Soldier _ was sitting at his breakfast bar – eating pancakes off  _ his _ sister's fork - of course he wanted to stake a claim on her. Why else would he be here? (Oh yeah, Capsicle). Skye just grinned and nodded, eating her pancakes. “Okay, well all you imposters fall below me on the Skye Claim list. Biologically, I rank highest.”

“Wait, he's your dad?” Bucky asked, turning back to Skye quickly. She could see him trying to do the math in his head. 

“No,” Clint laughed loudly. “Tony, that was terrible.”

“Tony and Skye are half siblings. Howard fathered both of them.” Steve stepped in. 

“But...how?” Bucky frowned, his eyes flicking back and forth between the Starks.

“The best part?” Skye chuckled, leaning in to whisper to Bucky. “He's the baby. My little baby brother.”

“How old did you say he was again?” Bucky asked, leaning forward to whisper back to her.

“45.” Steve supplied helpfully. 

Bucky just nodded, thinking things through as he finally ate his pancakes – dry, like Jack. He didn't bother with his fork, just shredded the pancake and shoved pieces in his mouth. Skye smiled at Steve, but let Bucky process that. He knew she was older than she looked – they had discussed that at length. He just couldn't figure out how Howard Stark came to father her and Tony. She was far too kind to be a Stark. Not that Howard hadn’t been awesome, but he could be overbearing and had a one track mind, which meant he neglected the people around him sometimes. The elevator dinged quietly in the background and Steven shuffled off slowly. 

“Jarvis said you were cold,” Steven mumbled, rubbing sleep out of his eyes. He held a pair of sweatpants out to Skye, waiting patiently while she slipped them on over her shorts. Once she was dressed, he held his arms up to her, yawning deeply. She laughed lightly and lifted him, letting him cling to her torso. She hugged him tightly, stealing the heat from his body. 

“Thanks, honey.” Skye whispered into his hair. Bucky was watching the interaction with confusion written on his face. Skye smirked and whispered into Steven's ear, “You don't have to keep that secret anymore.”

“He's here already!?” Steven asked. Skye turned her body so he could see Bucky and still cuddle with her. “Hi,” Steven said softly, waving shyly at Bucky; he didn't lift his head from Skye's chest. He had woken only minutes ago and had no desire to give up his cuddles with Skye because of a new addition to the Tower - however excited he was about that addition. Bucky, in turn, ducked his head with a shy smile. Steve squawked, shocked that Steven knew before he did. Steven and Skye just grinned at the sound.

“Didn't know you had a kid, either,” Bucky said softly. She gave Steve a pointed look, which made him grin.

“Actually, he's mine.” Steve told Bucky, tossing his arm around his shoulders. Bucky shot up, sitting ramrod straight in his chair. His eyes flicked between Steve and Steven, then to Skye's smirk.

“Ask Steve what his name is,” She whispered loudly. Steven giggled lazily against her chest. 

“What's his name?” Bucky asked, turning to Steve.

“Steven...” Steve admitted. “But, I didn't name him! He picked it himself.”

“Picked it?” Bucky asked. 

“He's one of the kids,” Skye prompted. Bucky nodded, putting the pieces together. Steve frowned; Bucky and Skye must have talked frequently.

“1027,” Steven nodded, flipping his wrist out to show Bucky. Bucky looked at the tattoos sadly.

“I'm sorry they marked you,” He said softly. Then he frowned hard, getting lost in his head for a minute.

_ I'm sorry. That they marked you. I'm marked by my arm and you're marked by their ink. We'll never get away. _

Bucky blinked quickly, coming back to reality as the boy pulled his wrist free from Bucky's hand. What was that? Obviously it was his voice – besides, who else would be marked by an arm? Who was he talking to? Who had been marked by their ink? He realized Skye was watching him and pushed the thought away with a small smile to reassure her. He would have to wait for more of that memory to pop up. 

“It's not so bad,” Steven shrugged. “I don't remember getting it...and I got a family out of it.”

“Hmm.” Bucky grunted, his eyes flicking to Steve's. “You've got yourself a pretty good deal here.”

“Yes, I do.” Steve agreed instantly.

“So do you,” Skye told Steven, tapping his nose. She sideways jumped over to Bucky, then tapped his nose with a grin. “And so do you.”

“And so do  _ you _ .” Steven added, bopping Skye's nose.

“ _ I  _ need pancakes, that's what I need,” Skye laughed.

“Steve made pancakes  _ again _ ?” Steven asked, sleepily incredulous. “But I thought they weren't healthy?”

Bucky chuckled from his stool, dropping his head again. Steve shoved his shoulder into Bucky, silently reprimanding him for laughing, but he forgot about the metal arm, “ _ Oh, fudge _ .”

“Oh, fudge?!” Skye asked, covering her mouth with her free hand. Her giggles spilled out anyway, making Tony snort and join her laughter. Soon the entire kitchen was laughing, even if Steve was still clutching his shoulder.

“What is that thing made out of?” Steve asked with a groan.

“Metal?” Bucky shrugged. Steven chuckled against Skye's chest, but it morphed into a full on laugh quickly – and no one had any idea what he was laughing at. He squirmed free from Skye and climbed onto Bucky's lap. He looked the arm over, bending his elbow and each finger joint. He frowned and nodded slowly, tapping on random parts of his arm. Finally, he licked up a segment of the metal and smacked his lips.

“Yep, definitely metal.” Steven agreed.

“You little weirdo,” Jack told Steven, giving him a strange look.

“Titanium alloy,” Steven elaborated. 

“You got that from licking it?” Clint asked.

“We can test it out later,” Tony offered. “See if he's right.”

“Okay,” Bucky nodded slowly. “Skye looked it over for trackers, but it probably wouldn't hurt to do that, too.”

“Tony, dibs.” Jack said quickly. “Dibs on the arm.”

“You can't call dibs!” Tony argued quickly.

“I just did, little man.”

“I'm like three months younger than you, Jackson.”

“Yeah, well. I'm me and that's way better than you.”

“This doesn't even make sense any more,” Tony sighed. “My Tower. My labs. My tools. First dibs on the arm.”

“I could always have Fitz do a little drone action,” Skye laughed, letting Steven sample her pancakes from Bucky’s lap. The man in question looked distinctly uncomfortable, but Skye just smirked at him and left Steven where he was. Steven grinned as he was chewing, so she got another plate of pancakes, the peanut butter, and chocolate chips and set about recreating her breakfast. 

“Oh, God. Fitz,” Jack gasped, rushing from the room. He shouted over his shoulder as he ran, “Sissy, call him back! He can’t miss this!!”

 


	39. Oh, shit. It hurts, Stevie.

 

“Okay, I have a hot date, well... _dates,_ to get ready for – so I'm going to leave you two to...” Skye trailed off, wiggling her fingers at Bucky and Steve. She licked the last of the peanut butter off her fork, then put it in the dishwasher with the other plates. Bucky's eyes shot up to her, flaring wide in panic. She restrained herself from sighing and pulled him into a hug. She whispered into his hair, “I'm to the gym with Jack and Steven. I'll be around, just ask for me.”

“The computer will find you?” Bucky murmured back, trying to avoid meeting Steve's eyes just yet. He was afraid of what he would find there. Disappointment, for sure. They were supposed to be friends – _best_ friends – but he knew Steve could see the change in him.

“Yes, Jarvis will find me,” She smiled. She squeezed him extra tight then flounced to Steve's side. “Hi. I'm gonna go whip my brother into shape. Be nice, okay?”

“That hurts, doll.” Steve frowned, pulling her in for a hug despite his words. “I'm always nice.” She smiled and kissed his nose.

She whispered, “He's a little nervous, huh?” She gave Steve a pointed look, grinned, and spun from his grip, “Later, losers.”

She left the room loudly, shouting at Jack as she went. Steve licked his lips nervously and looked at his long-lost best friend. He hadn't imagined their reunion would look like this. He hadn't imagined feeling this nervous. Bucky mirrored Steve's nervousness; his hands were clasped firmly together on his lap, his eyes averted to look at Steve's feet. The silence grew and grew until Steve could feel the tension building in his chest.

“She shouldn't have left,” Bucky said finally, his eyes still averted. That surprised a chuckle out of Steve. Upon hearing the soft laughter, Bucky finally raised his eyes to Steve's. Humor lurked there, even through the other feelings.

“I didn't think...” Steve paused, licked his lips, and tried again. “When I found out you were still alive...” He paused and winced, shaking his head. “I should have gotten to you sooner, but she warned me that you weren't ready yet.”

“I wasn't.” Bucky agreed easily. “I would have run.”

“She would have found you,” Steve informed him. “Even if I couldn't.”

“Course she would have,” Bucky snorted. They exchanged a smile and suddenly Steve was laughing. “What are you laughin’ at?”

“Jarvis is watching.” Steve chortled. “He's always watching; it's a security thing. But Skye can access the footage. Tony can't keep her out of his systems. I was just imagining what her reaction would be if she saw this.”

“Stark can't keep her out?” Bucky asked, his voice ringing with pride.

“Technically, they're both Starks.” Steve groaned. “We just found out. Talk about a weird dinner.”

“I bet.” Bucky agreed. He didn't know what to say beyond that, so he fell silent.

“So, how long have you known Skye?” Steve asked, desperately trying to fill the silence. He wanted to ask a million questions, but it had obviously taken some badgering on Skye's part to even get him here, so Steve didn't want to push his luck. His questions would still be there in a day, a week, a month – whatever it took to let Bucky get comfortable here.

Bucky looked up through his hair, fighting a grin, “A while.”

“That's it?” Steve asked, tossing his hands up.

“Yeah,” Bucky shrugged. Steve was about to get really frustrated, but then Bucky's hair shifted and he could see the grin on his friend's face. Steve growled playfully and shoved Bucky's shoulder. Then Bucky was laughing. It was soft and shy, not at all like the laughter Steve remembered coming from him, but it still brought a grin to Steve's face.

“Okay, but really.”

“I don't know.” Bucky shrugged.

“You tried shooting me in December. Was it before or after that?” Steve asked. Bucky shut down, hard. “Hey,” Steve said softly, scooting closer to him. “I'm not mad. You didn't hurt me. It's fine.”

“It's not fine.” Bucky growled, his voice dark and low. Dangerous. Steve froze, completely at a loss of what he was supposed to do. He knew Bucky was dangerous; half the shock of the metal arm was the person Steve immediately matched it with. The Winter Soldier. A myth, a rumor...a ghost. He had read it on the flash drive, but knowing something from paper and seeing something with your own eyes... He understood immediately why Skye wouldn't discuss Bucky until Steve read the flash drive. Finding out the Winter Soldier was your best friend (that you thought was _dead_ ) was a large pill to swallow. He was grateful for the time to wrap his head around those details. Steve figured he could probably take Bucky, especially since he wasn't the Soldier anymore, but he knew that wouldn't bode well for their reunion.

“Ms. Skye has a message for Mr. Barnes,” Jarvis chimed in at that moment.

“Play it,” Steve replied, not taking his eyes off Bucky.

_“{Senor Metal Arm, you need to relax. He's not mad. No one's mad.}”_

_“Ouch, fuck Skye!” Jack groaned._

_“Language!” Steven chimed in eagerly._

_“{Yeah, ask him about that.}” Skye laughed. “Jack, stop running away!”_

_“No! You're hurting me!”_

_“I am not. If you had been doing your training...”_

_“Yeah, yeah, mom. Got it.” Jack grumbled._

_“Surrounded by infants,” Skye sighed. “{Bucky, please. Just talk to him. Don't shut down. I'll be up in twenty. You can make it through twenty minutes.}”_

“I really need to learn Russian,” Steve sighed loudly.

“Your kid is calling people out on their language?” Bucky asked, pushing his hair back and sitting up straight. Skye was right. He could make it through twenty minutes. Twenty minutes until extraction. Nope, that was the soldier hanging around still. Twenty minutes until he got to see his friend.

“It slipped.” Steve muttered, blushing.

“Who was cussin’?” Bucky asked, forcing his Bucky demeanor back to the front. He was in charge of the soldier now. He was still there – had been a part of him for too long to just disappear as the programming broke down – but he was no longer in control. (Most of the time).

“Tony.”

“Shouldn't be surprised.” Bucky grinned. “Foul language must run in the family.”

“Skye's got a dirty mouth.” Steve agreed, smiling back at his friend. Skye seemed to be a safe topic, so he kept to that.

“You would know,” Bucky retorted quickly, then ducked his head.

“Are you...are you asking me if...” Steve stammered, blushing bright red.

“Nope,” Bucky replied shaking his head quickly, just as uncomfortable with that train of thought as Steve was. They grimaced at each other, then started laughing. Bucky's was still weak, but it was an improvement.

“You seem very comfortable with Skye. That's why I asked how long you knew her.” Steve said finally.

“I ain't gonna take your girl,” Bucky frowned.

“That's not what I...” Steve stopped, took a breath, and then tried again. “I don't think you're trying to steal her,” Steve said patiently. “I was just wondering how long it would take for you to get that comfortable with me.”

“I'm sorry that I'm so...broken?” Bucky said softly, ducking his head. Fuck twenty minutes. He needed out now. He got up from the stool, intent on making his escape, but Steve tackled him, launching both of them onto the couch. Bucky froze, letting Steve get the upper hand.

“Sorry,” Steve winced. “I didn't think about this, I just reacted. Don't be mad.”

“I'm not mad.”

“Don't shut down.”

“I'm not shuttin’ down.”

“Don't...”

“Steve.”

“Bucky?”

“Shut up.”

“Okay.” Steve agreed quickly.

“She shouldn't have left us alone like this.” Bucky admitted. “We're like two old guys with... fuck. I don't have an analogy for this.”

“Awkward as shit.” Steve agreed. Bucky started laughing underneath Steve, which made Steve start laughing too. “Just say it and get it over with.”

“Language, punk.”

“Sorry, jerk.” Steve apologized, though his eyes were twinkling. Bucky was still there. He was different – very different – but the boy he had grown up with was still there. He was equal parts shy and insecure, which 40's Bucky never was, but he was still fiercely protective (of Skye, at least) and his sense of humor was still there. They could piece themselves back together from that. “I'm glad you came.”

“Sorry it took so long,” Bucky apologized.

“Don't apologize for that.” Steve admonished softly. “Skye made a flash drive for me, so I could find you if anything happened to her. Jack gave it to me after she was taken. I know about you being the Winter Soldier. I can't even begin to imagine what you've been through, so please, don't apologize. I'm just glad you're here.”

“Didn't have much choice,” Bucky admitted softly.

“No?” Steve asked, cocking his head slightly. “What happened?”

“The Russians found me,” Bucky said softly. “I almost got your girl killed, Stevie.”

“Wait, that was you?” Steve gaped. “In the alley?”

“She didn't tell you?” Bucky asked, frowning.

“No, she didn't.”

“Sneakin’ around was going to get her killed,” Bucky admitted with a small snarl in the back of his throat. “I had to chose between stayin’ where I was and comin’ here. Skye gettin’ shot, because of _me_ , removed that choice. If I'm here, she won't have a reason sneak out – at least not alone. We can watch her, keep her safe. It just kind of worked out that I had stalled in my progress.”

“Stalled?” Steve asked, trying to push his pride at his friend down. He was uncomfortable here, but he came anyway – for Skye. That was something they had a mutual interest in.

“I keep tryin’ to put myself together again,” Bucky explained with a wry grin. “I'm Humpty Dumpty. But you have some of the pieces that I need, and Skye's gone and stolen some.”

“I still see Bucky in you,” Steve reassured him. “I mean, you're not the same, exactly, but...you're there. It would be silly to expect to be the same person you were in 1940, even ignoring the other stuff.”

“You're not the same either,” Bucky told him back. “I still see and hear my little punk, but you're different too.”

“Different good or different bad?”

“Different good.” Bucky replied instantly. “You're happy. Anyone can see that.”

“You're happy around Skye,” Steve pointed out. “You're halfway there.”

“It's not like that, with us.” Bucky told Steve again. It was important that Stevie understood him, understood his relationship with Skye. “I'm not tryin’ to steal your girl. I mean, she's important to me. We're close, but it's not...Steve, we're not...”

“I didn't say you were,” Steve laughed lightly, smacking Bucky in the face like he had when they were children. Except it had been Bucky hitting him.

“Stevie,” Bucky said softly, choosing his words carefully, “Right now, I have more memories with Skye than I do with you. I remember some of growin’ up with you, but almost nothin’ from our adulthood. Even my memories of the war...of the Commandos...it's...hazy. Little things trigger memories, which is why I've stalled. I can't trigger them any more. I need your help.”

“I would love to help,” Steve smiled.

“Good. Cause I'm gonna help you keep an eye on Skye. You're shotty at it.”

“I am not!” Steve scoffed.

“She snuck out to see me at the bar, Stevie. It took you ages to catch up to her. Ages.”

“She needed some space.”

“She _needs_ a leash.”

“She would just bust out,” Steve laughed. “She carries her picks around with her.”

“We were mad at her,” Bucky admitted softly. He frowned like he hadn't meant to blurt that out, but at Steve's questioning look, he sighed and continued, “When we realized she was followin’ us. The Asset was aware of her tailin’ us, but she always stayed far enough away that he didn't care. She was closer that day, so he was mad, but she wasn't his mission. You were.”

“December.” Steve stated plainly. Bucky nodded and swallowed hard.

“She caught up to us as he was gettin’ into position. He had just started climbin’ the stairs to our sniper's perch when she stopped him. I wasn't in control, Stevie. Bucky was there, faintly, in the background,” Bucky whispered, waving his hand towards the back of his head. He dropped into a self-depreciating smile, “Thought it was my conscience. Bucky never liked what The Asset did, but couldn't do anything about it...The Asset was...I remember he was amused. He thought it was funny that such a little girl was tryin’ to stop him.” Bucky paused, smirking just a bit. Steve couldn't tell if it was sincere or not, but he smiled back anyway – correctly assuming that Bucky was judging his reaction. Bucky licked his lips and started talking again. “He got annoyed really fast. Right about the time Skye sent us flyin’ out a window. Really, I don't know how you missed our fight. We weren't that far from your position.”

“Our fight was in the opposite direction,” Steve shrugged.

“Anyway, when she felt like she had made her point, she let us go. The Asset was pissed, knowing he would have to detail the interruption in his debrief. She let us go, rather than hurt me. I remember thinkin’ our handler's face would be priceless. Bucky was amused, but he was also scared of the consequences. But Skye had succeeded. There was a whisper of a doubt about the mission. Why would he kill you, if we were friends? Then you pulled your mask off and Bucky surged forward and...well, he still almost shot you. I'm so sorry.”

“I forgive you,” Steve told him sincerely.

“You shouldn't. I'm dangerous. I shouldn't be here,” Bucky said firmly, his face shutting down into a neutral expression. “Skye didn't tell me about your kid...probably because she knew it would make me more hesitant to come.”

“There's more to Steven than meets the eye,” Steve replied with a proud little smirk. His smirk faded a little when Bucky's expression remained hard. “Everyone in this Tower has something they're working on. Everyone has bad days. But I can guarantee you, Skye wouldn't have brought you here if she didn't trust you. Knowing her, she’s probably got all sorts of programs in place with Jarvis. She’ll have a plan for when you need to be alone. If not, we can make one.”

“I'm scared of bein’ here.” Bucky admitted. “I don't want to mess up. I don't want to mess up this chance. People like me...we don't get second chances.”

“Skye has a habit of adopting people into her family. You're safe, even if you do mess up. Don’t worry about second chances, or third or fourth chances. You have as many as you need.”

“No, she doesn't.” Bucky argued. “They've been on the move for 35 years and they don't have anything or anyone to show for it.”

“Yeah,” Steve nodded, “But, she's done running. For now, at least. Steven has made it his mission to keep her here. Keeps telling me he's going to convince her.”

“I still can't believe you have a kid.” Bucky grumbled, shaking his head. He wasn’t keen on continuing the conversation about his chances, so he jumped at the chance to change the topic. “The angry little chihuahua finally settled down.”

“Hey!”

“Got yourself this swanky job, luxurious living arrangement, beautiful dame in your bed, and a kid who looks like he could have come from you and Skye.”

“Hey, you know what? You have a luxurious living arrangement, even if you have to share a floor with me. You have a beautiful dame fighting in your corner. You have a seven year old who knew you were coming before I did, and already loves you because Skye and I do.”

“Hmm, no swanky job.”

“Your job is to get better. That's all you need to worry about, okay? You took care of me my whole life; let me take care of you.”

“God, now I know why Skye complains about you guys all the time!” Bucky chortled. “You _are the_ _most_ ridiculous sap. I don't know if I just handled you better in the 40's or if you've developed this trait.”

“And twenty,” Skye announced, tromping into the room. She was soaking wet and grinning ear to ear. She took in the scene – Steve laying on top of Bucky on the couch – and smirked. “Bucky! I told you, you're not allowed to steal my boyfriend!”

“This isn't any worse than how you two woke up,” Steve replied, trying to hide his blush. Bucky relaxed beneath him, making Steve acutely aware of just how on guard Bucky still was with him.

“Hey, cuddles are important,” Skye grinned. She smacked Steve's exposed bottom, then jumped on his back – instantly soaking right through his shirt. She apologized by kissing the back of his neck. From underneath the two, Bucky started laughing. Steve was desperately trying to rein in his pleased smirk, but wasn't being terribly successful. Skye popped her head around Steve's and said, “Bucky, I need you in the gym. Take the elevator down?”

“You're comin’ right?”

“Course. Jack wants to ask you a question,” Skye shrugged. She got up, letting Steve get off his friend. “Jarvis will take you. I need a moment with our boyfriend.”

“Yuck,” Bucky grimaced, heading for the elevator.

“Yuck is right,” Steve agreed. “For the record, I love Bucky, really, I do. Just...not like that.”

“For the record,” Skye teased back, “I love Bucky, really, I do. But not like that. We just both need more personal contact than most.”

“He said something along the same lines,” Steve smiled. “What did you need to talk to me about?”

“Nothing,” Skye smirked. “Jack needs a minute. And I need a kiss.”

“Happy to oblige, ma'am.” Steve laughed, then pulled her close for a kiss. He pulled away and grinned at Skye with boyish delight.

“Are you going to say something sappy?” Skye asked, making a face at him.

“Absolutely.” Steve grinned, leaning down to kiss her again. “I still can't believe I get to do this whenever I want.”

“Yu-u-ck!” Skye groaned, drawing the word out into three syllables. She pulled Steve with her into the elevator and asked Jarvis to take them to the gym.

“I'm getting used to cuddles, you can get used to sap.” Steve teased, kissing her once more before the elevator stopped. Skye laughed and pulled out of his arms.

“Remember this warm glowy feeling,” She informed him, just as the doors slid open behind her.

“Why?” Steve asked as Skye dived to the left, rolling out of his view. Bucky, Jack, and Steven were standing there with water guns, all pointed at him. And then all hell broke loose.

“It's loaded!” Steven shouted, talking out the side of his mouth. Skye came back into view, carrying her own gun. Steve was quickly soaked, but now they were just adding insult to injury. Their water was pink, hot pink, which was different enough that Steve knew it was so it wouldn't resemble blood.

“I don't get my own gun?” Steve shouted, holding his hands up to block a steady stream of water directed at his face - if he had to guess, that stream was either coming from Skye or Jack.

“You gotta find it, grandpa!” Jack shouted gleefully. Well, he was gleeful until Steve darted at him.

“Or I can just steal yours,” Steve laughed.

“Jack, you're the weakest link!” Skye giggled, launching herself onto Steve's back, twisting him by his shoulders to pull him off Jack. “You owe me $20!”

“Run, Jack!” Steven groaned, stepping between Steve and Jack. Jack was floundering on the floor, trying to regain his footing on the slippery floor. “Jack! Move it!”

“I'm trying!” Jack growled, resorting to dragging himself away to a dry patch of floor.

“Fine, then I want your gun!” Steve laughed, dumping Skye on the floor. He looked up and caught sight of his gun, hidden in the rafters overhead. “What! Really?” Steve pouted, pointing up to his gun.

“You're a super soldier,” Bucky shrugged. “Needed to give you a challenge.”

 

0-0-0-0-0      

 

“We made a mess,” Steven remarked, glancing around the room with a tired smirk.

“Yeah, we did.” Skye laughed. There was a distinct magenta hue to the room from the pink and blue dye (Steve’s gun had blue dye in it). Steve's white shirt was no longer white. Bucky was laying next to Skye, catching his breath and trying to keep the wide grin off his face. He couldn't remember the last time he had had that much fun, especially just for the sake of having fun. Sure, he knew Skye had ulterior motives – the activity had been a good ice breaker. Steven, Steve's _kid_ (and wasn't that just something?) had really taken to him. He didn't seem bothered by the arm, but then again Bucky had caught a glimpse of the artificial technology on the boy's back. He was marked, over and over. He understood what Steve meant by there being more to the boy than met the eye.

“Guess that answers the question about the arm being waterproof,” Jack giggled lazily. “Nose goes on cleaning this up.”

“I got it,” Skye dismissed easily.

“We all made the mess,” Steve interjected quickly. It would take forever to clean up the gym. There was (quite literally) magenta water everywhere.

“Hey Jarvis?” Skye called out, rolling her eyes at Steve. “Flush the gym for me? Then ventilate.”

“Flush the...” Steve propped himself up on his elbows to look at Skye. The sprinklers went off just then, effectively washing the colored water down a drain in the center of the room.

“What's Tony going to say?” Jack laughed as the water poured down around them.

“It'll dry,” Skye dismissed.

“You're gonna be the death of me,” Steve muttered softly.

“Stevie, can I ask you a question?” Bucky asked, carefully avoiding eye contact.

“Sure.”

“Are you still doin’ your own laundry?”

“Aw, Bucky!” Steve groaned, plopping back onto his back. Skye shivered and edged closer to Bucky. He extended his arm, letting her press against his side.

“Why?” Jack asked, “Is he bad at laundry?”

“He's _great_ at shrinkin’ clothes,” Bucky replied, curling his arm around Skye. Steven scooted over and wrapped his arms around her, sharing his body heat.

“His clothes are a little small,” Steven nodded.

“Hey, I happen to like his shirt size,” Jack defended, eyeing the way his wet shirt clung to his chest and shoulders.

“Hey!” Steve laughed, “what would Fitz say?”

“Probably something along the lines of _yum_ or _can I lick you_?” Jack replied without missing a beat. Bucky ducked his head while he laughed into Skye's shoulder – Jack's tone had dropped into a low, seductive murmur and Steve's face had immediately flamed over. It didn't matter that he knew Jack had a (partially secret) boyfriend. Skye was still shivering so he pulled her closer still.

“Fitz would say that?” Steve asked, sarcastic doubt coloring his already red face.

“Hmm,” Jack nodded. “Me too.”

“Christ you're cold,” Bucky muttered to Skye.

“I know,” she smiled.

“You weren't like this before,” He whispered back. “At least, not this bad. What did they do to you?”

“That is a great question,” Jack replied, even though Bucky wasn't talking to him. “Unfortunately, we don't have a great answer.”

“Wait, like this _before_ ?” Steve asked, sitting up abruptly. “You were in the bunker _before_.”

“Fuckin' bunker,” Bucky grumbled, shooting Skye an exasperated look. “Can't believe you gave _me_ shit...”

“Language, Bucky.” Steven interjected, smirking at Skye's amused reaction.

“He's the reason I had to say it so much,” Steve laughed. “But you didn't answer my question.”

“I didn't stay at the bunker 100% of the time,” Skye replied.

“But Tony went through the feed,” Steve argued. “You weren't missing from any of the footage.”

“Remember when I mentioned Skye deleting stuff?” Jack offered softly. Steve thought back and nodded.

“When we got Gertrude,” he agreed finally. What else had she deleted from her footage and how had Tony not caught it?

“Told you, I have more memories with Skye than I do with you,” Bucky replied softly. “Though the childhood stuff is comin’ back pretty quickly.”

“Of course,” Steve grumbled, switching to a teasing tone when he saw how stiff Bucky had gone. “You remember all the embarrassing stuff.”

“That's the best stuff,” Bucky shrugged, forcing a smile when he saw the effort Steve was putting into making him comfortable. He sat up, pulling Skye up with him. She would be warmer not laying in puddles of cold water.

“Can I hear a story about Steve?” Steven asked, scrambling to sit on Bucky's lap. He froze briefly, but Skye's grin had him relaxing again.

“What kind of story would you like, kid?”

“Um...” Steven tugged on his lip as he thought that over. The water around them shut off and the fans kicked on.

“How about you think about it,” Skye smiled, “and we go shower off so we don’t stain purple. Then Bucky can share some stories.”

“A hot shower? Deal.” Steven agreed. He scrambled off Bucky's lap, then offered him a hand up. Bucky smiled shyly and let the boy tug him to his feet. “How about your favorite story about Steve? When he was my age?”

“How old _are_ you?”

“Seven.”

“You can show Bucky to his room,” Steve smiled. He knew Bucky was nervous about being around the boy, but it didn't show on his features.

“He's staying on our floor, right? Which one is his?”

“The empty one,” Jack snorted, ruffling Steven's hair.

“I thought that was Skye's room?”

“Yeah,” Jack laughed, “cause she's putting that to great use.”

“Jackson!” Skye huffed with a smug grin, “Cuddles...”

“-Make everything better,” the entire group chorused.

“Exactly.” Skye nodded. Then she turned and stuck her tongue out at Jack. “So there.”

“So...you all live on the same floor?” Bucky asked, letting Skye take his hand and lead him from the gym. They were leaving faint, magenta puddles where they walked.

“Yeah!” Steven grinned, propelling himself off Jack's bent knee to Steve's back. “It's like our house!”

“It'd be a small house for all of us,” Bucky replied.

“It's bigger than it looks,” Skye smiled. “How much looking around did you do last night?”

“I didn't.” Bucky replied. Skye raised her eyebrow at that, but didn't say anything. He must have been really anxious to see them if he came to bed without checking out his surroundings. They stepped out of the elevator and into Steve's small common space. There was a couch, several chairs, a coffee table, and a “dumbed down” entertainment system.

“This is _our_ space,” Steven waved over Steve’s shoulder. He was clinging to his back like a monkey. “It's for all of us to share. The kitchen is little in here, but there is the great big one up on our common floor. That room is Steve and Skye's room,” Steven explained, slipping from Steve’s back and tugging Bucky away from Skye. He glanced back at her and Steve, but their matching smiles reassured him. He lead him to Steve's closed door, the furthest room on the right. It was closest to the stairs. “My room is next, but we're saving that one for last because it's the best.”

“It's the best, huh?” Bucky smiled.

“Yeah. Steve and Skye helped me paint it. Jack built me these really cool...you know what? You just have to wait like five minutes and see...okay?”

“Sure thing, kid.”

“My name is Steven.”

“So is his,” Bucky retorted, nodding back towards Steve.

“Yeah, but you call him Stevie.” The boy replied back easily.

“Give him a break,” Steve laughed.

“Fiiiine,” Steven moaned though he was grinning. “This is your room.”

“Oh, you're next to me.” Jack smirked.

“The walls are very well insulated,” Skye offered dryly.

“Is that an issue?” Bucky asked with a hidden smirk.

“Only when his boyfriend is in the building.”

“When is he coming back, by the way?” Jack asked. “Hack Shield for me and find out. Please.”

“Later,” Skye agreed.

“Okay kittens,” Steven groaned. “We're never going to get through this.”

“Such a whiner,” Skye sighed.

Bucky raised his eyebrow at her and told her in Russian, “{He sounds just like you.}”

“{Nuh uh! I don't whine!}” Skye laughed back. “{Let the boy show you his room.}”

“{Yes. My room.}” Steven supplied with a proud smirk. “{Skye hasn't seen it finished.}”

Steve's jaw dropped open when the boy joined the conversation. “You're speaking Russian already!?”

“Tasha and I have been studying for _days,_ Steve.”

“He keeps moaning about being out of the loop,” Skye laughed.

“My room,” Steven said grandly, sweeping his arm out as he opened the door. Jack was giggling at his dramatics, content to watch him interact with Bucky. Jack was with Steve – Bucky was way more comfortable with Skye than he was with anyone else. Steven wasn't letting him get away with it though. “Come in, come in. Jarvis, can you shut out the light?”

The glass darkened until there was no sunlight shining through. Steven shoved Steve into the room and closed the door. The ceiling was glowing like space, with the New York skyline illuminated below it. It wasn't bright, but it offered enough light that the room wasn't pitch black.

“Oh, it turned out so nice!” Skye praised, bumping hips with Steve. He smiled and pulled her to his side, taking advantage of Steven holding onto Bucky. He felt like he hadn't touched Skye all day. Not that he was complaining – Bucky needed it and he was more than happy to share...but she was his girl and he liked the contact too.

“Why'd you choose this?” Bucky asked, cocking his head at the ceiling. Why paint the sky when you could just go out and see it?

“At the facility, we never got to go out.” Steven offered quietly. His mood was immediately more somber. “I don't want to feel like I'm there anymore.”

“Good thing Stevie's such a good painter, huh?” Bucky teased lightly, squeezing the boy's hand. He smiled up at Bucky and nodded shyly.

“Skye didn't tell me you were Steve's friend,” he said softly.

“No?” Bucky asked, trying to catch her eye in the darkness.

“No. She said you were like us and that being here was going to be good for you. That maybe sometimes you'll have bad days, but that's okay because we all have bad days. Even me. Even Skye.”

“Even Steve.” Steve added.

“Yeah, even Steve. So don't be afraid to make mistakes okay? That's how we learn.”

“If you say so, kid.” Bucky replied, swallowing hard. His confident reassurance sounded a lot like what Skye had been telling him. Steve patted his shoulder in agreement.

“Steven would love to tell you all about his freak out,” Steve offered, smirking down at the boy.

“Steve! It was _one_ flour bomb!”

“And Clint should have known better,” Skye added, laughing. “Jarvis, turn the lights back on?”

“Oh, someone did a nice job with your shelves,” Jack offered loudly. Skye giggled and gave him a hug.

“You did such a nice job, Jack.” She agreed.

“Okay, everyone out!” Steven grinned, pointing to the door. “I'm due for a shower.”

“Are you sure _he_ isn't the Stark?” Steve sighed, letting the boy shove him out the door with a laugh.

“You shower,” Skye offered, “I'll show Bucky his room a little better.”

“Deal,” Steve smiled. He gave her a chaste kiss before heading to their room to shower. Skye was blushing, so she grabbed Bucky’s hand (ignoring his amused smirk) and dragged him to his room.

“There are clothes for you in here,” she explained, opening his closet doors. “They should be your size. I erred on the large side.”

“So now I just have to keep them away from Steve?” Bucky teased lightly. Now that it was just them again, he could relax a little bit. He was far more comfortable with the boy than he should be and that caught him off guard. “You didn't need to do this, Солнышко. I have clothes.”

“You have two shirts, a pair of jeans, and a jacket.” Skye argued. “No offense, but we do laundry more often here.”

“You callin' me stinky?”

“Maybe,” she smirked. “Let's fix that, huh?” She took his hand and dragged him to the bathroom ensuite. “Towels, shampoo, soap. There's stuff for shaving, if you decide you want to do that. I'm going to be cutting Jack and Steven's hair soon, so you let me know if you want anything done with your hair, okay? Did I forget anything? Questions?”

“Can you stay?” Bucky asked softly, shoving his hands deep into his pockets. “Not like... _in_ the shower. Just...talk to me?”

“You're telling me what you need!?” Skye squeed, jumping at Bucky to give him a hug. “I'm so proud of you!”

“Oh, shut it.” Bucky grumbled, looking bashful.

“Is she breaking out _mom mode_?” Jack shouted across the floor. “Tell her you're a grown ass man and -”

“-Language!” Steven interrupted, adding his own voice to the shouting. Skye grinned at Bucky and pulled away.

“I'm going to step out while you strip,” She explained. “These clothes are getting burned, FYI. Jarvis, make sure Bucky's shower water doesn't drop below lukewarm ever, and activate the glass.”

“Yes, Ms. Skye.”

“Barnes – shower.” Skye grinned and stepped out. He hesitated, glancing around the large bathroom. The shower was glass, but it was clouding over as he watched. There was a bathtub as well. A _giant_ bathtub. Really, it was more of a five person hot tub. He could hear Skye humming from the other room, so he hurried to strip and step into the water that turned on for him. That would take some getting used to.

“If you want the water hotter, you can use the knobs or tell Jarvis,” Skye offered, letting herself back into the room. She jumped up on the sink and crossed her legs.

“Is he watchin’?” Bucky asked over the water. He could see Skye – the clouded glass stopped at his shoulders.

“Not like what you're thinking,” Skye replied. “He's monitoring your vitals – learning your patterns. I'm going to track them, so we can keep an eye on triggers.”

“So you can pull me away before I hurt everyone?” Bucky asked, wincing.

“So we can have time to get you some privacy,” Skye corrected easily. “Unless you'd rather have everyone watching us work through things?”

“You're still going to help?” Bucky asked, after giving her a dirty look. Of course he didn't want people watching him fall apart. Skye was different. She had already seen him at his lowest, at his worst. He had also seen her low. Maybe not her lowest, but low. He felt like he was on fairly even footing with her.

“Duh,” Skye teased. They grinned at each other through the glass. “So what are you thinking so far?”

“I'm thinkin’ you didn't tell me about the kid on purpose,” Bucky accused lightly. The bubbles in his hair ruined the stern affect he was going for.

“He hasn't been here that long,” Skye shrugged. They both knew she couldn't deny it. “Steve brought him to the Tower to help find me.”

“He's marked,” Bucky said softly.

“So are you.” Skye retorted. “How's that shower feel?”

“Good.”

“Good. Take your time. We've got practically unlimited hot water.”

“I can understand why you weren't worried about the kid,” Bucky said after a minute of silence. “He's got some moves.”

“He's got a name,” Skye laughed.

“It's weird that Stevie got a kid. I wasn't prepared for that.”

“Good weird or bad weird?”

“Both? It's weird because Steven looks like you and you're Stevie's girl.”

“Just because we're both Asian doesn't mean we look the same, Bucky,” Skye informed him dryly.

“He looks like you,” Bucky argued. “Especially when he's doing something. You both have the same expression when you're concentrating. And he sounds like you.”

“What about the good weird?”

“Stevie always wanted a family,” Bucky said softly. “He never thought he'd get one. Never wanted to risk having a kid with his medical issues. I mean, besides his doubt that he would find that special lady. I'm glad he found a way to get what he wanted.”

“He's happy you're here,” Skye smiled brightly. “He really wanted that, too.”

“Talking about me?” Steve asked, leaning against the door frame. They hadn't bothered to shut the door. Bucky smiled at Skye when he saw his friend's smirk.

“Did I ever tell you about the time...”

“Wait!” Steven shouted, running into the room while pulling a shirt over his head. He ran into Steve and bounced backwards. He flipped, using his hands to propel himself back up onto his feet with one smooth movement, “No stories without me!”

Bucky’s eyebrows were raised in surprise, but didn’t comment on the boy’s save. “Солнышко, go shower.” Bucky offered, shutting off the water. “Stories on the couch in...ten?”

“That means get out,” Steven translated helpfully.

“We may need to do stories over lunch,” Skye grinned, rubbing her stomach.

“Gotta get some muscle back on your frame,” Bucky agreed. Skye set a towel closer to Bucky, then herded the others out.

“Suggestions for lunch?” Steve asked the room. Skye bounced excitedly in place and nodded vigorously.

“Mexican. Fajitas. Guacamole. Cilantro lime rice. Green chili.”

“So...no opinion then?” Steve laughed.

“I'll eat anything.”

“Anything but ham,” Steve nodded. “Go shower. I'll order us some food.”

“Don't forget about Clint, Tony, and Bruce!”

 

0-0-0-0-0

 

“-and then he got tossed in the dumpster,” Bucky smiled, letting Skye take a scoop of his fajita mix.

“Nuh uh,” Steven denied, shoving his own folded tortilla into his mouth. He spoke around a mouthful of food, “Steve wouldn’t get tossed around like that.”

“How much _do_ you know about Steve?” Bucky asked, stabbing a piece of chicken before Skye could steal it. He smiled at her as he popped it in his mouth, rubbing it in. She grumbled lightly until Clint laughed and passed her the container of chicken. Bucky tried to snatch it, but Skye fended him off with her fork. He pouted until Skye sighed and set the container between them.

“He’s old. Like, almost a hundred old,” Steven replied, thinking through what he knew about Steve. “His birthday is in July. He was in World War 2. He was too little... _oh_. The serum made you big.”

“We may need some photographic proof,” Skye teased, scouting the table for her next bite of food. Tony, who was sitting next to her, guarded his plate and brandished his fork at her. Steven set the second half of his fajita on his plate and settled back with a content groan.

“Here, Skye,” he offered, giving his plate a little shove. She perked up and reached across Bucky for the plate.

“I think you’ve eaten more than Steve,” Clint noted.

“Are you sure this is healthy?” Tony asked, glancing at Bruce for confirmation. So far, the scientist hadn’t participated in the story sharing. He was just watching, mostly the interaction between Skye and Bucky - and Steve’s reaction to their interaction.

Bruce smiled and shrugged, “As long as she feels okay, I’m sure it’s fine. We don’t really have a good case to compare it to.”

“Just don’t puke it up,” Jack muttered, watching her devour random things from the containers in the middle of the table. Bucky’s face went blank for a beat, then he snorted with laughter and turned his head into Skye’s shoulder, hiding his laughter as best he could.

“What is so funny?” Skye asked, grinning over at Steve.

“The first time Steve got diarrhea, he cried and said he was peein’ out of his butt.”

“Why... _why_ ...do you have to remember _those_ things?” Steve moaned, throwing his head back dramatically. Skye was laughing so hard it was silent - but her shoulders heaved and every now and than she had to suck in a deep breath of air. Steven laughed and crawled onto Steve’s lap.

“Did you really say that?”

“Of course he did,” Tony interjected. He waved a finger around his own face, saying, “Look how red he got.”

“Yeah, well...you...did that embarrassing thing where…” Steve paused, searching his memory. That just made Skye laugh harder.

“You can’t think of one embarrassing thing he’s done?” Skye gasped. Steve was silent, still searching his memory for a good story to share. Skye wiped her face and wrapped her arm around Bucky, using his to keep herself upright. “Oh, shit. It hurts, Stevie.”

“I thought you were saving that for my boyfriends.”

“Oh, shit. It hurts, Face Plant.” Skye corrected easily.

“Boyfriends? Plural? Face Plant?” Bucky asked softly.

“Did I ever tell you about how I met Steve?” Skye asked, grinning at Steve. He groaned and threw his head back against his chair. Steven giggled and dropped his head to rest on Steve’s chest. His arms automatically came up to hold the boy.

“Hmm, kinda, not really,” Bucky replied, scooting his chair closer to Skye’s. “Tell it again?”

“I haven’t heard it,” Steven chirped.

“I was on my run,” Skye told Bucky, pulling her arm from him so he could drape his around her. She was getting cold. “Stevie over there decided he could lap me and be a jerk about it.”

“I apologized!” Steve moaned, being extra dramatic because he could see the amusement on Bucky’s features.

“Well, I lost my temper and tripped him. He had to tuck and roll so he didn’t face plant into the concrete. The rest, as they say, is history.”

“Stevie? You were bein’ a jerk?” Bucky asked, peeking over at him from between his hair.

“I was just faster than her!” Steve grumbled.

“But you’re not,” Bucky chuckled softly. Now that he wasn’t hiding in Skye’s shoulder, he was falling back into his shy mode.

“We never did have our race, Face Plant.”

“We’re not racing until my food has settled,” Steve retorted, rubbing his stomach.

“We can solve this before dinner,” Tony smirked. Steve had confessed his surprise and frustration about her speed when Bruce was removing the bullets from her torso. He knew Steve was going to lose and fully intended to record his failure.

“I need better friends,” Steve grumbled to Jack. Jack just grinned and shook his head.

 

0-0-0-0-0

 

“He’s _still_ pouting?” Clint grinned, dropping into his place at the dinner table.

“‘m not pouting,” Steve grumbled sullenly. Skye’s lips twitched upwards and she rubbed her forehead on Bucky’s shoulder to hide her amusement. She was pretty sure Steve was being dramatic on purpose, because Bucky was highly amused by him losing to her, but she didn’t want to push her luck. She had forced Bucky to sit between her and Steve; they wouldn’t get comfortable with each other if they constantly put her between them.

“Hey, you won that one race,” Jack offered sympathetically.

“But how much good is it, to be faster at such a short distance?” Tony smirked, placing several dishes on the table.

“Fuck, Tony what is this?” Clint asked, glancing over the food options warily. He couldn’t identify half of the dishes. “Aw, who let him cook? Guuuuys! We know better than this.”

Skye coughed, making Bucky duck his head to hide his grin. She had informed him in private that no one would eat Tony’s food. They would pretend to eat, then sneak out later for actual food. Bucky had scoffed a little, but Clint’s reaction totally proved Skye’s point. Skye’s shoulders were shaking and Bucky knew that dropping his head only drew more attention to himself, so he gave them about ten more seconds before being called out.

“Skye? Why is Clint making that face?” Steven asked, shooting her a skeptical frown. She just shook her head; if she spoke now, the gig would definitely be up. The sound of high heels approaching had Bucky straightening up, but Skye didn’t seem concerned so he forced the panic down.

“Pepper,” Skye told him softly. “Tony’s long term girlfriend slash live in nanny slash CEO of Stark Industries.”

“Oh, Skye, you finally brought a friend! How nice!” Pepper smiled. She shoved her hand out, forcing Bucky to stand and accept her hand. To her credit, she barely blinked at the metal arm - but she did turn and give Tony a look that didn’t bode well for him. Tony just shrugged. He had meant to call her and warn her, but he had been busy and it slipped his mind. Then, she noticed the food on the table and groaned. “Nobody touch this.”

“But I’m hungry,” Steven whimpered pitifully. Skye finally had an acceptable reason to laugh and let it ring through the room. Bucky glanced over at Steve with a grin. His friend visibily brightened at the gesture. It was the most sincere, most _Bucky_ expression he had seen all day - and it was directed at him. The world made sense again.

“How about we find you a little snack and we order something in? Trust me, you don’t want to eat this. Tony...what _is_ this?”

“It’s just…” Tony trailed off with an indistinct mutter. Pepper sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose.

“Guys, haven’t we had this conversation before?” Pepper asked slowly. “Tony is not allowed in the kitchen, unless he is making himself coffee. He is not allowed to cook. He is not allowed to... _play_. There is no way this was an actual attempt at making food.”

“Stop laughing,” Tony glowered at his sister. Skye was beside herself with laughter, wiping tears off her cheeks.

“At least I only ruined pudding,” Skye giggled helplessly. “And it still tasted like pudding...just not...firm?”

“You ate it?”

“Chocolate is chocolate, dude.”

“No, Skye, it’s not. What is wrong with you?”

“What is wrong with _you_ ,” Skye shot back. “We could die from this.”

“The Hulk doesn’t like your food,” Bruce muttered softly, gingerly setting a lid back on the pot closest to him.

 

0-0-0-0-0

 

“Steve, I’ll meet you down on your floor,” Skye yawned. “I’m heading to bed.”

“Our floor,” Steve corrected absently. He realized what he said and looked up with a surprised,  but satisfied, smile. “You taking Bucky with you?”

“I don’t know,” Skye replied, looking over at Bucky and Clint. They were having a quiet conversation in the corner. “I’m sure he’ll come down when he’s tired.”

“I don’t think he’s going to let you out of his sight,” Steve teased lightly. Skye frowned and started to reply, but Steve cut her off with a kiss. “I know it’s not like that, doll. I’m not mad. I’m not worried. I’m not jealous - I mean, maybe a _tiny_ bit jealous... I’m glad he’s here. I’m glad you’re here. Don’t overthink this.”

“Okay,” Skye replied lightly. One corner of her mouth twitched up so he leaned forward and kissed her again. Skye didn’t see, but Tony was fake retching behind her back. Steve pointedly ignored him and kissed her once more.

“Go to bed, doll. It’s Steven’s bedtime soon, too. I’ll join you after I put him to bed.”

“Deal,” she yawned again. She smiled sleepily and pushed up onto her tiptoes for one last kiss before she spun and left the room. Steve watched as Bucky’s head whipped around and laughed out loud.

“She’s going to bed, Buck. The elevator will take you back to our floor, whenever you’re ready.”

Bucky ducked his head, embarrassed at being so obvious, but Steve just smiled and Clint clapped his shoulder saying, “Don’t be embarrassed. We all feel the same way about her. We were kicking ass and taking names for her after meeting her once. You’ve known her for longer than all of us put together - it’s totally reasonable, in a weird sort of way, for you to be like this.”

“Kickin’ ass and takin’ names,” Bucky snorted lightly, smiling at Clint. “I did that, too.”

“Who’s ass did you kick?” Tony asked, swirling scotch in his glass.

“The man who took the hit on her,” Bucky admitted, sounding slightly cornered. There was too much attention on him and no Skye to help diffuse it.

“Fuuuck,” Clint moaned. “I totally forgot about the guy in holding.”

“He’s still here?” Steve asked, his eyebrows raised.

“Red asked me to set up a program. He’s getting food and water and bathroom breaks,” Tony nodded. He looked back at Bucky, “Which one did you get?”

“The last one,” Bucky replied softly, letting his hair fall around his face. He was inching towards the elevator, trying to be discrete but failing. “He’s dead. Was lookin’ for the other one and then he disappeared. Guess I know where he ended up.”

“Go to bed, Bucky,” Steve smiled. “We can talk about this tomorrow.”

“Okay, goodnight.”

Steve resisted the urge to laugh at his friend fleeing the room. It really wasn’t funny, but he was afraid to think too deeply about it. He read the file, but he suspected it was incomplete in the same way that their knowledge of Skye’s time while taken was incomplete. There were references to tests and procedures, but no further details. It was totally like Skye to omit those details in favor of discussing them in person.

This Bucky was different than _his_ Bucky. He knew that going in; Skye had warned him over and over, but he wasn’t expecting this. He had expected aggression and violence. He had expected him to be unstable and volatile. He thought there would be way more Winter Soldier in his personality. To some degree, the danger factor was still there. Red flags had popped up during his conversation with Bucky that morning when he had slipped into a different cadence. He mentioned taking out the hit man like it was no big deal; he couldn’t even blame it on the programming because it had fallen apart. He made a mental note to ask Skye about that. He wasn’t exactly clear what the programming entailed or why it had fallen.

Instead, Bucky was soft spoken, shy, and timid. In essence, Bucky was still there; he just presented his personality differently. He had been locked away for 70 years, so suddenly being free of programming in this new modern world had to be as jolting as it had been for Steve when he was found in the ice. He didn’t trust himself, so he held back. Steve knew that. He understood that. He appreciated the effort his friend was putting in, just by being here. It was clear he was uncomfortable here, but that had been established already. He was very comfortable with Skye, so Steve was incredibly optimistic that they could get there too. His friend just needed time to adjust - to see that Steve knew he was different now, but that it didn’t matter.

Steve glanced around the room and saw that Clint was watching him. “What?” Steve laughed, wondering how long he had been watching.

“You’re over thinking this,” Clint informed him.

“Over thinking what?”

“Bucky. Being here. You’re over thinking it.”

“I am not,” Steve denied. “I’m just glad he’s here.”

“I thought he would be more...soldier-y,” Tony commented, miming marching in place. “He kind of reminds me of a kicked puppy.”

“You try losing control of yourself and see how you turn out,” Clint shot back quickly. Tony raised his free hand in a placating gesture.

“Jesus. Defensive much? You can’t compare your Loki experience with his Winter Soldier experience.”

“I’m not comparing them,” Clint sighed. “I’m just saying, it rattles a person.”

“Skye will you help me…” Steven paused on the edge of the room, frowning when he scanned the room and realized she wasn’t there. Jack, busy on a tablet, walked into him.

“Damn, sorry,” Jack muttered, his hand shooting out to stabilize the boy. Tony raised his eyebrow at his quick reaction. He looked around the room, but neither Clint nor Steve looked surprised so he didn’t comment.

“Where’s Skye?” Steven asked, his face falling slightly. Clint grinned over at Steve at the boy’s expression. Bucky wasn’t the only one overly attached to her.

“She headed down to bed,” Steve replied. Steven’s face fell farther. “You have like ten more minutes and then you need to head to bed too.”

“You gonna make it, Pip Squeak?” Tony smirked.

Steven nodded slowly, then raised one shoulder in a slight shrug, “She didn’t give me a bedtime kiss.”

“What’s Steve?” Tony asked, “Chopped liver?”

“Liver?”

“Why can’t Steve give you a goodnight kiss?” Clint clarified.

“I get one from him too,” Steven replied, shrugging dejectedly.

“She headed down less than ten minutes ago,” Steve smiled. “I bet you can catch her.”

“Okay!” Steven smiled. “Good night, Clint. Night, Tony,” he called over his shoulder, running for the stairs.

“Maybe I am chopped liver,” Steve sighed with a smirk.

 

An hour later, when he had finished discussing an upcoming mission with Clint, Steve found himself wandering his floor wondering where everyone was. Jack’s door was closed, but Bucky and Steven’s were open and empty. Shaking his head at his stupidity, he headed to his own room and was unsurprised to find the three most important people in his life curled up in his bed. Bucky was on the far left side of his bed, tucked up next to Skye. Steven was in her arms, clutching her shirt. He did a little double take when he saw what Steven was clutching, because it looked an awful lot like a Captain America doll. He just smiled and shook his head - that was clearly Skye’s doing. There was room next to the boy for him, and he fully intended to fill that space. In a little bit. He smiled to himself and left the room to grab his drawing pad. This moment was too good to pass up.

 

“Just come to bed,” Skye muttered as he was finishing up the rough sketch. He could go back and detail it out later.

“Sorry, doll,” Steve murmured, setting his pad down. He should have known better than to think he wouldn’t wake her.

“S’weird that you’re watchin’ us sleep,” Bucky added sleepily. “Guess that hasn’t changed about you.”

“He was always this weird?” Skye murmured. Bucky hummed his agreement, so she chuckled lightly. “Good. I was a little worried all that ice damaged his brain.”

“Yeah, right here guys.” Steve smiled. He switched into night clothes, opting to leave an undershirt on, and slipped into bed behind Steven. “I thought I finally got my bed back from group cuddle sessions,” he teased lightly.

“Shh,” Steven groaned, twisting in Skye’s arms to reach for Steve. “Cuddling is good for the soul, Steve.”

Steve couldn’t see it, but a giant grin stretched across Bucky’s features. The boy was Skye, in child form.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know, it was kind of a long chunk again - but it's mostly fluff and I want to keep moving the story along. I keep getting bogged down in the details.


	40. I've got you. I've got this.

 

An hour later, Skye woke suddenly. She was stiff and panicky, barely keeping herself together enough to slip from the bed quietly (instead of shoving Bucky and Steven off her and bolting, like she felt like doing). Bucky rolled over and watched her walk out the door. He waited a beat, but when she didn’t return he followed her from the room.

“You okay, Солнышко?” He asked softly, trying not to startle her. Her hands were shaking and her face was pale. He frowned and pulled her into his chest, grounding her with his presence. She was sweaty and trembling. She took a shuttering breath and wiped at her face.

“I’m okay,” she replied, though her hands came up to fist in Bucky’s shirt, effectively contradicting her words.

“Bad dream?”

“I don’t know,” she groaned into his sternum.

“You need to breathe,” he reminded her gently. She nodded and took a few deliberate breaths, using the rise and fall of his chest to help monitor her own.

“I think it’s Tony. I need to go check. I’ll be back in a little bit. You can go back to bed.”

“Want me to go with you?”

“I don’t know how he would feel about you being in his room,” Skye admitted. “He’s private. I’m sure it’s fine. I’ll have Jarvis send you a message if I need anything. Or you could ask him, if you want to explore a little. You have access to the whole Tower.”

“Okay,” Bucky nodded.

“Give me at least an hour before you come searching, yeah?” She added softly. “Thank you, for this.” She patted his chest and untangled from his limbs before smiling shakily and hurrying from the room.

Bucky sighed and looked around the space, “Well, shit.”

 

0-0-0-0-0

 

“Jarvis, let me in please,” Skye requested when she reached Tony’s locked door. She heard the lock disengage and then processed the other sound that she was hearing - wheezing. She pushed in and followed the sound to Tony’s bed. He was sitting up, rocking. His eyes were glazed and he looked a million miles away. “Shit, Tony, breathe.”

He didn’t respond, didn’t give any indication that he heard her. She frowned and slipped into bed beside him. She hadn’t realized Pepper was going to be gone for the evening. She wrapped her arms around his clammy chest and rubbed circles on his back, murmuring softly to him. She told him about Jack asking Steve out for coffee on that first day, confessed that Steven was working on a secret project with Clint and Tasha, and told him about her first swim lessons with Delta. By the time she was done telling him about lining Gertrude with the extra protection, he had come back to himself enough that he was looking at her and was attempting to match his breathing to hers.

“Wanna tell me about it?” Skye asked finally. He was still shaky and his breathing was slightly irregular but he looked less shaken. He winced and shook his head quickly.

“No,” He whispered. He turned and wrapped his arms around her, clinging to her tightly. Skye just held him, hiding her surprise when he started crying. She just rubbed circles onto his back and let him get it out. “You were dead,” he admitted finally. “Dead dead. No magic blood to save you. I had to tell Dad that you died. It was my fault.”

“It’s okay,” Skye whispered, holding onto him tighter. “I’m fine. You’re fine. Everyone is fine.”

“It doesn’t even make sense,” he growled, annoyed at his tears. “Dad’s been dead for forever and he didn’t even know about you, but I lost you and he was disappointed and…”

“He would be very proud of the man you turned out to be,” Skye informed him softly.

“You can’t know that,” Tony replied.

“I’m proud of the man you are and I’ve only known you for a little while. Of course your dad would be proud,” Skye murmured.

“Our dad,” Tony corrected softly.

“Think you’re gonna be able to fall back asleep?” Skye asked.

“Definitely not.”

“I bet brother-sister movie night won’t be interrupted at 2 in the morning,” she smiled.

“Yes!” Tony agreed eagerly, grateful at the chance to get that dream out of his head and to spend some time with Skye. Steve really sucked at sharing, Steven needed her expertise too often, and now there was Bucky. Just between those three, it was hard to get time with her (yes, he realized Bucky had only been here for a day, but he was already monopolizing her time)- and that wasn’t even counting Jack, or Clint and Tasha. He was tempted to draw up a schedule, but he knew it would be a futile attempt at organization. Their schedules were too unpredictable and Skye would go to whoever _needed_ her, regardless of the schedule.

“Lion King?”

“Yes.”

“Snacks? Or not yet?”

“Hmm, not yet. The bakery people drop breakfast stuff off early. We can have an early breakfast.”

“Oh, with that yummy coffee?”

“Definitely.”

“Done and done,” Skye giggled. “You’ve sweat through this shirt though. You should change or I can’t cuddle.”

“I’ll get you a dry shirt too,” Tony frowned. She had been clinging to him for the better part of half an hour and her shirt had absorbed moisture from him.

 

0-0-0-0-0

 

“Mr. Rogers is requesting your location,” Jarvis chimed in later. Tony was asleep on Skye; They were tucked under a blanket on a reclining loveseat. Tony had put on her hacking hoodie in an uncharacteristic display of emotion, and she was pouting slightly at the loss of her favorite hoodie. She couldn’t very well take it back though. Skye was on her second Disney movie, unwilling to leave her brother when he so desperately needed her attention. Tony was dead to the world; he didn’t even stir at Jarvis.

“Movie room,” Skye smiled. “Just let them know to come quietly. Tony’s sleeping.”

“Good morning,” Steve smiled, stepping into the movie room a minute later, with Steven on his hip. The boy looked like he had just woken and was still clutching his doll. Skye couldn't help her smile when she saw Steven clutching a Captain America doll, while resting _on_ Captain America. Bucky was a vague shadow lurking behind the pair. “Everything okay?”

“Yeah,” She smiled. “We were due for some one-on-one time.”

“Tony says you’re bad at sharing,” Steven informed Steve sleepily.

“Well, I was an only child,” Steve shrugged. He glanced back over his shoulder at Bucky, who was still hanging back. He looked at Skye and winced, clearly indicating he had no idea what to do with his friend.

“{Bucky, come on in,}” she called out, switching to Russian. “{You don’t need to lurk back there like a stalker.}”

“{Sorry,}” he apologized, taking a step out of the shadows. He didn’t really join the group, but he was less separated.

“You guys wanna watch a movie with me? I don’t want to leave Tony yet.”

“What are we going to watch?” Steven asked, popping his head up.

“Why don’t you pick?”

“Steve, wanna help me?” Steven asked. He nodded and they headed over to the array of movies. Skye twisted as best she could and waved Bucky into the room, patting the limited space beside her. He ducked his head and tried to shake his head. She smirked and patted the spot again. He smiled and hurried over to her, claiming the spot before Steve and Steven could snatch it up. Steven’s mouth popped open when he saw Bucky settling in next to Skye. It was a bit of a squeeze, but he didn’t look bothered. Steven looked from Steve to Bucky and then back, flapping his hand in a frustrated gesture. Steve laughed and grabbed a blanket.

“You could always cuddle with me,” he offered. Steven’s face fell and he hurried to hug Steve.

“I’m sorry,” he apologized quickly. “I didn’t mean to make you feel like -”

“Cuddles? Yes or no.” Steve interrupted, smiling at the boy.

“Skye says there’s no such thing as a stupid question, but I think you just proved her wrong,” Steven sighed, faking being affected. Bucky chuckled and shook his head.

“You’ve got your work cut out with this one,” Bucky told Steve, smiling softly.

“I just can’t compete with Skye,” Steve teased back, smiling over at her. Bucky had only been in the room with her for a minute, but his entire demeanor was different. It made Steve more curious about their past relationship, but he wasn’t sure he was allowed to ask. He didn’t want to push Bucky too soon. It was only his second day at the Tower. He needed to get comfortable first, then they could delve into the deeper topics. In a way, he was glad he had gotten to practice with Skye. He suspected she shared more with him than she normally would have - probably because he was letting her do it at her own pace.

“You were just as bad when she got back. Hell, you’re not any better _now_!” Clint smiled, slipping into the room. The Tower was abandoned; normally Clint would enjoy the quiet, but today it just felt wrong.

“That true Stevie?” Bucky asked relaxing against Skye. She giggled and nodded.

“I can pull us some pictures,” She offered.

“Hear that?” Bucky asked, glancing over at Steve. “You’re not allowed to tease me when you’re guilty of the same thing.”

“I’m not teasing you!” Steve retorted quickly. “And Clint, I see you hiding that smirk over there. You’re guilty of the same damned thing.”

“You were like...super attached to her, Steve. Hell, Simmons considered banning you from her lab. Did you know that? Because you kept letting Skye pull that blood line.”

“Wrong kind?” Bucky asked softly.

“Wrong kind,” Skye agreed. Clint shook his head.

“Bucky, it was like they were glued together. It didn’t help that she couldn’t walk and he jumped at every opportunity to carry her around.”

“It wasn’t like that!” Steve defended quickly. The entire room’s heads swiveled towards him, each of them wearing similar expressions of disbelief; well, except for Skye. She was trying to hide her embarrassed blush in the blanket.

“I’m drowning in sappiness,” Skye groaned. Tony muttered indistinctly and adjusted on Skye, wrapping his arm around her waist. Skye smiled and ran her fingers through his hair, settling him again.

“You’re drowning in Stark,” Clint muttered.

“When’s Tasha supposed to get back?” Skye asked. “I didn’t get a chance to check today.”

“Later today.” Clint replied, settling himself on a chair opposite Steve and Steven. “Now stop talking. It’s movie time.”

“Sir, yes, sir!” Skye teased, offering him a flimsy salute. Bucky groaned lightly and smacked her hand down.

“Do it right or don’t do it,” he told her softly. “And don’t call him _sir_.”

“You got a good understanding of Clint pretty fast,” Steve grinned. Steven reached up and covered Steve’s mouth, shushing him softly. Skye giggled lightly and adjusted the blanket over her legs so Bucky could have some of it too. She leaned forward enough that Bucky could drop an arm around her, gratefully accepting his heat. There had been a cool draft under the blanket from the air conditioning unit and she hadn’t been able to adjust the covers.

“Hey, Jarvis, wanna turn the lights down for me please?”

“Yes, Ms. Skye,” Jarvis replied, doing as she asked. “The caterer will be delivering your breakfast order within the next half hour. Would you like to adjust your order?”

“Might as well add enough for everyone,” she replied. She glanced at her boys, “Coffee, guys? The caterer is going to bring muffins and banana bread soon.”

“Jarvis, I’ll have a large black coffee.” Clint called out softly. Steve and Skye added their own requests, then she looked over at Bucky.

“Coffee?” She asked softly. “What do you like?”

“Black, splash of milk.” Steve supplied absent-mindedly. Bucky looked surprised, but nodded his agreement. Steve realized what he did and looked over with a slightly panicked expression.

“It’s okay, punk,” Bucky smiled. “Is your kid gonna get anything?”

“Hey, kid, want some hot chocolate or juice or something?” Steve asked, smirking at the boy’s expression at being referred to as _the kid_.

“Can I get coffee?” Steven asked, recovering his composure quickly. Steve threw his head back and laughed.

“Absolutely not!”

“Fiiine,” he grumbled with a smirk, “Jarvis, can I get a hot chocolate please?”

With that settled, the entire room quieted and the movie started. Skye sighed happily and sought out Bucky’s free hand. He smiled and pressed a kiss into her hair, stroking it away from his face with the arm around her shoulders.

Moments like this made his discomfort worth it. Really, he should have come sooner.

 

0-0-0-0-0

 

Tasha walked into the dark, quiet room two hours later, shaking her head at the groups of blankets.

“Skye was right,” Tasha commented softly, slipping into the room and over to Clint’s chair. He grinned and let her under his blanket. She was wet, and he grimaced. “Sorry, it’s pouring out.”

“Good day for a movie,” Steve smiled.

“What was Skye right about?” Clint asked softly.

Tony was still asleep on Skye, but Bucky and she had drifted off as well, reflecting the strange night they had all had. Bucky was asleep with his back against the armrest and Skye was resting on him; Bucky’s arms were wrapped around her, holding her carefully. His metal arm was cradling her head, his flesh arm was draped across her middle. He was carefully avoiding touching Tony, who was still asleep on her.

Steve had done a double take when he realized they had fallen asleep; they both looked more relaxed like that than he had seen either one of them. His fingers had twitched towards a pencil; he desperately wanted to capture the moment, but he knew the lighting was too bad. Tony was going to flip when he woke up and realized he had been sleeping so close to the world’s deadliest assassin.

“This Tower is over run with a sappy bug,” Tasha smiled, surveying the room. Not that she was complaining, but this wasn’t how she typically found her team. Her family. She needed some time with Skye, but was having trouble locating her in the dark. “Is that an extra body over there?”

“Skye got Bucky here,” Steve replied, grinning. Jack smiled at the happy tone of his voice. He had joined the group sometime during the movie, before Skye fell asleep.

“Ugh, more testosterone?” Tasha moaned teasingly. “We really need another woman or two...or ten.”

“Hey, there are three of you now,” Clint replied, kissing her lightly. “You should be fine.”

“There are seven men,” Tasha replied quickly. “And that’s not even counting Coulson’s team.”

“Hey, that’s two extra women for you,” Jack laughed.

“Speaking of which, what are we doing about them?” Clint asked.

“What’s wrong with Coulson’s team?” Jack asked quickly. Clint smiled and shook his head.

“Nothing is wrong with them. I guess the question is whether we’re keeping our newest addition a secret or not.”

“I don’t think it’s going to work out, trying to keep him a secret. Not from Coulson’s team.” Steve offered, shifting Steven on his lap. They were both reading Harry Potter, having gotten bored with movies, but Steve was a faster reader than Steven and could pay more attention to the conversation.

“Fitz can keep a secret.” Jack jumped in.

“It’s not Coulson’s team I’m worried about,” Steve sighed. “But I wouldn’t mind keeping him from Shield. At least for now.”

“I bet Skye can blackmail Coulson into keeping it a secret,” Clint grinned.

“Speaking of which, he wants his file back,” Tasha laughed softly.

“I thought Skye fixed that already?” Steve asked, raising an eyebrow.

“He negotiated for his old file back, not his original file,” Tasha chuckled. “The Doctor is gone, but Hello Kitty is back.”

“Sneaky, sneaky,” Tony muttered sleepily. He sat up slowly, blinking when he realized 1) he had fallen asleep on his sister, 2) his sister had fallen asleep on Bucky (when had he joined them?), and 3) that the entire team had watched him sleep. It was a little disorienting. What was _more_ disorienting was the fact that Bucky’s hand was inches from his own because they had both draped their arms around Skye. He whipped his hand off Skye, then shot Steve a glare when he chuckled at his reaction.

“No, cold spot,” Skye grumbled, reaching blindly for Tony’s hand. She gave this pitiful, half-asleep whine that had Bucky stirring against her. He didn’t wake, but he growled softly and twisted, pulling her closer to his chest and half under his body. Tony blinked slowly and then raised his eyes to Steve’s; he just smiled and shrugged lightly.

“I think he’s more protective of her than you are,” Tony muttered, rubbing his face. “What are we all doing here?”

“Movies.” Jack shrugged, nodding to the screen.

“Books,” Steven added, waving Harry Potter towards him. The book light he was using flashed around the room, blinding half the occupants.

“Coffee?” Tasha muttered, taking in the empty cups littered around the table tops.

“Jarvis, is the coffee guy still here?” Tony asked, stretching.

“His name is Jason,” Skye muttered, reaching for the edge of the blanket. It had fallen when Bucky shifted them.

“Sir, the coffee guy is still here,” Jarvis replied; Clint chuckled at the sarcastic reply because it sounded odd without a sarcastic tone.

“Red, you want coffee? I want coffee,” Tony yawned.

“Coffee sounds amazing,” she agreed. “Jarvis, usual order, please.”

“Oh, me too, Jarvis.” Skye muttered. Her eyes were still closed and she was in the process of burrowing into the blanket.

“Jarvis, I’ll take some coffee too,” Steven smirked, not looking up from his book. Steve laughed and shook his head.

“Nice try, bud. Skye’s going to have to put a rule in place with Jarvis about you and coffee.”

“It stunts your growth,” Clint offered helpfully. “Do you want to be that size for the rest of your life?”

“Yes,” Steven muttered stubbornly, making Skye giggle. She twisted in Bucky’s arms, waking him in the process, to look over at Steve. Bucky grumbled lightly and adjusted Skye in his arms, hiding his face in her neck.

“Turn the television off and go to sleep,” Bucky muttered into Skye’s hair. “I swear you sleep less than anyone I’ve ever met.”

“{We’re not in the safe house,}” Skye whispered to Bucky in Latin, knowing no one else in the room knew the language. He went stiff and huffed out a surprised breath.

“{I forgot. How did I forget?}”

“{Cause you probably slept less than I did,}” Skye replied. “{It’s okay. Tasha’s back, as a heads up. She’s over by Clint.}”

“Hey, are you talking about me?” Clint asked, half shouting. “I heard my name!”

“Archer, you’re such a whiner.” Skye giggled. “Tasha, I’m glad you’re back. These boys have been running me ragged.”

“You’re the one begging for cuddles!” Clint argued quickly.

“So your soul is doing well?” Tasha grinned.

“So well,” Skye smiled.

“What’d I miss, aside from the new addition?” She didn’t try speaking to Bucky, because he was still hiding in Skye’s neck. She would introduce (re-introduce?) herself later. This was not what she was expecting when she heard Skye was trying to bring the feared assassin into the tower.

“Steve and I found Skye after she snuck out of the Tower.” Clint chimed in.

“Wait, you left?” Steven asked, his eyes shooting up in panic.

“I’m still here, aren’t I?” Skye smiled. Steven’s frown deepened and he closed his book.

“You’re not supposed to leave, Skye.” He told her, pushing free from Steve. He hurried over to her and tugged the blanket loose so he could slip in. “I’m supposed to be convincing you to stay.”

“I found out I’m chopped liver compared to Skye,” Steve informed Tasha conversationally, which made her grin.

“This is my spot, kid.” Bucky mumbled, refusing to move so Steven could get more comfortable.

“Stop calling me kid, _man_!” Steven retorted, shoving lightly at his elbow. Skye laughed at their bantering and shifted so Steven was more comfortable.

“Steve stole Skye for an entire day,” Tony added.

“It wasn’t a whole day,” Steve denied, “Clint got her in the morning.”

“Yeah, and you stole her for the rest.”

“Eh, I had to share half that time with Steven.”

“Tony, just drop it,” Tasha laughed. “Look at his face. He’s just getting you wound up.”

“I should get time with my sister whenever I want it,” Tony argued stubbornly. He had had a weird night, and then woke to his entire team surrounding him. To say he wasn’t quite himself yet was an understatement.

“I should get time with my girl any time I want it,” Steve rebutted.

“I should get time with my wifey any time I want it.” Tasha sighed. “You guys have had her for days. My turn.”

“Are they always like this?” Bucky asked softly, listening on with amusement.

“Sissy, I need time with you too!” Jack grumbled playfully, though he was serious. He got up from his chair and shoved himself between Tony and Skye, wiggling his hips to bump Tony’s out of the way when he made no move to let him in.

“Oh, cuddle pile?” Clint grinned, tossing his exhausted girlfriend onto Skye and Bucky, then settled himself next to her.

“Aw, no…” Tony grumbled.

“Incoming!” Steve laughed, jumping onto Jack, Tony, and Steven. He controlled his landing so no one got hurt, then spread out to distribute his weight a little better.

“It better not be like this all the time,” Bucky informed Skye dryly; they both knew it was an empty threat. He lifted his face to shoot Skye a shy smile; they were both touchier than most and this was definitely touchy. Bucky bit back the little bit of panic that was surfacing from being under so many people - especially people he didn’t really know - but he had Skye in his arms and she was relaxed. He trusted her judgement on these people. Skye threw her head back and laughed.

“Sorry, Bucky. They’re not usually this bad. They’re all complaining about Steve not sharing, but I don’t think any of them are good at it.”

“I’ve been gone for days!”

“I just found out you’re my sister!”

“You got me _drunk_!”

“I’m used to having you all to myself!”

“I’m allowed to want time with my girlfriend.”

“I’M JUST A LITTLE BOY!” Steven shouted over the top of all of them. There was a half beat of silence, then Skye and Bucky were giggling.

“I really thought you were exaggeratin',” Bucky told Skye. “I’ll never doubt you again.”

“Do I even want to know?” Bruce asked, standing in the doorway with Jason and a cart of coffee.

“Oh, coffee.”

 

0-0-0-0-0

 

“Ugh, fuuuck,” Clint groaned, smashing his phone to turn the shrill alarm off.

“Let’s go guys,” Steve agreed, turning his alarm off as well. It was echoing around the room, pinging from four different phones.

“But I just got back,” Tasha muttered tiredly. Steve glanced down at Steven and frowned.

“We’ve got Steven,” Skye smiled, “Don’t worry about us.”

“What are you going to get up to?” Steve asked, even as he edged out the door. Skye just shrugged and smiled. Steve grinned and pressed a kiss to her lips over the back of the couch, then hurried to catch up with his team.

“What _are_ we going to get up to?” Steven asked.

“I haven’t had real food since breakfast,” Skye groaned dramatically.

“Hmm, me too.” Bucky agreed. “Food can be on our list.”

“Your books came in,” Jack offered. “If Bucky helps us, it’ll go fast.”

“You just want to see my arm in action,” Bucky groused playfully.

“What? No! Well...maybe. A little. A tiny bit. Miniscule bit.”

“Yes,” Skye interrupted, nodding. “He definitely wants to see your arm.”

“Did you talk to Coulson? When are they coming back?” Jack asked, pushing his lip out.

“Few days,” Skye replied. “We’ll need to decide if you want Coulson’s team to know about you,” Skye told Bucky.

“I don’t know who that is,” Bucky admitted. “Should I know who that is?”

“He’s the guy from Shield with the airplane,” Skye prompted.

“Hmm, with the fancy car?” Bucky grinned.

“Lola,” Skye agreed.

“Do you trust him? I don’t want to go in to Shield. I won’t be their experiment. I won’t be their weapon.”

“I’m not talking about Shield,” Skye reassured quickly. “Shield is definitely not finding out about you, at least until I’ve set up a fake identity for you and we’ve figured out how to hide that arm better. If Shield finds out about you, they won’t know you’re Bucky Barnes.”

“But if we don’t tell Coulson, can Fitz still come around?” Jack asked, sounding panicked.

“His boyfriend,” Skye supplied helpfully.

“Do you trust him?” Bucky repeated. “I don’t want to make Jack unhappy. I trust your judgement.”

“Hmm, give me a day or two to think about some fail safes,” Skye smiled, bopping his nose. “When we bring them into this circle, I’ll make sure they know the consequences of breaking our trust.”

“They won’t,” Steven chirped. “They know what you can do. You can probably just give them some stink eye and they’ll pee themselves.”

“Definitely need to get you away from Clint,” Skye moaned. “Okay, so books and then food.”

“And then the trampoline place? Oh, or the place with the piano in the floor?” Steven added, practically squirming with excitement.

“You don’t have to go,” Skye offered to Bucky. “If you’re uncomfortable, you can stay here.”

“Alone?”

“If you want.”

“You would trust me to be here alone?”

“Bucky,” Skye sighed loudly, “I love you, really, I do. But sometimes you’re a complete moron.”

“Ouch,” Bucky gasped, clutching his chest. Steven giggled and squirmed so he was half on Bucky and half on Skye.

“Bucky, you should come. I mean, you don’t _have_ to come but I think it would be fun.”

“Oh yeah?”

“Yeah. Please?”

“Christ, we need to get you away from Skye,” Bucky muttered, shooting his eyes to the ceiling. “You’re learnin' all of her tricks.”

“So, that’s a yes?” Steven grinned, looking completely unabashed.

“Sure. Yes.” Bucky nodded.

“Great, let’s do books first.” Skye smiled. “Then I’m going to need to shower, then food?”

“Then trampoline place.” Steven was quick to add.

“I kinda wanna check out the piano place,” Jack offered.

“If we get moving, we can do both,” Skye smiled.

 

0-0-0-0-0

 

“How long are they supposed to be gone?” Steven asked over dinner. It was kind of strange, having the Tower to themselves. He was tired, worn out from their day at the trampoline place and the music place. His sides hurt from laughing so much. Bucky had  _loved_ the trampoline place and had come up with all sorts of challenges for them to do. He was less into the music place, but still had fun. Steven grinned down at Bucky; he was happy he was at the Tower. Skye was happy. Steve was happy. He was happy.

“I don’t know, honey,” Skye replied. “It depends on when they get everything wrapped up.”

“Can we call them?”

“No, we’re not going to call them.” Skye smiled, brushing his hair back from his face. “You need a haircut.”

“Can I get one like Steve?”

“I don’t think you have enough hair for that,” Bucky smiled.

“Can we have Jarvis tell us when they’re done and on their way home?” Steven asked, trying not to pout. He hadn’t had a night without Steve yet; he might not crawl into their bed as much anymore, but he knew Steve was right there if he needed him. He was oddly uncomfortable with the idea of going to bed without Steve on their floor.

“That we can do,” Skye smiled. “Finish eating and we can read some more Harry Potter. Maybe if you ask Jack nicely he’ll do some voices for us.”

“Jack?” Steven asked, his face lighting up at the offer. “Can you do some voices for us? Please?”

“If you eat your dinner,” Jack smiled. He saw Skye’s approving grin and couldn’t help but feel pleased by her response.

“Jarvis, will you let us know when the rest of the family is coming back?” Steven asked. Bucky grinned at the boy’s casual use of _family_ to describe the team. The boy hadn’t been here for much longer than he had, and that gave him hope that he could get to the same point quickly. Steve was being extra careful with him, but wasn’t pushing him to talk and that made the whole living situation much more bearable. Honestly, transitioning to the Tower had been far easier than he had anticipated. No one had tried to lock him up, no one seemed angry at him, and his metal arm was only receiving positive attention. Really, if he’d known it would be like this, he would have come sooner. He glanced at Skye from the corner of his eye and made a note to never tell Skye that; she had been telling him to come for a long time. She would never let him live it down, if she knew how much he regretted not listening to her sooner.

“Sir has a message,” Jarvis replied after a moment.

“Play it,” Skye smiled, forking more barbeque into her mouth. Bucky had uncovered a grill and decided that he would like to try it out - without the prying eyes of everyone on the team.

“ _Clint, Steven is worried about his favorite uncle!_ ” Tony shouted, making Skye and Jack groan.

“That’s not what I said,” Steven frowned.

“This is a Stark we’re talkin' about here,” Bucky snorted.

“ _We got the little bast- ouch, Capsicle! Fiiiine, we got the criminal mastermind in custody. We’re waiting for a clean up crew, then we need to drop the rat bast- OUCH! Then we’ll drop this fuc- God damnit, Capsicle, stop hitting me._ **_Then watch your language with my kid!_ ** _Ugh, parents are the worst. We’ll drop this bad guy off at Shield and come on home. I’ll have Jarvis tell you when we’re inbound after Shield_ . **_No, Steven, you can’t wait up for us. I’ll stop by your room when we get back._ ** ”

“That work for you?” Skye smiled.

“He didn’t say if anyone was hurt.”

“They would have told us,” Jack replied. “Bucky, I’m giving you the Grill Master award. This is delicious.”

“I’m glad it turned out,” Bucky smiled, ducking his head slightly; he was embarrassed of the praise.

“Can we do the ice cream stuff now?” Steven asked, shoving his empty plate away from himself.

“Only if you show me your moves when you’re shaking it,” Skye grinned.

“Bucky, you’re going to make ice cream too, right?” Steven asked, casting their newest family member a pleading look.

“Do I need to show you my moves?” Bucky teased.

“Uh, yeah.” Steven laughed. Bucky had really relaxed over the course of the afternoon. When he pointed it out to Jack, he had smiled and explained in hushed tones that Bucky probably felt more comfortable away from Steve - he was the only one that had any preconceived notion of what Bucky was supposed to act like. For everyone else, this version of Bucky was normal.

 

0-0-0-0-0

 

“Jarvis, we’re going to need some good shaking music,” Skye grinned, handing each of her boys a double bag.

“Is this going to work?” Steven asked.

“Yeah, the salt makes the cold from the ice freeze the cream inside the inner bag. Shaking it makes the freezing happen sooner,” Jack grinned. “We’ve done this before, trust me.”

“Oh, I trust you.” Steven grinned, shaking his bag experimentally.

 

_Shake, shake, shake, Senora, shake your body line_

_Shake, shake, shake, Senora, shake it all the time_

_Work, work, work, Senora, work your body line_

_Work, work, work, Senora, work it all the time_

 

“Aw, yeah.” Skye grinned, shaking her hips and her bag in time with the music.

 

_My girl's name is Senora_

_I tell you friends, I adore her_

_And when she dances, oh brother_

_She's a hurricane in all kinds of weather_

 

“I don’t know this song, but it’s perfect!” Steven shouted, shaking his bag as well.

 

_Jump in the line, rock your body in time_

_Okay, I believe you_

_Jump in the line, rock your body in time_

_Okay, I believe you_

_Jump in the line, rock your body in time_

_Okay, I believe you_

_Jump in the line, rock your body in time, oh_

 

“Skye! Shake with me!” Jack shouted. “Jarvis, blast it!”

 

_Shake, shake, shake, Senora, shake your body line, oh_

_Shake, shake, shake, Senora, shake it all the time_

_Work, work, work, Senora, work your body line_

_Work, work, work, Senora, work it all the time_

 

“Солнышко, is this a real song?” Bucky grinned, shaking his own hips with surprising ease.

 

_You can talk about cha-cha_

_Tango, waltz, or de rumba_

_Senora's dance has no title_

_You jump in the saddle hold on to de bridle_

 

_Jump in the line, rock your body in time_

_Okay, I believe you_

_Jump in the line, rock your body in time_

_Rock your body, child_

_Jump in the line, rock your body in time_

_Somebody help me_

_Jump in the line, rock your body in time_

 

“Oh, yes it is,” Skye laughed, “Dance with me, Bucky.”

 

_Shake, shake, shake, Senora, shake your body line_

_Shake, shake, shake, Senora, shake it all the time, oh_

_Work, work, work, Senora, work your body line, yep_

_Work, work, work, Senora, work it all the time_

 

“You look like you’ve done this before,” Jack shouted over the top of the music. Bucky grinned at Skye and nodded.

“We bonded over music,” He informed Jack. “After I was done being sick, of course.”

 

_Senora, she's a sensation_

_The reason for aviation_

_And fellas you got to watch it_

_When she wind up she bottom, she go like a rocket_

 

_Jump in the line, rock your body in time_

_Okay, I believe you_

_Jump in the line, rock your body in time_

_Hoist those skirts a little higher_

_Jump in the line, rock your body in time_

_Humpin' jiminy_

_Jump in the line, rock your body in time, oh_

 

_Shake, shake, shake, Senora shake your body line_

_Work, work, work, Senora work it all the time_

_Dance, dance, dance, Senora dance it all the time_

_Work, work, work, Senora work it all the time_

 

_Senora dances calypso_

_Left to right is de tempo_

_And when she gets the sensation_

_She go up in the air, come down in slow motion_

 

_Jump in the line, rock your body in time_

_Okay, I believe you_

_Jump in the line, rock your body in time_

_Somebody help me_

_Jump in the line, rock your body in time_

_Okay, I believe you_

_Jump in the line, rock your body in time_

 

_Shake, shake, shake, Senora shake your body line_

_Shake, shake, shake, Senora shake it all the time_

_Work, work, work, Senora_

 

“Can we do today again sometime?” Steven grinned, kicking his feet against the cabinets. He was sitting on the counter while the adults were leaning against various areas of the kitchen. They were all eating their ice cream straight out of the baggies, showing various degrees of exhaustion.

“Yeah, sissy, can we do that again sometime?” Jack yawned. “I had fun today.”

“Me too,” Bucky admitted, smiling softly. “Thanks for includin' me.”

“Don’t be stupid,” Jack retorted. “Of course we’re going to include you. We like being around you. You’re a pretty awesome guy.”

“I’m pretty messed up,” Bucky countered lightly. He didn’t really want to get into this _now_ , but it had to happen sometime.

“We’re all messed up,” Jack retorted easily.

“We all have sometime we’re working on,” Steven agreed.

“Yeah, but I could hurt you.”

“I know it doesn’t seem like it, but I’m better than I look.” Jack shrugged. “At the very least, I can hold you off until Skye shows up. Can Skye take you?”

“Besides, I’m dangerous too,” Skye jumped in. “I have stuff I’m still working on, just like you."

"I'm working on toning down my...um... _flair_." Jack smirked. "Well, really, working on recognizing when I need to. I like to pick on Ward, so I'm probably always going to be a little extra terrible around him. I just can't help myself."

"I'm working on telling people what I need," Steven admitted. "And listening to my feelings and not just hiding them."

"And I'm working on giving up some control," Skye added finally.

"Lovely," Bucky snorted, "But none of those issues result in someone gettin' hurt, if you mess up."

"You won't hurt us," Steven dismissed with a wave of his hand.

"There's still some programmin'," Bucky admitted. He knew from talking with Skye that the boy was familiar with what it was. "I wouldn't want to hurt you...but I wouldn't be _me_. I would be  _him_ and he would hurt you."

"Bucky, there are protocols in place," Skye reminded him gently. "I won't let you hurt anyone. It's not reasonable to expect no set backs, but we can restrict the damage. I've got you. I've got  _this_."

"See? She's already falling back into her controlling ways," Jack offered with a grin. "Set backs are expected."

"Jackson Herbert," Skye sighed, shaking her head affectionately.

"Skylar Elizabeth," Jack sighed right back, grinning.

"Come on Steven, bedtime." Skye laughed, tossing her bag in the garbage.

"My legs are broken!" Steven yawned, reaching out for Skye. "Help me?" He grinned tiredly and looked over at Bucky, "See how I'm asking for help? That means she's going to say yes." 

"Nuh uh!" Skye laughed.

"Don't worry, cripple. I've got you," Jack grinned, scooping the boy up and rushing for the elevator.

"He's dangerous," Bucky smirked.

"Fucking dangerous as hell," Skye shuddered. "Come on, Jack won't make him take a bath and he needs one before bed."

 

0-0-0-0-0

 

“Jack, do you mind keeping an ear out for Steven?” Skye asked.

“Keeping an ear out?” Jack asked, frowning.

“Bucky and I need to pop out for like...an hour.”

“Where ya going?”

“Need to take care of a few things,” Skye shrugged. “He shouldn’t wake, but just in case?”

“Sure thing, sissy.” Jack nodded, picking up his tweezers to adjust a small piece of the electronic contraption in front of him. “No more getting shot though, okay?”

“Jesus, Jack. One time.”

“Go,” Jack grinned, waving her away.

“All good?” Bucky asked, pulling his cap low on his head. He had a duffel bag slung over his shoulder.

“All good,” Skye agreed, accepting her jacket from him. “We’ve got about an hour.”

“Well, let’s make it count.”

“Jarvis, if Steven wakes, send him to Jack please.”

“Yes, Ms. Skye.”

“Activate privacy protocol snoop-a-loop,” Skye told the AI, laughing when Bucky grinned at the code name.

“Snoop-a-loop?” He asked.

“Snoop-a-loop,” Skye confirmed. “So Tony can’t track us outside the Tower. I mean, we should beat them back, but just in case.”

“You’re so smart, it’s scary sometimes,” Bucky admitted.

“Tony wants me to take an intelligence test,” Skye muttered. “I’ve been putting it off.”

“Why? We both know how smart you are.”

“There are enough expectations on me,” Skye shrugged. “I don’t want to add to them.”

“You know most of the expectations on you are put there _by_ you, right?”

“Well, yeah,” Skye smiled, “but you guys are important to me. It’s my fault I’m putting everyone in danger by being here - so I might as well make sure I’m taking care of you guys, too.”

“You’re not puttin' anyone in danger,” Bucky denied. “If anything, it’s me.”

“The retrieval team is missing. I can’t find them, Bucky.”

“Well, let’s go find them then, huh?”

“I didn’t think you brought it with you,” Skye smirked, nodding towards his duffle bag.

“Hid it in the bowels of the Tower,” Bucky admitted.

“Yuck, don’t ever use that word again.” Skye moaned. “So disgusting.”

Bucky smirked and dropped his voice into the dirtiest tone he could manage, “ _bowels_.”

 

0-0-0-0-0

 

“You guys are still up?” Steve asked, trudging onto their floor.

“Nope,” Bucky retorted, casually turning the page of the book he was reading. Steven had given him the first Harry Potter book to read so he could catch up with Steve and him. It was an odd book, but he could see why the boy might like it so much - could see why _Skye_ might like it so much. A kid with no real family finding a family among friends? It sounded a whole lot like nearly everyone in the Tower.

“Har har,” Steve grumbled, dropping tiredly to the floor. He was half in, half out of his Captain America uniform but he was filthy.

“What did you do?” Skye giggled. “Even your hair is dirty. Didn’t you have your cap thing on?”

“Cap thing?” Steve yawned. “My cowl? Yeah, I did...but it isn’t water proof.”

“What kind of water were you swimmin’ in?” Bucky asked, looking over with a small frown.

“Dirty water,” Steve muttered, closing his eyes.

“Nuh uh,” Skye laughed, throwing a shoe at Steve’s leg, “You’re not sleeping there. Go shower and kiss your kid goodnight. He will know if you don’t.”

“‘m not sleepin’,” Steve muttered. His eyes were closed and he didn’t even pretend to open them. Bucky grinned and shook his head at Skye; Steve was ridiculous - and he missed that about his friend. He loved this new chance.

“Your girl is goin’ to need cuddles,” Bucky pointed out logically. “Do you really wanna cuddle in that get up?”

“I kinda really adore you, but you smell, Stevie,” Skye laughed. “Go take that off. Shower. Then bed.”

“But ‘m tired,” Steve whined.

“Bucky can always put you in the shower,” Skye offered, grinning.

“And Skye can help you wash.” Bucky shot right back. “I bet that nasty water penetrated all the way through your suit and you’re goin’ to need a very _thorough_ cleanin’.”

“I’m up, I’m up,” Steve laughed, scrambling up from the floor. He all but ran to his bathroom, then slammed the door behind him in his haste.

“Wanna bet he locked the door?” Bucky asked, smirking as he continued to read.

“You’re terrible,” Skye giggled. Her own face was red with embarrassment. She knew exactly what Bucky was implying. Bucky looked up for the first time and laughed at her red face.

“Солнышко, it’s amazin’ to me that you blush so easily...but you dish it out all the time.”

“Did I ever show you the video from when Steve brought me in to the Tower for the first time?” Skye asked, grinning.

“You mentioned it.”

“Scooch over, I’m getting my laptop and joining you.”

 

“Aw, Skye, no…” Steve grumbled when he re-emerged from their room fifteen minutes later. He was still towel drying his hair, but paused when he recognized the audio playing from her speakers.

“Face Plant, I had to. I _had_ to,” Skye grinned. Bucky was in tears beside Skye, clutching his side as he laughed at his friend.

“Wad of cum,” Bucky gasped.

“I hate you both,” Steve informed them, heading towards Steven’s room. He needed to kiss his kid good night so he could go to bed. He heard Bucky and Skye snort their disagreement and couldn’t help his smile. Bucky was sounding more and more like himself.

“Stevie! Did Skye ever find out if it’s seventy years of cum or increased libido?” Bucky shouted at his back, barely holding back his laughter until the question was out. Skye must have smacked him, because the last thing he heard before entering Steven’s dark room was his amused exclamations of pain.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So the song is Harry Belafonte - Jump In Line (Shake, Shake Senora). 
> 
> Sorry, this chapter is kind of a lot of fluff, but I have to build some relationships before the plot can advance. :S This is also kind of a longish chapter again, but cutting it in half seemed pointless...


	41. Go Get Jack

 

Bucky woke to Skye sneaking out of the bottom of the bed. He had _nearly_ stayed in his designated room, but Skye had offered their bed and he couldn’t turn that down. He recognized the exhaustion lines in Steve’s face and knew he wasn’t interrupting anything in their bed, so he didn’t feel guilty about joining them... especially not since Skye and his hour long absence from the Tower - Skye hadn’t taken that as well as he thought she would. Skye didn’t _seem_ off - at least not like she was when she had sneaked out onto Tony’s floor - but something had woken Bucky. The door clicked shut softly and he shifted restlessly. Finally, he reached for the edge of the blankets to go after her and Steve spoke up.

“Let her go, Buck.” Steve muttered in the darkness.

“But…” Bucky waved towards the door; his metal arm glinting in the near darkness.

“I know,” Steve nodded. “She’s okay. She goes to Gertrude for a few hours every night. I think she likes the quiet. We can be overwhelming.”

“But…”

“Give her a little time, then you can go check on her. Better yet, go back to sleep. She’ll come wake us up for a morning run and training session.”

“But…”

“Jarvis, is Skye still in the Tower?” Steve asked the darkness.

“Yes, Mr. Rogers.”

“Are her vitals stable?”

“Yes, Mr. Rogers.”

“Will you alert us if either of those change?”

“Of course, Mr. Rogers.”

“See? Go back to sleep, Bucky.”

Bucky bit back an annoyed grumble; he knew Stevie’s girl better than he did, so he had no place to offer advice - but he could also see how Steve might not take that bit of information well, so he bit back his sharp retort.

 

Bucky managed to stay in bed for a grand total of five more minutes. He knew she liked her space. He _knew_ that about her - but _this_ wasn’t _that_. She was off. Something was wrong. He ignored Steve’s tired, exasperated sigh and slipped out of bed. He closed the door softly behind himself, trying not to wake anyone else. He turned to see Steven clutching his fingers in front of himself.

“Kid?” Bucky asked softly. The boy was pale and distraught, though he was hiding it fairly well. Steven’s eyes lifted slowly and Bucky winced at the fear hiding behind his mask. “What do you need? Steve’s still in bed, so you could join him...or I was gonna take a walk…”

“In the Tower or out?” Steven asked softly, taking half a step closer to Bucky.

“In. I think,” Bucky replied, taking his own step closer to the boy. He half looked like he was going to pass out.

“Can I go with you? Or do you want to be alone?”

“You can come,” Bucky offered. Truthfully, if he wasn’t going to come, Bucky was going to make sure Steve had him. Clearly the boy shouldn’t be alone right then.

“Can I have a cuddle?” The boy asked, his voice cracking. His mask slipped a little and Bucky didn’t have the heart to turn him away. He didn’t answer, just scooped the boy up and let him settle against his chest. He grabbed a blanket from the couch on his way off their floor and covered the boy with it. Steven took a shuttering breath and clutched at Bucky’s shirt. Bucky shook off the familiar feeling that he was coming to associate with whoever was trying to surface in his memories; now wasn’t the time for that. “Where’s Skye?”

“Hmm?”

“You said Steve was still in bed, but where’s Skye?” Steven asked again.

“Oh. I don’t know,” Bucky admitted. “Jarvis says she’s still in the Tower. I was goin’ to see…”

“I think something is wrong,” Steven admitted softly.

“Why do you think that?” Bucky asked, even though he agreed. Something was wrong. He just didn’t know what.

“I don’t know,” Steven shrugged sleepily. “I feel wrong...but it doesn’t feel like it’s _my_ wrongness.”

“Is it weird that I know exactly what you mean by that?” Bucky replied. He ran a hand down the boy’s back, soothing him even as they walked. Steven sniffled and loosened his hold on Bucky’s shirt. He draped his arms around Bucky’s neck and nuzzled his face under his chin. Bucky couldn’t help the small smile playing on his lips. The only person who trusted him as quickly as this boy did was Skye. Steven pulled his face back up, “Hey Jarvis, where’s Skye?”

“Ms. Skye is in the Tower.” Jarvis replied. Steven groaned.

“What does that mean?” Bucky asked.

“That means she put privacy mode on. Jarvis won’t tell us where she is.”

“Jarvis, Skye said I have the same privileges as she does. Where is she?”

“Ms. Skye is in the Tower,” Jarvis repeated. Bucky wanted to growl at the AI, but it wasn’t _his_ fault that Skye could control him. Steven sighed and put his head back on Bucky.

“We should check Gertrude first,” Steven suggested softly.

 

0-0-0-0-0

 

“Never listenin’ to him again,” Bucky muttered. They had finally found Skye - in the gym. In hindsight, it was a pretty obvious choice after her van turned up empty. Skye was above them, swinging from ropes that Bucky _knew_ weren’t there earlier in the day.

“Not listening to who?” Steven asked softly. He sounded less sleepy now, but no less distraught.

“Steve.”

“Why?”

“Cause he said to leave her be...and look at her,” Bucky nodded towards Skye. She had an intense look of concentration on her face as she swung from rope to rope.

“Normally, Skye sneaks out to get some alone time.” Steven offered. “He’s bad at telling people to back off. Can we get Skye down, Bucky? There’s blood on the ropes.”

Bucky cursed long and hard, though he did it in Russian - for the boy’s sake. Steven giggled lightly and slipped from his arms. He left the blanket in a puddle at his feet, then hurried into the gym.

“Skye!”

After one good look at her face, Bucky knew she wasn’t going to come down. He didn’t think she was awake. She looked like she did the one time memories had overwhelmed her and she had gone into a sort of trance. She had called it a panic attack, but Bucky knew what those looked like and he didn't think it was the same.

“Kid, come back.” Bucky called. Steven was holding the bottom of a rope, like he was going to climb it. “She’s not awake. I don’t want her to hurt you. Let me talk her down.”

“Skye wouldn’t hurt me.”

“Normally, I’d agree with you,” Bucky nodded, “but I think she’s asleep. She might not know who you are. Just, please, let me talk her down. She would never forgive herself if she hurt you on accident.”

“Okay,” Steven nodded slowly. He came back to Bucky and grabbed the blanket off the floor.

“You’re a good kid, you know that?” Bucky smiled, helping him tuck the blanket around himself. Steven looked surprised, but smiled shyly.

“Get Skye down, okay?”

“You got it,” Bucky smiled. He straightened and assessed Skye again. She reached the edge of the room and kicked off the wall, launching herself back towards another rope, then headed towards the opposite wall. “{Skye, come down!}” Bucky hollered, knowing it would be a futile effort, but he figured it was a good place to start. Skye didn’t blink. Bucky sighed and rolled his neck, letting the soldier come forward just a little bit. They had discovered early on that the soldier’s tone was usually enough to break through her panic. He hoped it would be enough to wake her. “{I want boots on the ground!}” Bucky called up to Skye in the sternest tone he could manage without losing control of himself. Skye hesitated, almost missing the next rope, but she recovered and kept going. At least he knew that his tone would work. He sighed and paced the floor, “{I said _boots on the ground_! Now, girlie!}” Huh, where had that come from? He had never called her _girlie_ before. Skye continued to swing from the ropes, but she was dropping lower with each pass. “{Now! I want boots on the ground, _now!_ }”

“{Training incomplete,}” Skye huffed, standing at attention in front of Bucky. Her chest was heaving with the effort of her “training”, but her face was a blank mask. Bucky didn’t dare look away from her, but he could hear the small distressed sound that Steven whimpered out. It was too late now, but Bucky couldn’t help but realize that the boy shouldn’t be here for this. He could see now that she wasn’t asleep, she was under programming. He cursed under his breath - Jack had promised he removed all of the programming. Skye wasn’t going to like this, when they got her back.

“{Detail training.}” Bucky demanded, his tone still that of The Asset.

“{100 laps, running. 50 rope installations. 500 laps, ropes.}” Skye barked back; the very image of the perfect soldier.

“{Detail completion.}”

“{100 laps, running. 50 rope installations. 100 laps, ropes.}”

“{Stand down.}”

“{Training incomplete.}” Skye replied.

“{New orders.}”

“{Detail orders.}”

“{20 laps, cool down.}”

“{20 laps, cool down. Acknowledged.}” Skye nodded, then took off around the room at a slow jog. Bucky glanced back at the boy, unsurprised that he was crying. He silently cursed himself for bringing the boy. He shouldn’t have seen Skye like that.

“I need you to go get Jack,” Bucky said softly. He didn’t approach the boy - didn’t want to scare him more than The Asset’s tone already had.

“Is he okay?” Steven asked, trying to wipe his tears away. More kept streaming down his face.

“Something triggered her programming,” Bucky admitted. “Go get Jack.”

“Jarvis, wake Jack. Tell him Skye needs him in the gym. He needs to come alone.” Steven called out softly. He looked at Bucky defiantly, but with a hint of fear. He wasn’t going to leave Skye, but he also didn’t want to make Bucky mad. He hadn’t heard that tone from Bucky before, and frankly, it was terrifying - more terrifying than the blank expression on Skye’s face. He understood far more about programming than he cared to admit.

“Forgot about him,” Bucky offered, smiling ruefully. He could see the carefully hidden fear in Steven’s features and cursed himself again. The boy shouldn’t be here. “You know where a first aid kit is? We’ll need to wrap her hands when she’s done cooling down.”

“Jarvis?”

“There is a first aid kit near the gym entrance.” Jarvis replied. “Should I send Dr. Banner down to administer first aid?”

“No, we’ve got it.” Steven replied. He swallowed hard and looked up at Bucky. Bucky smiled and held his arms out; he didn’t expect the boy to accept his offer of comfort, but he sprang up from the floor and launched himself at him without hesitating. Of course the boy wanted cuddles. He was Skye’s mini-me.

When Jack came barreling into the gym less than five minutes later, Steven was back on Bucky’s chest. Bucky was rubbing calming circles on the boy’s back, but they were both watching Skye finish her cool down laps.

“What happened?” Jack asked, looking panicked.

“Something triggered her programmin'.”

“But she was asleep?”

“She must have dreamed something, then.” Bucky shrugged. “We got her down off the ropes and she’s got one more cool down lap, but then you’re going to have to break the programmin’.”

“How’d you get her down?” Jack asked, frowning.

“Told her to.”

“She shouldn’t have listened to you, if she’s under programming.” Jack murmured, looking up at the red stained ropes. He winced and watched as Skye came over to them, standing at attention in front of them. “Sissy?”

“Fix it, Jack,” Steven whispered, when Skye didn’t respond.

Jack rolled his shoulders and pulled Mr. White’s voice back up, " _Report orders._ ”

“20 laps, cool down. Completed.” Skye replied. Steven winced and pointed to the blood dripping from her hands onto the floor behind her. Bucky just nodded his understanding. He couldn’t patch her up until the programming was broken; she wasn’t losing a lot of blood - her hands could wait.

_"Detail complete orders_.” Jack ordered. Jack shot Bucky a sideways glance and nodded towards the door. He didn’t want Steven around for this. Bucky nodded and headed for the door.

“Let’s go wake Steve, huh?” Bucky said softly.

“I want to stay with Skye,” Steven argued.

“I don’t want you to hear this,” Bucky replied honestly. “Let’s wake Steve, and then we can go cook something. She’ll be hungry after all of that.”

“Skye likes grilled cheese and tomato soup,” Steven offered softly. He could see that he wasn’t going to win. As much as he wanted to stay with Skye, Bucky wasn’t going to let him.

“Good idea, kid.”

“I have a name,” Steven sighed softly.

“Hmm, sorry.” Bucky apologized, stepping into the elevator. “It’s weird for me to call you Steve’s name. I’ll try harder to remember.”

“Is Steve going to be mad?”

“Why would he be mad?”

“Cause we didn’t get him sooner.”

“He’ll get over it,” Bucky muttered, still annoyed at his friend. Steve hadn’t wanted him to go after Skye. Where would she be now if he hadn’t?

“Are _you_ mad?” Steven asked.

“I’m not mad,” Bucky denied. Annoyed maybe. Frustrated, definitely. But not mad.

“Jesus, Bucky, you can’t just walk off with the entire floor…” Steve ground out the second Bucky and Steven stepped off the elevator. Steven could practically feel the hackles raise on Bucky’s neck.

“Steve…” Steven tried to placate, but Steve was on a roll and didn’t let him finish.

“Where is Skye? Where is Jack? Jarvis won’t tell me where anyone is and frankly…”

“Frankly, you need to stop talkin’,” Bucky interrupted. “Skye and Jack are in the gym. Jack is breakin’ the programming’. We were just comin’ to get you.”

“Oh, how considerate,” Steve retorted sarcastically, then he seemed to process what Bucky said. “Wait...programming?”

“Yeah, _Steven_.” Bucky retorted sharply. “Programming. She must have triggered something in her sleep. Your kid and I are goin’ to go make grilled cheese and tomato soup for when they’re done, if you’d like to join us. But if this is _normal_ for her, then you can just stay here.”

“Please don’t be mad at him,” Steven whispered, still clutching Bucky’s shirt. The knot in his chest had been loosening, but now there was a pit of anxiety in his stomach. It felt more like his reaction to the stress of the tension between Bucky and Steve and less like someone else’s wrongness. He had never heard Bucky call Steve, Steven before. He knew it was his name, but it felt like a bad thing. Like how mothers used a child’s whole name when they were in trouble. (Not that Steven knew what that felt like, but it happened on television shows and in some of the movies they had been watching.)

“We’ll work it out,” Bucky replied softly. “It’s okay to disagree with people, kid. You are allowed to have your own opinions and they don’t have to be the same as everyone else’s. Doesn’t mean we’re fightin’, just means we don’t agree.”

 

 


	42. You can't fix it

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've gotten some feedback saying my chapters are too long (totally on point, those who commented. I appreciate the constructive criticism).   
> That being said, I'm going to try posting smaller chapters, probably twice a week instead of once.

 

Steve joined them in the kitchen on the main floor ten minutes later, looking chastised. He must have stopped by the gym. Steven had pulled up a recipe on his tablet and was rummaging through the fridge and pantry with Bucky, trying to find the right ingredients. Tony didn’t buy cans of soup, so they were making it from scratch. Bucky was chucking tomatoes at Steven, making him giggle and juggle them to keep them in his arms.   

“Is there anything I can do to help?” Steve asked, rocking on the balls of his feet uncertainly by the edge of the breakfast bar. Steven smiled and glanced at Bucky, not so subtly telling him to be nice.

“Can’t find bread,” Bucky admitted. “If you can find the bread, you can help your kid with grilled cheese.”

“Ah, it took me a while to find it, too.” Steve nodded, showing Bucky where the bread was hidden away.

“Steve, can we make smiley face pieces?” Steven asked, holding up a cookie cutter that Skye had used to cut one of his sandwiches into smaller pieces. She had arranged the small circles into a smiley face, and then grinned proudly at her work.

“We sure can,” Steve nodded, coming over to press a kiss to the top of the boy’s head. “Are you okay? Did we wake you?”

“No, I was up.” Steven shrugged.

“Why were you up at 1:30 in the morning?” Steve asked softly. Bucky dropped a handful of herbs by Steve, then went to grab a knife and cutting board.

“Felt weird,” Steven shrugged. The blanket fell off his shoulders, so he picked it up off the ground and hurried over to one of the bar stools. He climbed up on the stool, then wrapped himself up in the blanket. “Bucky said the soup would take a little bit, so we shouldn’t start the grilled cheese yet.”

“I feel like you’re not telling me something,” Steve admitted slowly, glancing over at Bucky warily.

“Skye was...weird?” Steven said softly.

“I shouldn’t have brought you with me,” Bucky sighed. “But I didn’t think we’d find her like that.”

“How’d you find her?” Steve asked, like he was afraid to know.

“Did you see the ropes?” Steven asked. Steve nodded, so Steven winced and continued, “Skye was doing...Bucky, what’d Skye call them?”

“Laps.”

“Skye was doing laps on the ropes,” Steven told Steve. “There was blood…”

“We’ll patch her up,” Bucky reassured him, nodding to the first aid kit that they had accidentally brought up with them. “Besides, with the magic blood, she’ll heal up in no time.”

“Skye said the orders were to do 500,” Steven whispered, dropping his eyes. He suddenly realized why Bucky was so mad. “What if we didn’t check on Skye? There was already blood, and that was after only 100 laps.”

“Steven, you wanna pop back down to our floor and grab another blanket?” Steve requested, gently shooing the boy from the room. “Skye will probably be cold when she comes up.”

Steven nodded and hurried from the room. He wanted Steve and Bucky to talk, but he knew that wouldn’t happen if he was around. He deliberately slowed his steps, trying to give them time to talk.

In the kitchen, Steve turned to Bucky slowly, wincing as he assessed his mood. He cleared his throat and offered, “Would it help if I said I was a complete idiot and that I’m sorry?”

“You would have to tell me somethin’ I didn’t already know,” Bucky muttered. He set the knife down and turned to face Steve. He quirked his lips up in a small smile when he saw how nervous Steve looked. “I’m not mad, Steve. I was annoyed, maybe. And your accusations put me on the defensive, but I’m not mad.”

“I feel worthless,” Steve admitted softly. “You knew something was wrong. Hell, even Steven knew something was wrong. I think he was trying not to tell me, but he knew.”

“He’s weirdly aware of Skye,” Bucky nodded. “When I left your room, he was already out in the livin’ space. He said he felt wrong...but like it was somebody else’s wrongness.” Bucky chuckled slightly, “And the weird part is I knew exactly what he meant.”

“See? How am I supposed to help when I don’t even know when something is wrong?” Steve asked, his face falling. He was so disappointed with himself. Skye was _his girl_ , he was supposed to know when something was wrong. Bucky sighed softly, accurately reading his friend, and pulled him into a hug.

“It’s not your fault,” Bucky told Steve, holding him tightly. Steve wrapped his arms around Bucky’s middle and dropped his forehead to rest on his collar bone, like he did when they were kids and he was upset about something. Bucky froze, then blinked away the memory of Sarah Roger's funeral. He wasn't ready to relive that particular memory. Not right now.

“I can’t even tell with you, until it gets really bad, and I’ve known you my whole life, Buck. Even you know that. I know you are more comfortable going to Skye, and I’m glad you’ve got that relationship...but it makes me feel like I’m useless. I just want to help. You’ve always had my back...but now it’s Skye that’s got yours and I just…”

“Punk, you’ve got to understand that what we’ve been through, it’s not like what you’ve been through. It’s not better or worse, it’s just different. You’re right, I am more comfortable going to Skye, but that’s because she doesn’t look at me with those giant puppy dog eyes of yours,” Bucky teased lightly. “You expect to fix things...and sometimes you just _can’t_. Sometimes, you’ve just got to get it out. Skye gets that. There’s no pity. She knows what I need, because it’s usually what she needs when she’s havin’ a bad day. Besides, I can’t keep an Avenger up all night with my shitty little problems. You’ve got to be on your toes, Stevie. I can’t risk havin’ you hurt because I interrupted your sleep.”

“I don’t mind,” Steve whispered. “I mean, I wouldn’t mind. I don’t need much sleep.”

“See, I bet the puppy eyes are out," Bucky teased. "You haven't done anything wrong. I'm not avoiding you, it's just... When it’s bad, Stevie, I’m not thinkin’ straight. I’m not choosin’ not to go to you. I’m not choosin’ to get Skye. It just… She broke a lot of my programmin’, Stevie. She is literally the first person that I’ve known since...well, since the train. I’m not going to count any of the asshole scientists. They never treated me like a person. But Skye’s never treated me like a _weapon_ , and that’s the first good thing I _knew_ about this new century. Yeah, I was more a part of it than you were...but I didn’t get to keep any of those memories. But Skye? I got to keep her. So, I’m a little protective because she protected me when I couldn’t protect myself. I’m always going to need to know she’s okay. I’m sorry I was growly.”

“Skye’s coming,” Steven said softly. “Jack wants you to have the first aid kit ready.”

“Got it,” Bucky nodded, sliding the kit over to Steve. Steve smiled gratefully and pulled away from his friend.

“Can we finish this later?” He asked softly, still feeling a little raw.

“Course, punk.” Bucky smiled.

The elevator door pinged open softly, then Jack was emerging with Skye in his arms. She was crying and her hands were shaking. There was blood on her hands, arms, and night shirt (Steve’s shirt). Jack also had blood on him, but there was less of it. Skye took a shuttering breath and reached for Steve. Jack hurried over, desperate to give his sister anything that would make this better. Steve looked surprised and set the first aid kit down so he could take Skye from Jack. She hooked her arms around his neck and buried her face in his neck, sobbing into the small space between them. Steve shushed her softly then moved to sit with her, settling in an armchair that was close enough to the kitchen that they wouldn’t have to leave the other people worried about her.

“Doll, let me see your hands,” Steve requested softly, trailing his hand up her arm. She shook her head rapidly and sobbed again. He glanced up at Bucky, seeking advice. Bucky smiled slightly and shook his head.

“You can’t fix it,” Bucky mouthed to him. Steve frowned, not liking that advice, but did as he said. He just held her, running a hand through her hair. After a minute, Skye’s sobbing had turned into light crying. Bucky grabbed the first aid kit and came over to the arm chair, leaving Steven to stir the soup. Jack had had a whispered conversation with the boy and was helping him assemble grilled cheese sandwiches. “Солнышко, I need your hands,” Bucky requested softly. She didn’t lift her head from Steve, but unwrapped her arms and offered them to Bucky. They were still shaking, which Steve and Bucky both frowned about.

“Pain receptors are off during programming,” Jack reminded them softly, having caught the frown. Steve nodded his understanding; all of the pain from the rope course was hitting her now. Of course her hands were shaking.

“Stevie, move your arm?”

Steve shifted, clutching Skye closer to him while he let Bucky sit on the arm of the armchair. Bucky ran his thumb over the back of her knuckles, and she slowly uncurled her fists. He silently went to work, cleaning the palms of both hands. A few times he had to stop and find the tweezers so he could pull small threads from her skin; the coarse rope hadn’t held up well to her onslaught. By the time Bucky was done, Skye was more calm. She still looked out of it, like her head was a million miles away, but she wasn’t crying. She was just blankly watching Bucky finish taping the edge of the gauze down. His eyes flicked up to hers as he finished, then offered her a small smile.

“Stevie warm enough for ya?” Bucky asked softly, depositing her hands into her lap. She blinked slowly, coming out of her trance. She smiled softly and nodded slowly. She twisted her face up so she could see Steve, then winced when she saw the worry on his features.

“How are you doing, doll?” Steve asked, smiling a little to help erase the tension he knew she could see.

“Better now,” She admitted softly. “I’m sorry, about the whole…”

“Shush,” Steve whispered. “You don’t need to apologize.”

“Bucky, move a little,” Steven requested, elbowing him aside so he could come at Skye with the blanket he grabbed for her. She smiled and let him drape the blanket over her, climbing on Steve’s lap so he could get it all the way over her shoulders.

“Thanks, honey,” Skye said softly. She burrowed into the blanket and Steve’s chest, desperately trying to reclaim her equilibrium. She still wasn’t exactly sure what had happened...but she wasn’t sure she wanted to know. All she knew was that Jack had gotten through and that she had friends that were worried. She didn’t know, didn’t _want_ to know why she had thought she was in an empty room. Nothing about this was convincing her this was real.

She was even less sure when Steven came over with a smiley face of grilled cheese circles.

Steve wasn’t sure why she was crying, _again_ , but he was worried. Judging by Bucky’s expression, he felt the same way.    

 

0-0-0-0-0

 

“Steve, we’re being called into Shield,” Clint said, walking off the elevator with his phone in hand. He glanced up from his phone and frowned. Steve was rubbing his hand up and down someone’s back; Clint couldn’t tell who but he was guessing Skye. Bucky and Steven were watching cartoons, but were sitting on the couch as close to Steve’s chair as they could. Steven was half asleep on Bucky’s lap, tucked up comfortably under a blanket. There were plates littering the coffee table and coffee mugs in front of Steve, Bucky, and Jack. Jack was still wearing his pajamas - the ones with blood smeared on them. “What’s going on, guys?”

“Rough night,” Jack shrugged. “Steve, give me Skye. You need to go shower.”

“I’ll make you fresh coffee,” Bucky agreed.

“Skye had a rough night, or you all had a rough night?” Clint asked, slipping his phone into his pocket.

“Skye had a rough night, so we had a rough night.” Jack replied.

“I don’t think I need to…”

“Steve, you need to go in.” Bucky interrupted. “Skye told me you were supposed to go with Tasha on that last mission.”

“It should only take a few hours,” Clint agreed. “We can steal the quinjet, so it’s faster. Coulson’s team is coming back this morning and FitzSimmons have some new gear they want us to check out after we outline our mission plan.”

“Why can’t we do that from here?” Steve asked, trying to keep the whine from his voice. Skye had only fallen back asleep an hour ago and he was hesitant to leave her. It wasn’t that he didn’t trust the others to take care of her...but she was his girl and he wanted to be the one to do it.

“Steven Grant Rogers, get up and go shower. You have responsibilities.” Bucky told him sternly. Steve grumbled but got up from the armchair and deposited Skye in Jack’s arms. He adjusted the blanket over her and pressed a kiss to the top of her head, then sulked from the room. Steven glanced up at Bucky, trying to hide his smile.

“I don’t think you’re his favorite right now,” Steven commented.

 


	43. Trust Me

 

“That was fast,” Bucky smirked, watching Steve all but run off the elevator a few hours later. Skye was still sleeping, but Jack had handed her off to Bucky so he could do his scheduled video chat with Fitz. Steven had fallen asleep on Bucky earlier, so he had put the boy back to bed.

“Shut up,” Steve frowned. He was tired from the Avenger mission yesterday, then he had only gotten a partial night of sleep. He was annoyed because it was a complete waste of time for him to go into headquarters - a video chat would have sufficed. On top of all of that, he was anxious because he didn’t really understand what had happened the night before and he just wanted his girl back in his arms.

“Why don’t you make yourself comfortable and I’ll pass her off?” Bucky smirked, knowing exactly what had his friend irritable.

“Sorry,” Steve sighed, releasing some tension in his shoulders.

“It’s okay,” Bucky smiled. “Sit.”

“Jesus, Steve,” Clint grumbled, stepping out of the elevator. “You couldn’t have waited two seconds for me?”

“I really don’t think he could have,” Bucky smirked, pulling his arms from around Skye slowly. She whined a little, but quieted when Steve wrapped his arms around her. She shifted, turning into his chest, and mumbled something about _delicious_. “I’m goin’ to make some food - did you guys eat?”

“You think Captain Antsy let us stop for food?” Clint replied, rolling his eyes. Bucky grinned, which made Clint laugh. “Fuck, this is ridiculous.”

“This is the Stevie I remember,” Bucky commented.

“I’m sitting right here,” Steve muttered.

“Go to sleep, grouchy.” Bucky smiled, patting the top of his head. “I’ll wake you up when food’s ready.”

“I still want to talk about what happened.” Steve said sternly. He knew he was being unreasonable, but he just couldn’t bring himself to care. Especially since Bucky didn’t seem to mind.

“When she’s awake,” Bucky agreed. “She won’t remember much, if anything. Besides, you really need to get your temper under control before we chat.”

“Food,” Clint reminded Bucky, shoving him towards the kitchen.

“James Buchanan Barnes!” Steve whisper shouted grumpily. Giggles were the only response he got and he couldn’t keep the stupid grin from his own face, even through his mood. He missed goofy Bucky.

 

0-0-0-0-0

 

“Eat, I’ll talk.” Bucky sighed, shaking his head. He set a plate of food down by his friend, watching him struggle to keep his eyes open.

“About last night?” Steve asked, his voice rough with exhaustion.

“Yeah. So long as you promise to sleep afterwards.”

“Okay,” Steve nodded, yawning mid-word. Clint chuckled and settled into a chair opposite them. He wanted to hear this, too.

“She’s not goin’ to take this well,” Bucky started, “when we tell her there was some programmin’ we missed.”

“But her other programming just made her sleep,” Steve frowned.

“No, it didn’t.” Bucky denied. “Jack can confirm it for you, if you don’t believe me. Won’t hurt my feelin’s. Eat, punk.”

Steve sighed and adjusted his hold on Skye so he had a free hand to eat with. Bucky remained pointedly silent until he took a big bite of the sandwich and chewed it with annoyed deliberateness.

Bucky just smiled at Clint, “he can be such a child.”

“I’m sitting right here, Bucky.”

“No wonder you had to take care of him,” Clint smirked, enjoying riling Steve up. It was surprisingly difficult to do, so he jumped at the opportunity.

“Someone had to be responsible.”

“Right here, guys.”

“Maybe it’s his turn,” Clint chuckled, ignoring Steve’s protests.

“Yeah, Stevie,” Bucky smiled. “I think I’ve used up my responsibleness. I’m passing the torch.”

“Why isn’t Skye going to take this well?” Steve pressed, getting the conversation back on track.

“Look at him picking up that torch,” Clint smiled. It slipped off his face though and he winced at Bucky, “Why _isn’t_ Skye going to take this well?”

“Jack told me she thought everyone was a hallucination, when you guys got her out.” Bucky started. Steve and Clint nodded their agreement, unwilling to interrupt him now that he was explaining. “She’s mentioned the orange stuff. That you guys never really figured out what it was; bits and pieces, yes, but not entirely. I know Dr. Banner is still lookin’ at it, but for now, it’s a big point of stress for her.” His lips quirked up slightly, “in case you haven’t noticed, she likes control. She likes knowin’ what’s goin’ to happen, likes knowin’ that she can affect things.”

“But what about the programming?” Steve pressed.

“You said it just put her to sleep, but you’re wrong. She looked asleep, but she wasn’t. Her programmin’ slowed her heart rate to nearly nothin’, which is why you couldn’t find a pulse when you first found her. She wasn’t…” Bucky frowned, struggling for words, “she wasn’t _alert_ , but she was conscious. She says she doesn’t remember - and she probably doesn’t right now...but the memories are there.”

“Okay, so we need to watch for her to start remembering that,” Steve nodded, understanding what Bucky wasn’t saying.

“Oh, trust me, you’ll know.” Bucky snorted bitterly.

“But what about the programming last night?”

“It was fairly harmless, as far as I can tell.”

“ _Harmless?!?_ ” Steve all but shouted, remembering at the last minute that his girl was sleeping in his arms. He gripped her tighter, like he could shield her from his friend’s crass words.

“She could have _killed_ you. She could have _left_ . She could have gone to the lab and made a bomb. She could have taken Steven. The possibilities are _literally_ endless. Instead, she had to set up a rope course and run laps on it. So, yeah...fairly harmless, considerin’ what it could have been.” Bucky sighed.

“But why is she going to take this badly?” Clint asked. “Just cause the programming had her do stuff she didn’t want to do? I mean, I wouldn’t take that well either - I’m not down playing anything here...but you seem extra worried.”

“This is goin’ to support the idea that _this_ is a hallucination,” Bucky sighed, waving his hand around to indicate he was talking about the room - really, the whole Tower.. “Jack told her the programmin’ was gone. But I think he was only lookin’ for current programmin’; whatever this was is older.”

“How much older?” Steve whispered.

“I don’t know. She probably won’t know, either, so I wouldn’t bother askin’. It’ll only highlight how much she can’t explain.”

“She _still_ thinks this is a hallucination?” Steve frowned. Something was clenching in his chest, making his heart hurt. She had been through so much, but she had never mentioned any of this. He had assumed she would tell him things like this, or that he would see the worry and comfort her. She made it so easy to forget that she had been their captive for two weeks - that she had been running from them basically her entire adult life. How had he let this fall through the cracks? He should have known better.

“I think we were movin’ past it,” Bucky replied, shrugging lightly. “The scientists didn’t know about me, didn’t know Skye was takin’ care of me. So I’m a good point for her to ground herself, when she needs to be reminded, but this is going to set her back. She’s _not_ goin’ to take it well.”

“That’s why she is so comfortable with you,” Steve nodded. Bucky laughed a little and shook his head.

“I mean, yeah, partially...but, Stevie, we’re close. I keep tellin’ you this, but I don’t think you understand just how close. She earned my trust pretty damned fast. Stupidly fast. At one point, I remember bein’ worried about it - but I can’t help it. She’s never asked for anything from me. I can’t help _but_ trust her.”

“We feel the same way,” Clint smiled, patting Bucky’s shoulder. “She hacked this Tower and we _still_ trusted her after talking with her for a few minutes.”

“That’s why she’s so good with Steven,” Bucky smiled, looking over at Steve. He had finished his sandwich and was watching Skye with a fond and heartbroken expression. Bucky knew _exactly_ how that felt. She had been through so much; more than she let on. More than she would probably ever tell them.

“I told her about him before she was taken,” Steve agreed, quickly making the leap to follow Bucky’s logic.

“They didn’t know you had a _mini-me_ ,” Bucky teased lightly. “Part of it, probably most of it, is just Skye bein’ _Skye_ , but he grounds her...so she likes havin’ him around. She likes takin’ care of people, and that boy of yours has a poker face almost rivallin' hers.”

“He’s good at hiding his emotions,” Steve nodded, feeling unbearably sad.

“That’s the facility trainin’. Good soldiers aren’t happy...but good soldiers can pretend to be. That’s why she goes behind your back sometimes, because she can draw out a _real_ happy response. Not that he isn’t happy here,” Bucky hurried to add, seeing Steve’s face fall further. It just felt like failure after failure was piling up on him. “Cause he is, Stevie. But it’s also easy for him to slip back into the facility state of mind.”

“What can I do?” Steve asked, the desperation written all over his face. He liked control, too. He liked knowing how to make things better...but he didn’t know how to fix this. “Tell me what I can do.”

“Stevie, you’re not doin’ anything wrong,” Bucky said softly, seeing the despair on his friend’s features. “Just you bein’ you? That’s good enough. I know it seems like I have all the answers, but I started in the same place you did. I promise, it’ll get better. I’ll help you, when I can...but there isn’t a magic fix. You just need to be consistent; don’t be afraid to let her see your emotions. Tryin’ to be perfect is only goin’ to reinforce her fears that this isn’t real. You’re allowed to be sad. You’re allowed to be angry. You’re allowed to be worried. She might not like it 100% of the time, ‘specially when you’re bein’ sappy,” he smirked a little at that, “but long term, it’s goin’ to be better. Trust me.”

“I trust you,” Steve nodded.

“We really should get Dr. Banner workin’ on that orange stuff, or whatever she got,” Bucky sighed, falling back onto the couch cushions. “The magic blood helps with the programmin’. She shouldn’t have had any triggers...not with the magic blood in her system.”

“Magic blood fixes programming too?” Clint asked, frowning.

“Why do you think mine is all but gone?” Bucky smirked with a self-deprecating shrug. “My asshole scientists had seventy years to set triggers and reinforce programmin’ - you thought it just went away because I escaped them? We still find stuff, because I have so much programmin’ to take away, which is why I’m nervous about bein’ here...but she’s taken so much.”

“Fuck me,” Steve groaned. Leave it to Bucky to sneak in bits about himself when he could hide it in worry for Skye. Seventy _years_ of programming.

“I’m sure she’ll help you out with that when she wakes,” Bucky laughed.

 

0-0-0-0-0

 

Skye woke slowly, taking in her surroundings before she opened her eyes. The TV was on; Bucky was laughing with Clint, so it was probably a stupid show or video. She was warm - warmer than she could get on her own - and her bed was breathing. The slow, deep movements were reassuring and she knew without looking that it was Steve. She opened her eyes slowly, smiling softly when she realized he was sleeping. They were in the living room, which was odd.

“Good mornin’, Солнышко.” Bucky smiled, noticing she had woken.

“Morning?” Clint scoffed. “It’s afternoon.”

“I’ve been asleep a while.” Skye stated. She never slept this long - all night and all morning. Not unless she was healing, but she felt fine. Mostly fine. She dismissed it as discomfort from sleeping weird.

“Yes.” Bucky agreed, twisting to look at her.

“Why?”

“You know where you are?” Bucky asked.

“What happened?” Skye frowned. Steve shifted beneath her, then his grip on her tightened and he pulled himself more upright.

“Doll?” Steve asked tiredly, his voice still thick with sleep. He hadn’t expected to fall asleep up here, in a chair, surrounded by other people, but he had underestimated his exhaustion. “You okay?”

“What happened?” Skye asked again, though this time she was staring at her hands. There was blood on the bandages.

“You set up a rope course in the gym,” Bucky answered. “You can take those off. Should be all healed up by now.”

“I set up a rope course?” Skye asked, her face dropping. She didn’t remember that happening - which means she was either sleep walking (which hardly ever happened), or Jack had missed some programming. Either way, she didn’t like her body doing things without her permission. She could guess which option was more likely, “Programming?”

“You must have dreamed something,” Bucky nodded.

Skye went silent, searching her memory. She could vaguely remember a dream - though it was more feelings than actual details. She remembered being cold and scared. She remembered being thrown on something firm, but that gave beneath her.  _I don’t need to treat you like a person. You’re_ **_not_ ** _a person._ That _voice_. Where did she know that voice from? She didn’t realize she was struggling to pull the bandaging from her hands until Steve’s warm hands covered her shaking ones. She glanced up at Steve and immediately felt bad. She must have kept him up; his eyebrows were pinched with worry and there were dark circles under his eyes.

“Let me help,” He said softly. She blinked back tears and nodded, holding her hands out for him to access. “Bucky, tell her what happened.”

“You had orders,” Bucky said softly, dragging a foot stool over to the chair they were sharing so he could look at her while he was talking. “It must have been something deeper than Jack was used to lookin’ for. He said he had a hard time gettin’ you back.”

“What were the orders?” She asked, blinking back tears. Steve ran his fingers down her palm after one hand was unwrapped, checking for anything that hadn’t finished healing. Her skin looked flawless though - there wasn’t a blemish on them. He glanced up at Bucky, wondering why he wasn’t talking.

“Some trainin’ requirements,” Bucky said finally.

“Just tell me,” Skye begged. “Please, Bucky.”

“100 laps of runnin’, installin’ 50 ropes, and 500 laps on the ropes.” Bucky admitted softly. He checked her other palm when Steve got the bandaging off. “You didn’t get through all of it.” Bucky winced a little and glanced up at Steve, “Солнышко, Steven was with me. We were lookin’ for you...but I didn’t think we’d find you like that or I never would have brought him with me.”

“Was he scared?” She asked, her voice cracking. She knew she would ruin this. She would traumatize the boy; she would make Steve hate her. Bucky was back, was getting comfortable with the Tower and its inhabitants - she could leave now. She needed to leave, before Steve could lash out at her. She didn’t want an angry memory as her final memory of him. She would take her tiny store of happiness and make it last. At least Jack would be safe this time. She wouldn’t have to worry about him. It didn’t matter that she would be alone this time; she always knew she didn’t deserve the people around her.

“A little,” Bucky nodded, “but I think it was more directed towards me than you. He was just worried about you.” At Skye’s questioning look, he sighed and explained, “It took the soldier voice to get you off the ropes.”

“Shit, Bucky, I’m so sorry,” Skye muttered, her tears breaking free despite her best attempts to blink them back. Not only had she scared Steven, but she had ruined all the work Bucky had put into locking the soldier away. She struggled against Steve, shoving his arms off her. She spilled onto the ground, landing with a thump. Bucky was there, trying to help her up, but she scrambled away from him, too.

“Doll, it’s okay, breathe.” Steve said softly, approaching her with his arms open to show he wasn’t a threat.

“Leave me alone.” Skye cried, scrambling to get footing. There was a pair of strong hands on her waist, helping her stand, and she reacted instinctively. In a whirl of fists and feet, she took down the person behind her - belatedly realizing it was Clint. He was unconscious on the floor. She could see he was still breathing and that made her feel a little bit better - but it was like one M&M hiding in a bag of raisins. She looked at him in horror, backing herself into a corner as Bucky and Steve approached her slowly. “Shit. Shit, shit, shit. I’m sorry. I’m sorry. Leave me alone. Jarvis, get Dr. Banner. Shit. Shit. Shit.”

“Солнышко, it’s okay,” Bucky offered kindly. “You’re okay.”

“I just fucking did that!” Skye retorted, waving to Clint’s prone form. “Let me go. Just fucking let me go!”

“Doll, just breathe. I know it’s scary but…”

“You don’t know _shit_ ,” Skye retorted angrily. God, this wasn’t how she wanted to do this, but they seemed bound and determined to keep her here. Didn’t they understand what she was doing to them?

“Солнышко, we’re not mad.” Bucky said calmly.

“You should be!” Skye yelled. “I’m ruining everything. Give me some space.”

“Doll, you scream _flight risk_ right now,” Steve said softly. He took another step closer and she sobbed once before flying into action. It was harder than she thought it would be, getting past the two super soldiers - she had forgotten to account for the fact that they knew each other’s fighting styles and could anticipate each other’s moves. She finally made it past them though and headed for the stairs.

“What’s going on?” Bruce asked. He was standing just outside the elevator, but this was clearly not what he thought he was walking into. The shock was evident in his features.

“Check Clint,” Skye told him, pointing out his prone form on the floor, then bolted down the stairs.

 


	44. Will you stay with me?

 

“Shit.” Bucky growled, pushing Steve aside so he could beat him to the stairs. He was less fragile than Steve was - he could take more of her aggression than his friend. Besides, it was going to take some force to keep Skye from bailing - and he didn't think Steve would be comfortable doing that.

He skipped the stairs entirely - he launched himself over the railing and dropped several floors at a time, breaking his fall by catching the railings with his metal arm. Both the railings and his arm would have to be looked at after this, but if it meant he made it to Skye before she made it out of the building then he was more than glad to do it. He fell past her, then waited at the bottom of the stairs for her.

She didn’t hesitate to attack him, just picked up where they left off upstairs.

Neither of them noticed the growing amount of people gathering to watch them. Everyone in the Tower, but Bruce (who had taken Clint to his lab), was gathered at the bottom of the stairs watching Bucky try to stop Skye. They were a blur of flying fists and flipping bodies; both of them using everything they had to get what they wanted. They winced collectively when Skye kicked Bucky in the chest, making him fly back. He stopped the backwards momentum with his metal arm on the concrete, throwing up sparks. Before she had a chance to run, he was back on her and the fight continued. Steven pushed through them, but Steve intercepted him before he could see what was happening. If Skye was this upset about Steven being scared of her doing a rope course - then she definitely wouldn’t like him seeing this.

They all silently acknowledged Bucky was their best chance of stopping her. The pair was scary to watch - they weren’t holding anything back. Bucky didn’t share their reservations about hurting her. He knew she would heal and that they could work through whatever issues they had afterwards - but that meant he had to stop her here, now. Besides, he needed to defend himself or he would look like Clint - sprawled out in an ungainly heap on the floor.

“{You need to stop,}” Bucky growled, bringing the soldier forward when he realized he couldn’t beat her without him. Besides, she had listened to that tone the night before. Maybe she would listen to it again now.

“{Don’t fucking use him,}” Skye growled right back.

“{Then stop this.}”

“{I need out. I will get out.}”

“{We both know if you get out, you’re not coming back.}”

“{I’m ruining everything!}” Skye shouted.

“{Then you’re a filthy hypocrite,}” Bucky yelled back. He had dropped the soldier tone but kept the Russian. “{For months, all you’ve been telling me is that it’s okay to make mistakes, that it’s okay to fuck things up, that it’s okay to not be perfect - but one thing happens that’s outside your control and you fucking bail.}”

“{That’s not fair.}”

“{What part? I have people after me, too. I have programming, too. I have shit I can’t remember. So, please tell me, what’s so different about us?}”

“{You’re not being fair,}” Skye shouted. She was frustrated because he made a really good argument and she had nothing to shoot back at him.

“{Double standards aren’t fair.}” Bucky retorted.

“{Just fucking let me go,}” she bit out, pushing back the guilt that she was feeling. “{Please, let me go.}”

“{If you go, I go with you.}”

Skye hesitated, just for a second. She hadn’t anticipated Bucky leaving. He was supposed to stay with Steve. He was supposed to find his best friend, get better, and stay with him so she could leave without feeling like she was abandoning the first friend she had had outside of Group Delta. Bucky darted forward, taking advantage of her split second of distraction, and slammed her to the ground. She struggled against him, but she had also taught him the one hold she couldn’t get out of (in case of something just like this, she realized stupidly). She was trapped beneath Bucky - pinned to the hard floor. She screamed out her frustration, desperately trying to get him off her.

“{I need to go,}” She said, the defeat starting to color her tone. “{Let me go, Bucky. I don’t deserve to be here. I’m fucking everything up. They’re going to find me and activate whatever this programming is that Jack didn’t know about and everyone is going to be killed and I can’t be responsible for that.}”

“{I’m not letting you go. Not ever, girlie.}” Bucky whispered. Skye quit struggling against him and fell back against the floor. Harsh sobs ripped from her chest and Bucky just froze; he wanted to let her up, to comfort her, but he also needed to be sure she was done fighting him first. She wasn’t stupid enough to get pinned twice. He had gotten lucky. She tugged on her arms lightly, but he didn’t release her.

“Please,” She whispered, tugging once more. He released one hand, and it instantly curled around his neck - hugging him to her and giving her face a place to hide. After a moment, he released her other hand and it wrapped under his arm and hooked over his shoulder. He relaxed and pulled them both into a sitting position. She was done, for now. He was going to have to watch her closely for a while, though. He glanced up, realizing for the first time that they had an audience. His face dropped. Shit. Steve nodded, correctly interpreting his expression, and shooed everyone from the room quietly.   

“Talk to me,” Bucky whispered into her hair after the tears finally stopped and her breathing was closer to normal.

“Did I hurt you?” She asked softly. Her grip on him didn’t loosen and he understood that she probably didn’t want to look him in the eye.

“No,” Bucky replied honestly. She had put up a good fight, but he had defended himself well. He would be sore, but there wouldn’t be lasting damage. “Jack’ll be excited though, he gets to look at my arm. That’s what I get for skippin’ the stairs.”

“I’m so sorry,” Skye muttered, squeezing him tighter.

“I’m not.” Bucky offered. “You’ve done worse to keep me safe.”

“I can’t stay, Bucky. I can’t. I’m ruining everything,” She confessed.

“You’re not ruinin’ everything, you’re just having a bad day.” Bucky replied, smoothing her hair away from his face. “Everyone still wants you here. Hell, probably more than they did before - if that’s possible.”

“I scared Steven.”

“You didn’t. He was worried, but it was definitely me that had him scared.”

“Yeah, cause of me.”

“Солнышко, nobody's blamin’ you here. It’s a good thing you’re lettin’ this out. Isn’t that what you’re always tellin’ me?”

“Knocking Clint unconscious isn’t a good thing.”

“Well, no...but he also shouldn’t have touched you right then. It was stupid on his part, and he’s gonna tell you the same damn thing.”

“Bucky, I attacked you and Steve.”

“And we’re both fine. I promise, completely fine...which means you held back. We both know you can kick my ass when you want to - so some part of you wants to be here too.”

“Of course I want to be here!” Skye whimpered, “But that doesn’t mean I should. I ruin everything I touch.”

“You haven’t ruined any of us. Just, shush, Солнышко. I’m not arguin’ this point with you. You’re just goin’ to have to trust that I’m right. Cause I am. Honestly, they’re probably glad to see some not happy behavior from you.”

“Not happy behavior?” Skye questioned softly.

“You were gone for two weeks, Солнышко. Half of that you don’t remember. The half that you do, well...I’m glad you erased it. They don’t need to see that. But the point is, you need to process what happened. You need to work through it. If you’re not comfortable tellin’ everyone, then just talk with me. I know what happened already, so you’re not bringin’ up new stuff. I won’t be shocked by anything. Just...talk to me. You know all of my bad. You’ve taken a huge weight off my shoulders. Please, let me help you with yours.”

“I’m bad at that,” Skye admitted softly, like she was sharing a secret.

Bucky laughed, “Oh, Солнышко, I know.”

“Don’t laugh at me,” Skye replied, though Bucky could feel her smile against his neck.

“I’m not laughin’ at you,” he replied. “I’m goin’ to be clingy,” Bucky informed her. “Brace yourself for all this. I meant it when I said if you go, I go. I’m not leavin’ you alone.”

“You can’t leave Steve.”

“You’re more important to me,” Bucky whispered, dropping his voice so the mics couldn’t pick it up. It was true, but it wasn’t something he wanted Steve overhearing. “He’s tryin’ to get his friend back, but I’m not that guy any more and sometimes it’s overwhelmin’ to know how disappointed he must be with me. I’m not dismissin’ him. He’s still my friend and I still want to know him and everything...but you chose me...for me. Steve and I are workin' to get back to how we were...but you're more important to me right now. We knew you were tailin’ us before New York, which means before you met Steve - so don’t even think about pullin' that card. I had nothin’ to offer you, but you still gave me everything you had. So yes, I will leave Steve if you go. But you’re going to break his heart and a certain little boy’s heart if you run away.”

“They’ll get over it,” Skye replied. Bucky laughed again.

“No, they wouldn’t. I think you know that.”

"They're going to be looking for me. I don't know how to find the retrieval team. I never have. They're better than me...and I'm terrified that they're going to come here."

"They probably already knew where you are," Bucky reasoned. "Steve's team wasn't exactly...subtle. Even if you leave, there's no guarantee they won't come here lookin' for you or for clues about where you went. They're safer with you  _here_. They're safer with both of us here." He smiled and poked her side, "We make a pretty kick ass team, Солнышко."

She was silent for a few minutes, and he just let her be. Let his words sink in. He knew better than to rush her. Finally, she sighed and nodded.

“I haven’t been fair to you,” Skye admitted. “You’re right. I have been hypocritical. There is nothing about my past that’s worse than yours. Nothing that could excuse my double standard...and I’m so sorry.”

“I’m goin’ to remember that you said I was right. I’ll have to see if Tony’ll make me a sound clip or something, so I can play it anytime I want. Oh, or set a motion sensor in all the doorways so every time I walk in I get to hear it? Yeah, I like that idea.”

“God, you’re terrible.” Skye muttered. Bucky laughed lightly, breaking the tension in the room.

“How do you feel about checkin’ in with the others?” He asked. “I’ll do all the talkin’, if you want. I think they’re scared you’re goin’ to run.”

“It might not be a bad thing if you’re a little extra clingy,” Skye admitted. Bucky nodded against the top of her head. She was still considering running, but she was being honest about it. He could work with that.

“Remember, you don’t have to stay, but you will take me. Because if you run and you don’t...ooooh, you’re gonna be in big trouble missy.”

“Yep, that’s definitely Clint.”

“Wanna go check on him?” Bucky offered.

“What if I hurt him?”

“Then you give him a microdose of the magic blood,” Bucky replied logically.

“Will you stay with me?” Skye asked, pulling her face out of his neck. Her face was still streaked with tears and she looked more pale than usual, but the anger was gone from her features. Now, she just looked exhausted. She was tired of fighting. She was tired of running. She wasn't happy about staying, but she also couldn't argue with Bucky's logic. 

“Always,” Bucky nodded, wiping her cheeks dry one at a time.

 


	45. You shut your trap, Bucky Barnes.

 

“Clint?” Skye whispered, poking her head around the corner.

“Shit, Skye, I’m so sorry!” Clint apologized before she had a chance to say anything else. Bruce was just finishing up his examination and decided he should take it easy for a couple of days so he could be monitored for concussion, but he was otherwise okay. “It was fucking stupid of me to grab you like that when I knew you were disoriented and I…”

“You’re sorry?” Skye interrupted, her mouth falling open. “Clint, I fucking knocked you unconscious.”

“Well, yeah...but we both know you could have done worse. Dude, you’re fast. I didn’t even see it coming.”

“Are you stupid?” Skye huffed, walking further into the room. Bucky trailed in after her, being tugged along by his hand. “You should be mad.”

“Is that why you look like... _this_?” Clint asked, waving his hands in her general direction. “Jesus, Skye. None of us are perfect. I told you, I shouldn’t have touched you. I’m not mad. I can’t be mad...not for something that’s my fault.”

“Dr. Banner, I think you need to check his head out again.”

“Skye, you were obviously in distress. I agree with Clint - he should have known better than to impose on your space.”

“Besides, you were way harder on me than you were on Clint,” Bucky smirked. He loved that these two men were backing him up.

“You shut your trap, Bucky Barnes.”

“Skylar Elizabeth Stark, get your ass over here,” Clint sighed. “Give me some love. I _need_ some love.”

“Skye...go. He needs love,” Bucky teased. She just stared at Clint, not moving towards him at all.

“Would it make you feel better if I yell at you?” Clint asked softly.

“Yeah,” Skye nodded, biting her lip. Clint waved her over, then enveloped her in his arms.

“Too bad, not gonna happen. You can’t be my lil ninja if you never use your ninja moves,” Clint informed her, kissing the top of her head. Skye groaned and looked at Bruce.

“Nope, I’m not going to yell either. And don’t try to rile me up - or I’ll tranq you in your ass.”

“Jarvis, check the Tower.”

“What am I looking for, Ms. Skye?”

“I don’t know, but there’s something wrong with everyone.”

“Don’t worry,” Clint chuckled, pulling her back against him and letting Bucky kick her legs up onto the table. “It’s just the sappy bug running amuk.”

“It’s a big fucking bug,” Skye muttered. Bucky laughed and settled in a chair by the door, letting Clint comfort her. He had done all he could for the moment.

 

“Can I come in?” Steven asked, his fingertips visible through the grate of the vents.

“I’ve been told this is your doin’,” Bucky smirked at Clint, pointing up at the boy.

“What?” Clint gasped, “Nuh uh.”

“Guys, focus.” Steven sighed.

“Does Steve know you’re here?” Bucky asked, opening the grate.

“Um…”

“That means no,” Bucky chuckled.

“It’s okay,” Steven replied, grinning charmingly. “I won’t get you in trouble.”

“Good Lord,” Bucky sighed, reaching up to let the boy down. “You’re dangerous...and the worst part is that you know it.”

“Skye tried to leave, Bucky. I can’t let that happen.”

“Come here, kiddo,” Skye whispered, reaching her arms out for him. Clint didn’t release her from his hug, just shifted to give the boy some space on the medical table. “You’re not mad at me?”

“I would be mad if you left,” Steven replied, snuggling into her arms.

“I scared you.”

“I wasn’t scared _of_ you. I was scared _for_ you. I know how sucky programming is, Skye. It’s not your fault.”

“But I did something bad,” Skye admitted, softly. She was ashamed of herself, of her actions, of the people she was putting in danger. She was ashamed that she was admitting it to a seven year old, because he shouldn't be burdened with her shitty problems. She pinched her lips together, forcefully keeping any more words from spilling out. Steven sighed loudly and twisted up to look at her.

“Skye,” He said firmly, grasping her face between his hands, “do you remember what you said to me, the first day you were here?”

“Get out of the damn vents?” She asked, faking a smirk. Steven leveled her with an unamused frown that he must have learned from Steve and shook his head. “Stop eating flash drives?”

“Skylar Elizabeth Stark,” Steven interrupted, “You know perfectly well what I’m talking about. You said everyone acts bad sometimes.”

“You just have to apologize and try to do better,” Skye nodded.

“Exactly.” Steven nodded seriously. “Now, are you telling me that you’ve been lying to me this _whole time_?”

“No…” Skye whispered.

“Then stop with the whole...whatever this is...and fix it.” He said firmly.

“Clint, stop laughing,” Skye hissed, ramming her elbow back into his gut.

“But it’s just...it’s so fucking perfect,” Clint chuckled. “You know what though? I’m noticing a trend. I do stupid things when you guys are mad. I got a flour bomb and a kick to the face from the munchkin and some ninja moves from you. Clearly, I need to work on my impulse control.”

“Good Afternoon, Steve,” Bruce smiled, noticing him walk into the room. Bucky shot his friend a smile, seeing Tasha smirking behind him. He hadn’t had a chance to talk to her, not yet, but he would have to. Soon. She could help clarify a few memories for him.

“Everyone out,” Steve said firmly. Captain America firmly. Skye’s half smile fell from her face and she released Steven. Her eyes shot over to Bucky, but he just smiled and stepped out into the hall. Clint grabbed Steven and took him with him when they left. Bruce hesitated, unwilling to leave them alone with all the fragile things in his lab, but Bucky popped his head back around the corner and waved him out.

"Traitor," Skye muttered softly, scowling at Bucky. The longer she looked at him, the longer she could put off looking at Steve and his disappointed face.

“Don’t break anything,” Bruce muttered, before following everyone else out. Skye swallowed and sat up on the medical table.

Here’s where it would end. He would tell her not to come around his kid anymore. He would kick her out of his life. He would break her heart. She deserved it; she _knew_ she deserved all of it, but it was still going to hurt. Steve closed the door behind Bruce, then glanced up at Jarvis.

“Jarvis, privacy mode.” He said in the same tone.

“I’m afraid you don’t have permission to engage privacy mode,” Jarvis replied.

“Jarvis, privacy mode,” Skye whispered. Her mouth was dry and her throat felt tight, so the words came out weird, but Jarvis understood.

“Privacy mode engaged.”

Steve swallowed and stormed over to her, simultaneously the picture of stern, frowny Captain America and the emotionally compromised Steve Rogers - and smashed his mouth against hers harder than was strictly necessary.

“If you _ever_ scare me like that again, doll, I’m going to have Jack, Fitz, and Tony make a pair of handcuffs you can’t break out of and I’m going to chain you to my arm.”

 

Bucky stood on the other side of the door with his ear pressed against it, but he pulled back when Skye giggled. “Let’s give them some privacy, huh?”

“I’ve been severely out of this loop,” Tony said in a grouchy tone.

“Come on, Starkie Poo,” Bucky smirked, stealing Skye’s weird nickname for him, “let’s get you caught up.”

 


	46. Love is never a punishment

 

“All better?” Bucky asked, smiling knowingly. Her cheeks were pink and Steve had her hand firmly grasped in his. Steven squirmed off Jack’s lap, where he had been being held hostage, and rushed at Skye.

“You’re not allowed out of my sight, missy,” Steven told her severely, jumping into her free arm. Skye grunted and tried to tug her other hand free from Steve, but he refused to let her go, so he just helped boost the boy up until he could get a good hold on Skye.

“I second that,” Tony told her, just as severely. He came over for a hug though, contradicting his tone.

“Thirded,” Clint agreed, joining the hug.

“Fourthed,” Jack and Tasha said at the same time. They grinned at each other and joined the group hug.

“This feels like a punishment,” Skye muttered half-heartedly.

“Not a punishment,” Bucky smiled, watching from his spot at the breakfast bar, “love is never a punishment.”

“Bucky…” Skye whined, giving him a look that she knew he would understand. He got up off the stool and wandered over, casually pushing aside the people surrounding her - well, all besides Steve and Steven. They remained firmly entwined about her person. Bucky wrapped his hands around her face and smiled.

“Oh, Солнышко,” Bucky murmured fondly. “{It’s not a punishment, it’s not hallucination, and you _deserve_ all of our love.}”

“{Promise, we’re not a hallucination,}” Tasha murmured. “{How about we get out of this _stupid_ testosterone filled Tower and have a girls night?}”

“{Can we invite Pepper?}” Skye asked shyly.

“{It’s not girls night without all the girls,}” Tasha replied, shoving Steve aside to wrap her up in a hug. “{The three of us gotta stick together.}”

“{You gonna trust Tasha to watch me?}” Skye teased Bucky, shooting him a shy smile. He looked more comfortable here than he had yesterday; somehow, taking care of her must have launched him out of his discomfort. She wasn’t sure if she should be proud of his progress or appalled at why.

“{Only if she promises not to let you out of her sight,}” Bucky smiled. He was glad to see some humor out of her...but then again, it was probably fake. He was worried - she was _okay_ again much too quickly; she needed to take time to _not_ be okay, to work through her feelings, but he also knew how infuriatingly stubborn she could be. Really, she put Steve to shame.

“Tony, Tasha and I are stealing your girlfriend,” Skye grinned at her brother.

“What the fuck just happened?” Tony groaned.

“Girls night.” Steven translated, smiling. “They gotta stick together, Tony.”

“I really need to learn Russian,” Steve grumbled.

“Tonight?” Tasha asked, smiling.

“Can we nap first?” Skye yawned.

“Together? Hell yes.”

“Yeah, you’re not getting out of my sight,” Steve muttered, pushing Tasha aside to grab Skye again.

“You’re not my boss,” she reminded him.

“Eh, I kind of am.”  Steve smiled, pushing Tasha away by the forehead.

“Not about this, you’re not.”

“Steve, Tasha and I are going to take a nap before we have a girl’s night.” Skye informed him, patting his chest. “This is me, letting you know.”

She smiled and grabbed Tasha’s hand, then they exited the floor, smiling back at Steve as they left.

“Let her go,” Bucky smiled. “This is a good thing.”

“Yeah, no.” Steve denied, shaking his head. “They can have a nap alone or a night out alone, but not both.”

“He’s funny when he’s worried,” Steven teased, directing his comment at Bucky.

“Like you’re not worried, Mr. You’re-Not-Leaving-My-Sight,” Steve retorted.

“Oh, shush,” Steven giggled, hugging Steve. “Besides, Bucky knows Skye better than all of us, except for maybe Jack. Let’s trust him, yeah?”

“Yeah, we can do that.” Steve agreed, smiling at his friend. “But that still doesn’t mean she’s getting both.”

“Oh, punk.” Bucky laughed, watching Steve run for the stairs.

“Why do you call him that?” Steven questioned.

“I don’t know,” Bucky smiled. “It’s been our thing since before I can remember. He’s a punk. I’m a jerk. It just... _is_.”

“I’m kinda ready for a nap too,” Steven confessed softly. “Think Skye and Tasha can sleep through a cuddle pile?’

“I think they’ll manage,” Bucky grinned.

“It’s like we’re not even here,” Tony sighed loudly.

“Hey, Tony, wanna join us for a cuddle pile?” Steven asked sweetly.

“This is ridiculous...and yes, I would love to join a cuddle pile. As long as I’m not next to Mr. Metal,” Tony grumbled. “I already napped next to him.”

“Mr. Metal, let’s nap.” Steven grinned, tugging him and Tony into the elevator by their hands.  

“So…” Clint drawled slowly.

“Wanna go nap?” Jack grinned. “I promise not to grab your ass.”

“But my ass is fantastic!”

 

0-0-0-0-0

 

“Here’s the deal,” Skye sighed, leveling a dry look at Tony, Clint, and Steve. “I know you’re worried, but Tasha’s got me. I promise not to leave tonight-”

“-nuh uh, morning too.” Tony interjected quickly.

“-or this morning,” Skye agreed with a smile, “but we better not see you out and about. No, Clint, that’s not a challenge. You can even track our phones, if it makes you feel better…”

“-But I swear to God, I will end you if we see you guys,” Tasha interrupted.

“I think you’re scaring them,” Pepper laughed, pulling out her phone to capture the image of the Tower’s males cowering at Tasha and Skye’s threats.

“Good,” They replied in tandem. Steven grinned and bounced on the balls of his feet.

“Go,” He said, pushing forward to hug Skye. “Have fun, but come back, okay?”

“I promise, honey,” Skye agreed, kneeling to hug him back.

“Good. Now go,” He smiled, kissing her forehead like she always did. He patted her cheek and grinned, “No muttering about the sappy bug on your way out.”

Skye, who had been opening her mouth to say that exact thing, pressed her lips together tightly then pursed her lips at Steve, “Your kid…”

“Is perfect and adorable and knows you really well,” Steve smirked. He rocked on his heels, then pulled his hands from his pockets and hauled her off her feet. He cupped her face and kissed her, drawing hoots and hollers from his teammates. They were both blushing when he pulled away, but he smiled anyway. “You look beautiful, by the way,” he whispered.

Tasha groaned and pulled her away from him and into the elevator.

“Give me a call if you need a ride back!” Tony shouted.

“Yeah, I would love to come get you,” Steve smirked. They wouldn’t need a ride, but Tony wouldn’t be able to provide one anyway - he already had a tumbler of bourbon in his hand. Skye grinned back at him over her shoulder, knowing the reason behind his dry tone. Then the elevator zoomed them away and silence reigned.

“I give Tony...five minutes…” Clint grunted finally.

“Five minutes?” Jack asked.

“Before he’s pinging their phones,” Clint laughed.

“Hey!” Tony retorted, tossing his hands up.

“If we distract him, maybe the girls will have a chance to actually get somewhere,” Bucky smiled, looking significantly at Tony.

“What are _we_  going to do?” Steven asked, raising his eyebrow.

“There may or may not be a surprise for you in your room,” Tony shrugged. Steven squealed and ran off. He made it to the stairs before he turned around and came back to hug Tony, then sprinted off again.

 

0-0-0-0-0

 

“What did we just walk into?” Pepper asked with a little giggle. Bucky and Steven were hiding behind the couch on the common floor, whispering in hushed tones. Steve and Jack were crammed behind the recliner, and Tony was trying to hide behind a plant. Clint was nowhere to be seen.

“Psst,” Steven called softly.

“What?” Skye grinned.

“Shhhhh!” Bucky and Steven shushed loudly.

“What?” Skye tried again, dropping her voice into a whisper.

“Where’s Clint?”

“I don’t know!” Skye shrugged. “Probably a vent.”

“Psst, Steve!”

“Shhh!” Steve shushed, poking his face around the corner of the recliner. He was grinning. A nerf bullet shot past the end of his nose, and there was muffled cursing from the vents.

“Go!” Bucky whispered to Steven, “I’ll cover you!”

Steven sprinted from the room, dodging nerf bullets. Bucky drew the fire and shot back at the vent, trying to get a bullet through the small openings that Clint was shooting from. A minute later, there was loud thumps coming from the vents, then Clint and Steven fell through the opening. Bucky caught Steven as he fell, but let Clint hit the ground. They must have planned it, because there was a small pile of pillows beneath the opening. With Clint in the open, everyone ran from their spots and pelted him with their remaining ammo.

“We so win,” Steven grinned at Bucky, offering him a high five.

“Still not sure what we walked into,” Tasha laughed, “but I’m kind of upset that we missed out.”

“We can do it again!” Steven offered instantly.

“Nuh uh,” Steve denied, “It’s your bedtime. It’s _past_ your bedtime.”

“But Steeeeve!” Bucky and Steven groaned together.

“Nuh uh!” Steve laughed loudly. “Not gonna work. I already let you stay up later than usual…”

“But Steve! I had to know if Skye came back!”

“Yeah, she’s back, now bed.”

“Nooooooooooooooooo,” the boy wailed dramatically. Even Bucky laughed at the sound coming from the boy.

“Well, I’m going to bed,” Skye yawned. “Guess I’m gonna have to cuddle with myself.”

“I changed my mind!” Steven laughed, twisting free from Bucky. He dropped lightly to the floor and sprinted at Skye.

“You look a little wound, sir.” Skye teased, lifting him to her hip.

“I had fun tonight,” Steven admitted, dropping his head to her shoulder.

“You’re almost as tall as Skye,” Bucky noted. “You’re gonna have to stop hanging on her like that.”

“Nuh uh,” Steven denied. “Jack still hung on him until he was ten, at _least_. I’ve got a few more years.”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There was supposed to be a scene with the girls, when they're out at girl's night...but my brain juices wouldn't cooperate, so I'm going to work that in later. :S


	47. You have a hand on your cheek.

 

“I need a minute of your time,” Skye told Coulson’s team as they stood in the garage the next day. She was preventing them from going up. Fitz was shifting in place, anxious because of her tone. She shot him a smile to reassure him. Besides, she was pretty sure Jack had already told him about Bucky and his metal arm. She saw that he was carrying his drone cases. She hoped they could repair the damage Bucky did to his arm; he didn’t trust Tony not to add stuff to his arm - not after Tony had mentioned a miniature rocket launcher - so it was going to be up to Jack and Fitz to get him back into good working order. Skye wasn't concerned about the ability of Jack and Fitz to fix it; it wasn't badly damaged.

“What can we do for you?” Coulson asked, raising an eyebrow.

“There's someone here. A secret someone. He's important to me, but more importantly, he's important to Steve.”

“Okay, secret friend, got it.” Ward nodded. “Can we get some food now? We were promised food.”

Trip rolled his eyes and shoved his elbow into Ward’s gut, then waved at Skye to continue. She sighed and shook her head,“It's not that easy.”

“Stop beating around the bush,” May said pointedly.

“It's Bucky Barnes.”

“Very funny, Skye,” Coulson snorted.

“AC, I'm not joking. He's here. Now. Upstairs with Steve and Steven. Here's the deal, in a two second blurb about his last seventy years: he fell from the train, some Russians found him, figured out he was alive, probably because of the serum Hydra gave him, and then turned him into their weapon. Between the memory wipes and drug cocktails, he's been through a lot. He's working on being Bucky again. Let me be perfectly clear: you do anything to jeopardize his future and I'll erase yours. Clear?”

“Crystal.” Coulson nodded, smiling blandly. He would believe this when he saw it. Skye smiled when she heard his skepticism, but stood aside so they could all pile into the elevator.

“Oh, and he’s got a metal arm. You make it weird and I’ll give  _you_ a metal arm.” Skye said casually. Fitz huffed out some laughter at that, mostly because she was so nonchalant about threatening life and limb. Skye grinned and tugged Fitz to her side, draping her arm around his shoulders.

“Doesn’t the Winter Soldier have a metal arm?” Trip asked, raising an eyebrow at Skye.

“You’re the only people outside this Tower that know who he is and where he is. So if anyone finds out, it’s on your heads. He’s not the soldier person any more. He wasn’t really _ever_ that person, but they’ve had seventy years to fuck with his head. You’ll treat him like Bucky, not the Winter Soldier, or you’ll have me to answer to.”

“Hey, girl, you got it,” Trip smiled, holding his hands up in a show of acceptance. Skye grinned back at him, but it slipped from her face when she heard Ward’s huff of annoyance. Trip’s grin grew, and he whispered to Skye, “Can I watch?”

“Watch what?” Skye whispered back.

“You kick his ass when your patience with him runs out.”

“You got it,” Skye laughed. The elevator pinged open and she stepped out, dragging Fitz with her. Steven rushed towards them, throwing himself at Trip.

“Agent Triplett!” He shouted.

“Hi, Bitey,” Trip grinned, swinging the boy onto his hip.

“One time!” Steven groaned loudly. Trip laughed at his expression and sought Steve out. He was on the couch, sitting beside another man. His head was dipped down and his dark hair was hiding his face; his body language was tense. He was clearly uncomfortable with this situation. Skye shoved Fitz towards Jack and then jumped onto Bucky’s lap. His arms came up to hold her in place and Coulson’s team could see the metal arm that Skye had warned them about. They could also see the man's posture immediately relax. Ward huffed out a surprised breath and took a step backwards. Steven pulled close to Trip’s ear and whispered loudly, “He’s a little shy, but nice.”

“Hi, a little shy but nice,” Trip grinned, extending his hand towards Bucky. “I don’t know if Steve ever told you, but my grandfather was a friend of yours.”

“Hi,” Bucky replied back, pulling Skye back against his chest so he could see around her. He saw Trip’s extended hand and reached for it with his flesh hand; his eyes flicked up to Trip’s face and a shy smile crossed his features. “You must be a Jones.”

“Triplett, actually.” He smiled, “But my grandfather was Gabe Jones.”

“Well, nice to meet you Not Jones,” Bucky offered, shyly mocking Trip’s greeting.

Trip grinned at Skye, “I’m gonna have to tell you some stories about these two.”

“Aw, man,” Steve groaned. “You promised!”

“Hey, man. I don’t remember that conversation,” Trip laughed, grinning disarmingly.

“Just because you don’t remember doesn’t mean it didn’t happen,” Steve grumbled. Bucky shot him a questioning look so Steve sighed and elaborated, “There may have been morphine involved. Mine wore off before his did.”

“It’s my understanding there was some morphine involved after one of your missions,” Trip shrugged, wagging a finger between Steve and Bucky. “Something about cuddling cause it was cold?”

“It wasn’t cuddling!” Steve protested loudly.

“It was conservin’ body heat!” Bucky agreed, though much softer. Steve looked over at Bucky with a grin, glad that Trip could do this with them.

“We may need guys night out,” Steve smiled at Trip.

“No, you just want to censor the stories before everyone else hears them.” Trip argued, crossing his arms playfully.

“Well, duh.”

“Let me introduce the rest of my team,” Trip offered. “My boss and team lead, Agent Phil Coulson. He’s a _big_ fan of Cap’s.”

“Triplett!” Coulson hissed, elbowing past him. He extended his hand at Bucky, offering a quiet, “I was always a big fan of yours, too.”

“Do you have anything you want _him_ to sign?” Steve teased, laughing when he saw the blush steal across Coulson’s cheeks.

“Coulson is a collector. When they first found Steve in the ice, Coulson asked him to sign his trading cards.” Skye explained to Bucky.

" _Vintage_ trading cards,” Steve added with a smirk.

“Our pilot and ass kicker extraordinaire, Agent Melinda May,” Trip continued, sensing that conversation could go on for a while if he let it. She nodded at Bucky, but made no offer to shake his hand. “Don’t take her over-chipper personality personally,” Trip laughed, throwing his arm around her shoulder, “She’ll warm up to you. It took her a while to warm up to me too.”

“This is her warm?” Skye giggled; May had shaken Trip’s arm loose the second he rested it on her.

“Our biochemist and team doctor, Agent Jemma Simmons,” Trip grinned, pulling her forward. “If you ever feel the need to get ogled for science, this is your woman. She loves her some muscles.”

“Trip!” Jemma squeaked, blushing furiously.

“See how she’s not denying it?” Trip laughed. Bucky grinned and hid it in Skye’s shoulder. “Agent Leopold Fitz, our engineer and hardware guy.”

“Please, call me Fitz,” he interjected quickly.

“He’s with Jack,” Skye whispered to Bucky. “Only our team knows though, so secret.”

“Got it,” Bucky nodded, smiling over at the small man. He wiggled two fingers at him with his metal arm at him, simply because it was closer. Fitz’s whole face lit up and he barely restrained himself from taking it in hand. Jack’s hand on his collar prevented him from doing just that.

“Jack and Fitz work engineering wonders together,” Skye offered, smiling at the pair. She adjusted against Bucky, preparing herself to stay a little longer. “They’re going to look at the arm and make sure there aren’t any trackers or anything we missed...and help fix any damage from that railing...”

“Wait, we actually get to do that?” Fitz gasped at Jack. “I thought you were kidding!”

“Well, he needs to warm up to us first,” Jack shrugged.

“Oh, we’re fucked.” Fitz groaned. Bucky chuckled from behind Skye, still hiding his amusement. This was going considerably better than he thought it would.

“And last but not least, Mr. Chatty back there is Agent Grant Ward. Me and him are the bad asses of the team, keeping the little ones safe on missions.”

“We are not that little!” Fitz argued, rocketing his finger into the air.

“Yeah!” Jemma agreed, crossing her arms. “And we’re the ones developing your gear so you better watch yourself, Agent Triplett.”

“They’re so funny when they’re angry,” Trip laughed. “But, as nice as this has been, we were promised food and my food baby is shrinking,” Trip said pointedly, pushing his belly out with a pout. Skye giggled and climbed off Bucky’s lap.

“Food it is,” She agreed.

“It’s been hours,” Steve and Bucky agreed together.

“Guys, _hours_.” Skye groaned. “If you’re not hungry, I bet Trip and I can scrounge up something in the kitchen.”

Ward whined from the back of the group, which made Skye grin.

“Easy, doll,” Steve teased. “I know he’s an easy target, but you’ve got to let up on him.”

“I don’t _have_ to do anything,” Skye contradicted.

“Except give me cuddles and a bedtime kiss,” Steven argued, climbing Trip to sit on his shoulders.

“Cuddles?” Skye scoffed. “I don’t need to give you cuddles. Those things are terrible and sappy and _hot_ and…”

“And they make everything all better!” Steven interrupted, launching himself off Trip’s shoulders at Skye. Steve intercepted him mid-air and slung him over his shoulder. “Steeeeve!”

“What?” Steve laughed, holding the boy’s ankle as he dangled him over his back.

“I was trying to get Skye!”

“I know!” Steve grinned, “That’s why you’re upside down right now.”

“Your kid is awfully clingy,” Bucky snorted lightly.

“Oh, yeah, _James_ , I’m the only clingy one here,” Steven teased, swinging in Steve’s grip to swat at Bucky. His arm was around Skye’s shoulders so he had _zero_ room to talk.

“Hey, you had _weeks_ of cuddles before I did,” Bucky teased right back. “My soul still needs some cuddles.”

“ _This_ guy is the Winter Soldier?” Ward asked Coulson. He tried to ask it softly, but everyone heard him.

“What did I say, Ward?” Skye frowned.

“We’ve got to work on your people skills,” Ward frowned right back. Trip choked on a laugh because it sounded ridiculous coming from Mr. Personality. Steve grabbed Bucky by the collar and dragged him away from Skye. Trip did the same with Jack and Fitz. Skye looked ready to either explode or laugh hysterically.

“He’s got a death wish,” Jack muttered to Trip. Trip just grinned and nodded; he knew why Ward was being so weird with Skye, but when _Captain America_ tells you not to piss off his girlfriend, you listened - if you had any sense of self-preservation. Clearly, Ward did not fall into that category. Jack and Fitz exchanged a subtle high five; they were finally going to get to see Skye kick Ward’s ass.

She stalked over to Ward and jabbed her finger in his chest, “Now you listen here…”

“Oh, you’re going with that line? Why don’t you throw a _buster_ in there for good measure?” Ward retorted.

“Agent Ward, I thought you were starving to death,” May pointed out, the dry sarcasm surprising her team.

“Maybe your personality will improve with some food,” Skye offered venomously. “Let me rephrase. _Your personality_ **_will_ ** _improve with some food_.”

“Or what?” He smirked. Her anger was amusing to him; she was so little and he didn’t view her as a threat. He looked up at Trip with an amused smirk, “You’re right. The little ones are funny when they’re angry.”

There was a flurry of movement and Ward found himself chest down on the floor with his arms pinned behind his back. His cheek was stinging, and he had the strangest feeling that she had slapped him - but he wasn’t sure when that would have happened. He felt a knee press between his shoulder blades and winced.

“You may not _like_ me; you may not like the things I do or the things I say, but you damn sure better be respectful. To everyone. And if that is too hard for your teensy little brain, Grant Douglas Ward, then I will settle for civil.” Skye patted his exposed cheek condescendingly, then pushed off his back (making sure to dig her knee in a little more than strictly necessary). Skye hooked her arm through Bucky’s and kept walking towards the kitchen. She glanced back and raised an eyebrow at the group, “Food’s this way, guys.”

“Do we need to clarify things beyond that?” Steve asked, desperately trying to rein in his smug grin. Ward had worked quite well with them before Skye came along, so he could draw conclusions about why he suddenly couldn’t...but he also loved the way Skye set him straight. _His_ girl didn’t take slack from anyone.

“No, sir.” Ward muttered, getting up from the floor. Steven giggled and squirmed free from Steve’s hold.

“You have a hand on your cheek,” Steven informed Ward, jumping on him. He climbed his torso with ease, then pressed his small hand to his cheek - settling his hand where Skye’s print was. He grinned at his grumpy face then added, “I would listen to Skye. I know you think you’re tough...but he can kick your butt.”

“He?” Ward asked, cocking his head. He thought they were talking about Skye.

“Easily.” Steven laughed. He patted Ward’s still tingling cheek and dropped back to the floor. “Hurry up guys, Skye’s going to eat all the food!”


	48. You still don't know shit about girls, do you?

 

“What are you doin’?” Bucky asked softly, leaning in the doorway of Jack’s lab. Jack was working on a project with Fitz - though at the moment there was a lot of giggling from the two of them and, frankly, Bucky was too scared to ask. They had already cornered him earlier that day and had taken a very thorough look at his arm. To his surprise, they were able to repair the damage to the arm fairly quickly. He also appreciated that they didn’t even offer him any upgrades (though he suspected Skye might have been responsible for that). Steve was on their sofa, tucked away in the corner.

“Damn, you’re quiet,” Steve cursed, shoving the fabric behind his back. “Is Skye with you?”

“No, she’s in the gym with Tony. They’re plannin’ out some...I don’t know. I stopped listenin’. I think they’re making her something to work out on?”

“Sounds about right,” Steve nodded, pulling the fabric back out. “They’re definitely related. What about everyone else?”

"Um...Trip and Ward are doin' somethin' with their plane? Coulson and May grabbed them for restockin' or somethin'. They said they'd be back in like...an hour? Trip was grumblin' about losin' vacation time," Bucky smirked.

"Simmons is with Bruce?"

"Yeah, I asked them to keep lookin' at the orange serum."

"They've been working on it..." Steve muttered, frowning at the material in his hands.

“So, I’m gonna to assume whatever you’re doin’ here is a secret from Skye,” Bucky smirked, walking into the small living space within the lab. He sat on the coffee table directly across from Steve and reached out for the fabric. Steve let him take it, ducking his head self-consciously.

“We gave Tony her hacking hoodie,” Steve admitted. “We thought she was dead and it was his birthday and he’s the only one that would understand a _hacking_ hoodie.”

“But now she has no hackin’ hoodie,” Bucky smiled, recognizing the fabric in his hands as a hoodie. He took in the lopsided stitches and tried to hide his smirk.

“Shut up!” Steve moaned. “It’s harder than it looks.”

“I know,” Bucky chuckled. “Maybe you’re forgettin’ that I’m the one that had to repair your clothes when you ripped them in an alley somewhere.”

“Help me?”

“Can we start over?” Bucky asked, ducking his head and looking up at his friend through his hair.

“How far over?” Steve asked dully. “This took me a while.”

“What is this?” Bucky asked, fingering a jagged edge down the side of the hoodie. It looked like he ripped the material and then tried to sew it back together.

“I dropped the scissors?”

“Oh, punk.” Bucky sighed, shaking his head. “We’re startin’ over.”

“We?” Steve asked hopefully.

“We.” Bucky confirmed with a nod. He traced the stitches again and smirked a little, “She will never let you live this down, if I let you give her this.”

“She would love it,” Steve argued stubbornly.

“Oh yeah, she would.” Bucky agreed, “but I’m still not lettin’ you give her this. She wore her hoodie everywhere, Stevie. I’m not walkin’ around with her wearin’ _this_.”

“It’s not that bad!” Steve groaned.

“I’m goin’ to go dig through these drawers and find a shirt with long sleeves, then we’re goin’ to go find a better hoodie. _Then_ I will help you make it a hackin’ hoodie.”

“Deal,” Steve grinned, snatching at the hoodie. Bucky chuckled and kept it out of his reach. “Come on, Buck. Just let me destroy the evidence.”

“Oh, no. I think I’m holdin’ on to this one,” Bucky smiled. “Proof that Steve Rogers has fallen for a girl.”

“I don’t know why everyone thinks it’s such a big deal,” Steve muttered. “I’m perfectly loveable.”

“But you’ve got your own agenda,” Bucky replied easily. “Always have. Hell, you left me with those two dames at Howard Stark’s Expo so you could go sign up for the Army.”

“Was totally worth it,” Steve smiled. He frowned a little and bobbled his head, “Well, it’s totally worth it now. It didn’t always feel like it.”

“I’m gettin' sleeves and hidin’ this,” Bucky smiled, waving the hoodie around.

“You should leave Skye a message so she doesn’t panic.”

“She needs to disable my alert so we can leave,” Bucky nodded.

“Disable your alert?” Steve frowned.

“Yeah, in case I tried to leave. Or if I got taken. Really, if I leave the Tower.” Bucky admitted.

“This isn’t a prison, Bucky. I’ll have her take it down, permanently.” Steve informed him. As much as he wanted Bucky in the Tower, he knew making him wasn’t going to bode well for the long term.

“Please don’t,” Bucky replied softly, catching Steve off guard.

“Don’t?”

“Don’t. It was my idea. She doesn’t like it any more than you do, based on that look you just had on your face.”

“Why would you do that to yourself?” Steve asked.

“It won’t go off if I’m with Skye - unless we’re both unconscious or otherwise unwillin'. Jarvis has some protocols or somethin'.”

“But _why_?”

“Because I don’t trust myself,” Bucky replied in a voice just barely above a whisper. “I want to be here. I know it doesn’t seem like it, and at any given moment that might not be entirely true, but I want to be here. I want to get to know you again. I want to be near Skye. She’s not as tough as she thinks she is, Stevie. I keep puttin’ targets on her back...but she keeps comin’ back.”

“The Russians,” Steve nodded. He understood putting targets on her back.

“That wasn’t the first time she’s prevented them from takin’ me back,” Bucky admitted. “That’s why she had to delete some footage from the bunker. She told me that you know about her dreams? The ones where she knows whats happenin’ to her important people? Somehow I became one of those people. I don’t know how, and I certainly don’t know why, but she keeps comin’ back for me. I feel safe with her Stevie. She’s got my back. That’s why it’s so important that I stay here. I need to show her that I’ve got her back, too.”

“That doesn’t explain the alert.”

“I get panic attacks. Nightmares...night terrors? Sometimes, very rarely, the Asset will take over. I need to know that if I bolt, she can find me. It will save us both a world of trouble. It was one of my conditions for comin' here.”

“What are your other conditions?” Steve frowned.

“She has to take better care of herself,” Bucky admitted. “No more sacrificin’ herself for anyone else. She doesn’t see how magnificent she is, Stevie. She throws herself in harm's way for other people without a thought to the consequences for herself.”

“Clint and I noticed the same thing,” Steve nodded, leaning forward to prop his elbows on his knees. “That sounds more like a condition for Skye. What about you? What do you want?”

“I want…” Bucky paused and thought about it. “I want to feel like a person again. Like my _own_ person. Skye helps with that. I don’t feel like a weapon when I’m with her.”

"You already seem more at ease here than you did the first day," Steve commented, trying to be sincere and keep the conversation light at the same time. 

"Yeah, I'm gettin' there," Bucky nodded.

"I think Skye's freak out helped," Steve winced. "You had to stand up for her. Had to stand up to  _me_. You've been different since that night."

“You two going to make out over there?” Jack called out from across the lab. Bucky and Steve swiveled towards his voice; both Fitz and he were watching them with grins on their faces. Bucky turned back to Steve and immediately noticed what they had. They were both leaning forward on their elbows, so their faces were close together. Both of their faces flamed over and they pushed away from each other quickly, ignoring the frantic giggling behind them.

“Hoodie?” Steve asked.

“Skye, too.” Bucky agreed.

“Don’t forget a sleeve!” Fitz grinned.

“Don’t forget to put it on!” Jack agreed, dropping his hand over Fitz’s shoulders.

“It’s already on,” Bucky grumbled. “Not sure why I have to be your guinea pig.”

 

0-0-0-0-0

 

“{Hey, Солнышко, we’re going out. Shut it off for me?}” Bucky shouted from the door to the gym. Skye and Tony were in the middle of the gym, surrounded by parts and blueprints. Bucky knew, just by looking at the mess, that there was probably some weird order to the chaos and that he would be the one unlucky enough to ruin it. Yeah, he wasn’t setting foot in there. Skye looked up at the Russian with a small frown, until she saw Bucky’s thumb pointed back at Steve.

“{You’re going out?}” She asked, smirking. “{That’s so cute. Look at my little stealth agents with their caps and collars. Awww, I might need a picture.}”

“{Just shut it off, Skylar Elizabeth.}” Bucky groaned.

“{Yes, sir!}” She saluted, smiling. “Be safe you two.”

“Yes, ma’am,” Steve smiled.

“Jarvis?”

“It’s been lifted,” Jarvis replied. Skye smiled and waved the two out.

“That was easier than I thought it would be,” Steve admitted.

“She trusts you,” Bucky offered.

“She trusts you, too,” Steve replied. “Or she wouldn’t have lifted it so easily. Hell, she wouldn’t have put it in place otherwise.”

“Maybe we can pick up a few groceries while we’re out?” Bucky asked, ducking his head. He wasn’t worried about money. Skye had hacked into the Russian’s secret bank accounts and stolen what they both felt was adequate compensation. Simply put, she took it all. They had other funding, so they probably wouldn’t even notice the missing money. At least, not as far as executing their goals was concerned. (They were working on that, too.)

“We don’t need to?” Steve replied, “You do know the kitchen comes stocked, right?”

“I need somethin’ to control,” Bucky shrugged, tugging Steve into the elevator. “Jarvis, to the garage, please.”

“Yes, Mr. Barnes.”

“Garage?”

“Yeah. We need a car.”

“Whatever you say,” Steve smiled. “What was that about needing something to control?”

“That’s what Skye says,” Bucky shrugged. “I haven’t had control for so long, that I need somethin’ that I can control. She swears it’ll be good for me.”

“She would know,” Steve smiled. “So, cooking?”

“Yeah,” Bucky nodded, lifting one shoulder in a slight shrug. “I can control you. Shit, that came out wrong. I don’t want to control you. But I can control takin’ care of you, like I used to. Skye says it’s easier to start somewhere familiar. You’re all I’ve got that’s familiar.”

“You gonna cook for me?” Steve asked, grinning.

“Can I?”

“So long as it’s not boiled cabbage,” Steve laughed. “I suppose you’re driving?”

“Steven Grant Rogers, I know you cheated on your drivin’ test.”

“Fucking Stark can’t keep a secret,” Steve grumbled. “And for the record, I didn’t cheat on the test. I just didn’t go in to have my picture taken.”

 

0-0-0-0-0

 

“You know, there are closer stores,” Steve remarked from the passenger seat. Bucky had left the city and kept driving.

“I know.”

“You trying to kidnap me?”

“Tryin’?” Bucky snorted, raising an eyebrow at Steve. “I would succeed.”

“Are you succeeding in kidnapping me?” Steve asked smoothly. Bucky chuckled lightly and shook his head.

“Nah, I’ll get you back to your girl.”

“She would find me.”

“Then she would kick my ass.”

“Nah, she would smother you in love.”

“Okay, yes.” Bucky agreed. “But she would kick my ass first.”

“Can she?” Steve asked. “Kick your ass, I mean?”

“Do you have any requests, for food?” Bucky asked. “We’re gonna get the hoodie first, but we should think about food.”

“She totally can, can’t she?”

“Personally, I’m thinkin’ maybe tryin’ somethin’ new. Skye and I had this really good Indian dish once. Thinkin’ of recreatin’ that.”

“You’re as transparent as a sheet of glass,” Steve told Bucky with a grin. “Indian sounds good, but no Shawarma, please. Tony made us eat it for a month straight after the whole New York Alien Ordeal.”

“Oh, and Greek. There’s a sauce...yogurt and garlic and cucumber and...okay, let’s stop talkin’ about food. I’m gettin’ hungry.”

“Me, too. Let’s find food first. Bruce always tells Tony not to shop on an empty stomach. You’ll end up with a bunch of junk.”

 

0-0-0-0-0

 

“Are you thinkin’ a certain color?” Bucky asked, looking slightly overwhelmed at the choices. He had thought there would be about...two choices. Instead, there was the entire rainbow to choose from and it was too much.

“Blue?” Steve shrugged, looking only slightly less intimidated than Bucky. “Her other hoodie was blue, so I figured we could keep it the same?”

“Oh, good.” Bucky sighed. “Light blue or dark?”

“Um…” Steve looked between the two choices that Bucky was holding up for him. “Dark?”

“Dark it is,” Bucky agreed, tossing the dark blue hoodie over his shoulder and putting the other one back.

“That one is going to be too big,” Steve argued, reaching for a smaller size. Bucky slapped his hand away and kept the larger hoodie.

“Let’s get out of here.”

“Too many people?”

“We’re drawin’ attention,” Bucky muttered. Steve glanced around, noticing that there was a group of women in the corner that had definitely noticed them; their blushes and giggling gave them away. Feeling unusually playful, Steve smirked and dropped his arm around Bucky’s shoulders.

“Honey, do you think we’ll need any more lube for this weekend?” Steve asked loudly.

“No, _dear_ ,” Bucky replied, his expression telling Steve he would get him back for this. His tone slipped into a warm, teasing cadence that was completely different than what his face was saying, though. “I think the five gallon bucket you ordered will last us through the weekend.”

Steve was a little surprised at how easily Bucky slipped into another role. He looked more comfortable playing Steve’s lover than he did in his own skin. Bucky smirked and reached around to smack Steve’s ass, then sauntered away - winking at the ladies in the corner as he did. Steve hurried to catch up, trying to contain his blush.

“You’ve been spending too much time with Skye,” he muttered.

“You started it. I finished it.”

“Yeah, definitely too much time with Skye.”

 

0-0-0-0-0

 

“Here, put this on.” Bucky told Steve as they exited the store.

“We need to get you checked out,” Steve said softly, looking concerned. “This hoodie is for Skye. I don’t need a hoodie.”

“You still don’t know shit about girls, do you?” Bucky sighed. At Steve’s blank stare, Bucky threw back his head and moaned. “She’s already stealin’ your shirts. Tell me you’ve noticed that, at least.”

“She sleeps in them,” Steve nodded.

“You know why?”

“Um, 'cause they’re bigger?”

“No!” Bucky groaned, smashing his flesh hand into his face. He rolled his eyes over to Steve, making him grin, and elaborated, “They smell like you. She likes havin’ somethin’ of yours that reminds her of you.”

“Oh. Really?” Steve asked, ducking his head to hide his pleased smile.

“You’re so fucked,” Bucky smirked, shaking his head.

“Shut it, Barnes.”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm going to have people visiting for the next week or so, so I'm not going to make promises about updates. Therefore, I've tried posting a whole bunch this week to make up for it! Sorry peeps


	49. Jesus, you're quiet for a dead guy.

 

“Okay, Steve, just take a breath,” Bucky smirked, placing his hands on his friend’s shoulders. He had been pacing for the last ten minutes and Bucky had finally run out of patience for it. “It’s not that big of a deal.”

“What if she doesn’t like it?” Steve asked.

“Impossible.”

“What if it doesn’t fit?”

“It’s supposed to be a little big.”

“What if she laughs?”

“She’s not goin’ to laugh.”

“Bucky, what if…”

“Punk, shut up and listen to me. She’s not goin’ to laugh. She’s goin’ to love it and she’ll probably want to wear it everyday, which is why we ripped out the sides and put in the elastic. You’re goin’ to have to wear it every now and then to make it smell like you again.”

“That’s weird, right? I mean, I guess I believe you...but it’s weird...right?”

“You’re really over thinkin’ this,” Bucky told him softly. “Jarvis, can you get Skye to Steve’s floor?”

“Our floor,” Steve corrected automatically. A small smile tugged on his lips for a beat, then he realized Skye was on her way and went into panic mode again. Bucky sighed and rolled his eyes; here was the insecure little boy he remembered from the forties.

Skye all but ran off the elevator, her eyes scanning the room for threats or something off. Steve’s demeanor was off, but Bucky was two steps behind him and was smiling, so she instantly relaxed. She wrapped her arms around her torso, fighting a shiver, and grinned at the pair.

“Shit, guys. You scared me. What’s going on?”

“Your boyfriend has somethin’ for you,” Bucky smiled, shoving the package into Steve’s hands. Steve swallowed and tried to relax his facial muscles, but he was nervous. This wasn’t something he typically did. He was a _doer_ , not a _giver_. Skye’s grin slipped and she stepped closer.

“You okay there, Face Plant?” She asked. Bucky helpfully shoved Steve towards her, making her giggle slightly - his nerves were catching. Why was he freaking out so bad? Only Bucky’s exasperated presence was keeping her from freaking out herself.

“Fuckin’ A, Stevie, just give it to her already,” Bucky sighed. Steve’s arms shot out and he shoved the package into her hands and then bolted. Well, he tried to bolt, but Bucky caught him by the collar and kept him in place. He gave Skye a pointed look, “Please open it and put us all out of our misery.”

Skye nodded jerkily and ripped the thin tissue paper open. She let the paper fall by her feet, gaping at the gift in her hands. She fingered the thoughtful gift, noticing the slightly crooked sewing around the thumb holes. Her eyes shot up to Steve’s and she looked...uncertain.

“You _made_ this? For me?”

“We gave Tony your other one...figured we owed you-” Steve’s words were cut off by Skye launching herself at him. Bucky laughed and stepped out of her reach.

“I’m just gonna…” Bucky pointed to the stairs and took off before they could protest. Anyway, Skye was wrapped around Steve, kissing him soundly. They didn’t notice Bucky leave.

“You _made_ this?” Skye asked again, pulling back slightly from Steve. He didn’t release her and she didn’t try to pull free.

“We gave Tony your other one,” Steve offered. “Bucky had to help me. The first attempt was...well, it was a failure.”

“Did you bleed all over it?” Skye smiled, “Or did you have a thimble?”

“Nope, didn’t bleed.” Steve smiled. “Really though, do you like it?”

“Is that why you were so weird?” Skye frowned. “You thought I wouldn’t like this?”

“I don’t think you would tell me if you didn’t…”

“Steve, I fucking love it.” Skye smiled, kissing him again. “Put me down so I can put it on?”

“Aw,” Steve whined, but put her back on her feet anyway. She smiled and slipped it over her head, inhaling deeply. She was blushing when her head remerged.

“It smells like you,” She whispered shyly. Steve nodded his agreement, reaching out to pull her back into his arms.

“Do you really like it?” Steve asked softly, “Cause we can go find an actual, real hoodie if you don’t. It won’t hurt my feelings.”

“Shut up, stupid,” Skye smiled. “But if you give _this_ hoodie away, I may have to hurt you.”

“Well, don’t get kidnapped and we won’t have to worry about it, huh?”

“You got it, babe.” Skye smirked. He crinkled his nose at the nickname, but kissed her again. “Thank you,” Skye whispered softly. She ducked her head a little and tried to hide her blush. “For this. No one has ever done something like this for me before.”

“Get used to it,” Steve replied. “I’m gonna take such good care of you.”

He waited for the groan, then grinned when he got it.

“You’re so sappy,” Skye muttered.

“I’m growing on you though, admit it.” Steve teased, smirking slightly.

“Teeny bit,” Skye teased back, holding her thumb and index finger a hair’s width apart.

“Ouch, doll.” Steve laughed, clutching his heart painfully.

“Thank you,” She whispered again, pulling him into a hug.

“You’re welcome. The specialists and I are getting pulled into a mission. Clint is staying back, but Tasha is coming with.” Steve told Skye, not releasing her from her hug.

"Cause of his head?" Skye asked softly; he was refusing magic blood to fix his concussion. He gloated to Tony about his self-made vacation, but she thought he just didn't want her to feel bad about needing to give him blood.

"Yeah, concussion watch."

“When are you going?” Skye asked softly, burrowing her face in his neck.

“Not positive,” he replied back. “As early as this evening, as late as tomorrow afternoon. They’re trying to pull some tech together, I think.”

“Anything I can do to help?”

“Keep an eye on my boy?”

“Of course,” Skye smiled. “But I meant for the mission.”

“I think we’ve got it,” Steve shrugged, “but Fitz is helping with some of the backend stuff. He’ll let you know if he needs any assistance. Coulson has cleared you to help _consult_ , since we all know you’re going to nose your way in anyway.”

“Oh, consulting! That’s a great idea!” Skye beamed, pulling away slightly to kiss him.

“You were a, _quote,_ consultant before,” Steve teased. “I remember you flashing a very authentic badge around.”

“For Jack.” Skye clarified. “He wants on the plane, with Fitz. He could consult.”

“Lord help Ward if Jack earns a spot on that plane,” Steve laughed.

“We would have so much blackmail material,” Skye giggled. She kissed him lightly and caressed his cheek, “you’re full of brilliant ideas. Thank you.”

“Anytime, doll.”

 

0-0-0-0-0

 

“I hear you know your way around a computer,” Coulson said by way of announcing his presence.

“You could say that.” Skye agreed, smiling. She patted the spot on the couch next to her. Coulson grinned and sat. “You know, I already fixed your file.”

“I saw that.” Coulson nodded, fiddling with his tie. “Thanks, by the way. Fitz's tantrum was totally worth it.”

“I'll find another way to get him a monkey.” Skye laughed, setting her laptop aside. She was looking into Steven’s past - trying to figure out if there were any barriers that would prevent Steve from adopting him sometime down the line. So far, she hadn’t found anything, but she had also just started looking. She adjusted her hoodie, barely suppressing her grin. It was perfect. Steve was perfect. This whole _life_ was perfect. It couldn't be real...in what world did she deserve all these people?...but she was going to milk this for as long as possible. 

Fuck the consequences.

“Don't you dare.” Coulson sighed. This girl was either going to be his best friend or the bane of his existence.

“That's the best way to guarantee she's going to do it!” Tony called as he strolled through the room. Skye pointed a finger towards Tony's back and nodded her agreement.

“Before we derail, why don't we stop this power struggle and get back on topic.” Skye suggested.

“I would totally win,” Coulson said firmly, getting a file out of his case.

“Sure thing, AC.” Skye grinned. He sighed and handed her the file.

“I'm sure you've heard at least a condensed version of what happened before the battle of New York.” Coulson started.

“Just that you died, but that you didn't really die and that the Avengers were pissed.” Skye commented offhandedly, flipping through the file. “They sent you to Tahiti to recover?”

“It's a magical place.” Coulson replied. Skye frowned at him over the top of the file.

“Why there?”

“No idea.” Coulson shrugged. “Had a beautiful masseuse and cold drinks the whole time.”

“Didn't you get bored? It says you were there for weeks.”

“Didn't feel like it.” Coulson smiled. Skye frowned harder and set the file aside.

“This file doesn't say anything.”

“I know. It's top secret. I don't have access to my own medical files, Skye.”

“And you were hoping I could help you uncover that secret.” Skye stated bluntly, crossing her arms.

“Well, yes.” Coulson nodded, suddenly nervous that she would tell him no. He hadn’t anticipated her rejecting him - he thought she would jump at the chance to uncover some Shield secrets. “It's driving me crazy. Loki stabbed me with a freaking scepter. I felt it. I felt myself die...and then I wasn't. I need to know. I _need_ to.”

“You're asking me to hack into Shield. Into high level Shield secrets.” Skye pointed out.

“Yes, I am.” Coulson agreed instantly. “Off the record, of course.”

“Psh, no off the record needed. We just won't get caught.”

“You're in?” Coulson grinned hopefully.

“I have a condition.”

“Of course, you do. Let's hear it.” Coulson sighed. He had a good idea what was coming anyway.

“I want Jack to be able to consult on your missions,” Skye informed him steadily. She waved down his protests quickly, continuing with, “I know it's not reasonable to expect him to go on every mission. Frankly, I'm not comfortable putting him in dangerous situations – but I also don't like the idea of Fitz in dangerous situations. Jack would be an asset. He would be an asset to your team.”

“He would be a distraction,” Coulson rebutted easily.

“At first,” Skye agreed. “But any new person would bring that distraction. When they're working, they're _working_. And they work _really well_ together.”

“Skye, it's hard enough for my specialists to protect the two non-field agents on my team. I can't add to their load.”

“Jack wouldn't need it,” Skye shrugged. “He's defensive, mostly, but he'll be offensive if he needs to be.”

“Firearms?”

“No training,” Skye replied, pushing back against the couch. “Defensively, in close quarters, firearms aren't an issue. At a distance, well, there isn't much you can do anyway.”

“You can carry a shield,” Coulson grinned. He couldn't resist the nod to Cap.

“Besides, he'd be an asset for any undercover work. No one knows about him. He's my best kept secret,” Skye smiled guiltily. “Not to mention his languages.”

“My specialists know languages,” Coulson replied. She was swaying him, but he couldn't afford to let her see that.

“Jack's better.”

“Maybe.” Coulson shrugged.

"Have you heard his voices?" Skye asked, raising her eyebrow with a grin.

"Steve's mentioned them..."

“What part is making your face like that?” Skye asked, mimicking his frown.

“I don't see him as an asset in the field. I see him freaking out at gun fire or close quarter fighting. I see him panicking if Fitz so much gets a splinter. I see him as a liability.”

“I can't make promises about not panicking if Fitz gets hurt,” Skye teased lightly, “but what if Jack could prove he's more capable than he looks? And acts?”

“What are you thinking?”

“If he can keep Agent Ward...eh, no. That would probably end badly. If he can keep Agent May from pinning him? Say, five minutes?”

“You think he can keep away from May?” Coulson asked, not even trying to hide his amusement.

“He stays away from May, he gets on your plane.” Skye offered.

“I can't promise every mission,” Coulson reminded her.

“I know, it's not practical.” Skye agreed. “But you'll be hearing from me if he only gets one mission a year.”

“I'll do my best,” Coulson laughed. “We have a deal.”

“Then I'm your girl.” Skye grinned back.

“Hacker girl.” Coulson laughed.

“Oh, I like that.” Clint called from above them.

“Clinton, didn't you get taught that it's rude to eavesdrop?” Coulson sighed, eyeing the vents above his head.

“Yeah.” Clint laughed, opening the hatch. “But I learn so much more when I pretend I wasn't.”

“I get to hack Shield.” Skye grinned, holding up a file.

“I heard. We gonna get yelled at again?” Clint replied, dropping onto the couch on Skye's free side. Skye laughed.

“No. I'm not going to get caught. You got yelled at last time because I put my nose where it didn't belong.”

“Your nose is always where it doesn't belong,” Clint informed her affectionately.

“It's so much more fun that way!” Skye agreed, leaning into his side. “You gonna help me hack?”

“How about I supervise?” Clint laughed. “I wouldn't be able to keep up with you.”

“I'll take a supervisor.” Skye agreed, wrapping Clint up in a hug.

“You just don't want to be alone.” Clint said softly, squeezing her back.

“You guys never leave me alone.” Skye giggled lightly, though she nodded her agreement against his shoulder.

“Because we can see that crazy look come out when you're alone.” Clint teased. “Good thing cuddles keep the crazy away.”

“Hmm, you do require a lot of cuddles.” Skye replied, her voice serious. Clint laughed and shoved her lightly.

“We both know I was talking about you.”

“Do we? Is that something we both know?” Skye replied, laughing. She pulled her laptop onto her lap to start looking into Coulson's request and startled lightly when she realized Coulson was still sitting there. “Jesus, you're quiet for a dead guy.”

“Well, you're loud for a dead girl.” Coulson responded easily. Skye smirked, appreciating his humor. She shifted into Clint's side, getting comfortable under his arm.

“You're cold like the dead.” Clint added, watching her get comfortable against him. “Even with this on? Is it a new hacking hoodie? Cause I just left Tony and he’s wearing yours.”

“Steve made it for me,” Skye admitted softly. “Now shut up and warm me up,” Skye retorted, her attention already on her task. She didn’t want to give Clint a chance to tease her about her hoodie.

“Working on it, darling.” Clint replied softly. She smiled but didn't look up from the screen.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope everyone had a happy and safe Fourth of July!


	50. Oh, Waaaardie!

 

That was how Bucky and Steven found them later that afternoon. Clint had fallen asleep next to Skye, but his arm was still around her shoulders. His head was lolling awkwardly against the back of the couch. Coulson was looking over a file, though his attention was divided between his task and Skye's.

“What are you doin’?” Bucky asked, picking Steven up and plopping him on Clint's lap before vaulting the couch to sit between Skye and Coulson. Clint startled awake, grunting lightly.

“Hi.” Steven said softly, sitting still until Clint had gotten his bearings.

“Hi kiddo.” Clint yawned, shifting to sit more upright. “The good news is you're finally putting some weight on.”

“Did I crush you?” Steven asked, his eyes wide and worried. “I'm sorry, I didn't mean to.”

“Kid, I don't think you will _ever_ crush me.” Clint laughed, pulling the boy into a hug. He grinned and hugged Clint back.

“What's Skye doing?” Steven asked softly, not wanting to break Skye's intense concentration.

“Looking up how Coulson's not dead.” Clint replied back. Clint realized how weird it sounded as he said it, but Steven just nodded faintly. It was a weird world they lived in.

“AC,” Skye sighed, shoving the laptop away. “I don't think it's here.”

“You don't think?”

“It's not here.” Skye amended. “It's either on a closed network or hard copy only.”

“So, that's it?” Coulson frowned. Skye laughed tiredly.

“No. Oh, no. The file he gave you isn't just incomplete – it's fake. The hospital that you were at, the staff – they don't exist.”

“The hospital exists.” Coulson argued.

“The room doesn't exist,” Skye corrected. “I'll need physical access.”

“What does that mean?”

“We're breaking into the Director's office.” Skye grinned. Her eyes lit up gleefully.

“Aw, maaan,” Clint grumbled loudly. Bucky raised an eyebrow at his reaction and Skye’s corresponding grin. Clint rolled his eyes over and explained, “We always get blamed when Skye tampers.”

“Speaking of which, Simmons hasn’t forgotten you owe her ten hours of lab time.” Coulson remarked, setting his file aside.

“Aw, maaan,” Clint grumbled again.

“Skye, Agent May should be done with her exercises now, if you want to prove your point.”

“Excellent. Let me go get Jack. Meet you in the gym in...ten?”

“Done.”

Skye grinned and shook free from Clint. She bounced off the couch and ran to the stairs, asking Jarvis where Jack was.

“What’s she provin’?” Bucky asked, raising an eyebrow.

 

0-0-0-0-0

 

“Skye? What are we doing?” Jack moaned, letting his sister drag him through the Tower.

“Gym.”

“Yes, thank you.” Jack muttered, “Now I know exactly what we're doing.”

“Training,” Skye smiled, “but you need to take it seriously. It’s important, okay?”

“Skye, I want to see Fitz!”

“Fitz is in the gym,” Skye laughed. “Five minutes is all I need, then you can have all the Fitz you want.”

“Okay,” Jack agreed. He could do five minutes. Well, he thought that until he got to the gym and everyone was there - the Avengers and Coulson’s team. Agent May, the scary one, was standing in the middle of the gym, looking faintly amused. Everyone else was standing off to the side. Jack instantly backpedaled, making Agent Ward laugh. Fitz looked worried and shot Skye a look.

“Are you sure this is a good idea?” Fitz asked.

“Positive,” Skye replied. She looked over at Jack and he shook his head quickly.

“Skye, I can’t. She’s like you and I can’t beat you.”

“You don’t have to beat her,” Skye smiled. “You just have to avoid getting pinned for five minutes.”

“But why? So everyone can laugh at me?” Jack whined, pulling his rings off anyway. Skye held her hands out, accepting the jewelry he was removing.

“If you avoid getting pinned for five minutes, you’re allowed to consult on the Bus. With Fitz,” Skye murmured, bumping her hip into his.

“What?! Really!?” Jack shouted, tossing his hands up.

“Not every mission,” Skye was quick to add, “But it’s a good start. You have to prove yourself to Coulson though.”

“Bring it on, Agent May,” Jack called out, walking towards her confidently. “I’ve got this.”

“Rules?” Agent May asked, glancing between Jack and Skye.

“Pin him,” Skye shrugged.

“I won’t hurt you,” Jack added. Ward and Trip both chuckled at that one. To be fair, so did Steve and Tony. Clint was standing by Bucky - they both looked amused but weren’t outright laughing. Fitz just looked worried. Tasha and Clint were on each side of Coulson, their arms draped over his shoulders. Coulson couldn’t help his smile at their affection; they had gotten over being mad at him _way_ faster than he thought they would. They had never been this touchy before - not even with each other - and he couldn’t help but wonder how much of this new development was because of Skye.

“He’s going to be fine,” Skye reassured Fitz, dropping her arm around his shoulders.

“May won’t hurt him,” Simmons agreed, looking only slightly more confident than Fitz.

“But why is he doing this?” Fitz whispered, looking distraught. He didn’t need some macho display of athleticism. Skye sighed and pulled Fitz away from Simmons.

“He’s earning a consulting spot on the Bus, so he can go on missions with his boyfriend,” Skye informed Fitz softly, leveling him a soft look. He looked surprised, then taken aback.

“He’s doing this for me?”

“Well, he’s doing it for him too,” Skye grinned. “It won’t be for every mission, so if you need more space you can always tell Coulson and he can invite him on board less often.”

“You think that’s what I’m worried about?” Fitz asked, grinning. “I’m worried that I won’t want to give him back!”

“Somehow I don’t think he’d mind.”

“Let’s get this show on the road,” Tony called out.

“Are you going to mind, that I’m stealing your brother?” Fitz asked softly.

“Fitzie, I’ve had him for the last thirty five years straight. He needs other people. He needs you. As long as you’re both happy, I’m happy.”

“We owe you so big,” Fitz grinned, throwing his arms around her.

“You can pay me in hugs,” Skye laughed. “Now let’s watch this. I really want to see Ward’s face.”

“Jarvis, start a countdown clock. Five minutes,” Tony called out, settling back on his heels.

“Jarvis,” Skye called out softly, “Record this. Make sure you get Ward’s reaction, please.”

“Yes, Ms. Skye.” Jarvis replied.

“What did you just do?” Coulson asked from across the gym. Fitz and Skye just grinned and shook their heads.

“Ready?” Skye asked. May looked surprised when Skye only looked at her. She nodded once, so Skye grinned and backed away. “And...go.”

The countdown clock started and Agent May walked a circle around Jack. He just stood in the middle, waiting for her attack. He knew he couldn’t beat her offensively, but Skye was right - he could definitely avoid getting pinned. Agent May looked annoyed that Jack wasn’t even tracking her movements, so she attacked him when she was behind his back. Normally, she would insist on a frontal approach - but she was bound and determined to show Coulson that this man didn’t belong on their plane. It didn’t matter if Fitz worked well with him. She needed to protect her team from distractions.

Jack didn’t even blink, just danced away from her with as little movement as possible. Steve chuckled from the sidelines, but Jack was uncharacteristically serious and he didn’t laugh back. May started easy on him - all the trained personnel in the room could see that. She was holding back. With a minute left on the clock though, she quit holding back. There was a flurry of activity, but when the buzzer went off at the end of the five minutes, Jack was still on his feet.

“Boom. Told ya,” Skye called out to Coulson, grinning proudly.

“That’s it?” Jack asked softly. “I’m done? I can go?”

“AC?”

“Yes, you earned it.” Coulson sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. He was glad to see that Jack could be serious - could take the physical aspect of the job seriously. His concentration was evident while avoiding May.

“Oh, Waaaardie!” Jack grinned, dancing over to Ward.

“Sir?” Ward asked, shooting a glance at Coulson. Skye giggled and skipped over to Steve.

“Look at his face!” She whispered loudly.

“What did you do?” Steve whispered, grinning.

“Took your advice.”

“Jack has earned himself a consulting position on the Bus,” Coulson explained to his specialist. Ward’s face visibly dropped, then he found his composure and hid it away.

“I get to go on the Bus, I get to go on the Bus!” Jack cha-chaed over to Ward. “Oh, Wardie, we’re going to have so much fun. You can’t run away from me when we’re in the air!”

“Poor Ward,” Steve muttered to Skye, though he was grinning.

“I can chuck you out of the back hatch,” Ward warned darkly.

“If you can catch me,” Jack grinned, fluttering his eyelashes up at him. He turned and sprinted off for Fitz, “Dude! We can do so many projects now and I can keep you safe and we can…”

“I promise, he’ll settle. A little.” Skye whispered to May, smiling at her expression. The older agent looked torn between humor at Ward’s expense and horror at the ramifications of having him on the Bus. “He’s been stuck with me for 35 years, so he’s a little excited to expand his people pool.”

“Being within arms reach of Fitz isn’t hurting either, is it?” May asked softly. Skye grinned and shook her head. She should have known May would catch on to their “secret” relationship.

“Why do you think he took this so seriously?”

“I don’t like this.”

“It’s going to be okay. He’ll take care of Fitz and Simmons on missions. AC mentioned it’s hard enough for your specialists to take care of the mission and the scientists. I know he’s a handful, but he’s worth it.”

“I’ll keep him in hand,” May nodded.

“Worst case, you give me a call. Or I can lock him in his room, if you guys need a break. I’m not one of those people who thinks the sun shines out of their children’s ass - and, no, he’s not my kid, but he sure acts like it. I’m well aware of his shortcomings, but his strengths far outweigh those. I promise.”

“What do you think?” Trip asked, leaning on Skye.

“Think of what?” Skye asked. Trip sighed.

“You haven’t been paying attention,” He scolded lightly. “We want to see you and May duke it out.”

“I don’t need to earn anything,” Skye grinned.

“I think you just can’t beat May,” Trip retorted, picking his nails.

“Yeah, neither of us are going to fall for that,” Skye grinned. “Nice try though.”

“Eventually, you’ll do it,” Trip muttered, smiling.

“Maybe,” Skye agreed with a shrug. “But not today.”

 0-0-0-0-0

 

“All right guys, it’s go time.” Trip called out loudly, looking at his phone as he slid back from the table.

“Don’t go,” Steven frowned, rushing towards Steve to wrap him up in a hug. “Please, don’t go.”

“It’s just like last time,” Steve smiled, a little sadly, as he hugged him back. “You had so much fun with Skye, Bucky, and Jack last time. I shouldn’t be gone for more than a few days, at most.”

“But Steve!”

“Talk and walk, buddy,” Clint muttered, shoving the pair along towards the elevator.

“I need to grab my duffel,” Steve nodded.

“I know,” Clint sighed, pushing them inside the elevator. Steven started crying, so Skye and Bucky got up from the table and followed them into the elevator. Clint let the doors close with him still on the outside; he wasn’t needed for this.

“Any bets on how long it takes for a threesome to happen?” Tony asked of no one in particular.

“Yuck, Tony,” Clint grimaced.

“What? They’ve got this weird...family...thing going on,” Tony said defensively.

“I need to stop by our floor and grab my bag too,” Trip told Ward. “You need yours?”

“Yeah, I’ll come with you.” Ward nodded.

“Meet up on the roof,” Clint told them. “I’ll take you to headquarters in the quinjet.”

“Not on concussion watch you’re not,” Bruce shot back.

“Bruce!” Clint whined.

“Escort me to our floor?” Tasha smiled, tugging Clint from the room. They took the stairs, choosing not to wait for the elevator to come back up.

“Still meet on the roof,” Tony called out to the two specialists. “I’ll drop you at headquarters.”

 

0-0-0-0-0

 

“Steve, I don’t want you to go!” Steven bawled, his arms wrapped tightly around his neck.

“Hey, it’s going to be okay,” Steve reassured him. “I’ve done this a million times.”

“No!!!!” Steve wailed. “You can’t go!”

“Tasha’s going with me, and Trip and Ward,” Steve offered. “We’ll all watch each other’s backs. I’ve got to go, buddy. You gotta let me go.”

“Promise me you’re coming back!” Steven begged into Steve’s neck. Skye’s eyes were wide and she shook her head quickly. That would not end well. That was a promise he couldn’t necessarily keep.

“I’ll be very careful,” Steve offered instead. “You’re going to have so much fun with Skye and Bucky that you won’t even notice I’m go-”

“YES I WILL!” Steven interrupted loudly.

“Come here, honey,” Skye said softly, “Steve’s got to go.”

“No, he can’t!”

“Give him one more hug. We can text him when he’s on route,” She offered.

“I’ll call when I’m on the plane.” Steve agreed. “Maybe you can read me some of Harry Potter.”

“But I suck at reading!”

“We can put it on speaker phone and I can read to you and Stevie,” Bucky offered. “Give him a hug and come here.”

“You better be safe!” Steven said wetly. “I’ll be so mad if you’re not safe!”

“He’s gonna be so safe,” Skye said reassuringly. Steven gripped Steve tighter, but didn’t release him. Skye tugged him from Steve, causing a fresh round of tears to spring up. He reluctantly transferred his grip to Skye and sobbed into her shoulder.

“{We gotta watch him,}” Steven rambled, his words hard to distinguish through his tears. “{He’s gonna get hurt. Don’t let him get hurt!}”

“I’ll talk to you later,” Steve muttered softly, and pressed a kiss to the top of the boy’s head. Skye tipped her head up for a kiss of her own, the jerked her head towards the elevator.

“Get going. He’ll be okay,” Skye whispered. Steve nodded and glanced at Bucky.

“Don’t look at me, I don’t need a goodbye kiss.” Bucky snorted. Steve grinned, despite Steven tearing his heart strings apart, and headed for the elevator.

“Steve...be careful, okay?” Skye said softly, making sure her voice carried across the room to him anyway.

“You got it, doll.”

 

0-0-0-0-0

 

“Did he calm down yet?” Trip asked kindly, taking a seat next to Steve when he saw he was done on the phone.

“Eh, he kind of cried himself to sleep,” Steve winced. “Bucky read us a few chapters of Harry Potter...could still hear him crying in the background.”

“You gonna be okay?”

“Yeah, he’s in good hands.” Steve smiled. “Told him we’re all watching each other’s backs. So no letting me get hurt, huh? He informed me he would be mad if I got hurt.”

“Me, let Captain America get hurt?” Trip gasped, clutching his chest. “I wouldn’t dream of it.”

“I think he’s more worried about Steve…”

“Hey, man. I know.” Trip said gently. “I’ll make sure you get back to your boy.”

“Sorry,” Steve muttered, ducking his head. “I’m new at this whole...family thing. It’s harder than I thought it would be. I promise, my head will be in the game before we land.”

“Don’t apologize,” Trip smiled. “I called my grandfather on my way to every mission my first year out of the Academy. Family is important. I get it, man.”

“Still doesn’t mean my head can’t be in the game.”

“No, it doesn’t. But it helps you focus, keeps you grounded. Skye talked to me, did you know that?”

“Oh, no. What did she say?” Steve groaned softly. Trip grinned and patted his shoulder.

“She said you seem to listen to me, so I should talk to you about being safer in the field. She doesn’t approve of you sacrificing your body for someone else.”

“She’s a little hypocritical,” Steve replied, rolling his eyes. “I know, though. I’m trying to do better...but, it’s also who I am. I can do better, but I’ll probably never stop entirely. I can recover from more than others can.”

“You’ve got a kid to think about now,” Trip reminded him gently. “A kid bawling his eyes out cause his daddy is off fighting the bad guys and might not make it home.”

“I’m not his _daddy_ ,” Steve laughed.

“Are you Skye’s?”

“Uh huh, I totally see why Skye’s buddying up to you. Fucking ridic-”

“-Captain!” Trip interrupted with a gasp. “Language!”

“Gather your gear,” Ward grumbled, dropping into a seat opposite Trip. “We’re landing in ten.”

“Game time, Cap.”

 


	51. Something is wrong!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I won't be able to post again until Sunday, so this chapter is a teensy bit longer than the short ones.

 

Skye was awake, doing her morning Tai Chi in the gym, when Agent May joined her. Skye offered her a small smile, but didn’t break the silence between them. May observed her for a minute before joining her in the exercise.

“Did you sleep?” May asked finally, stretching her limbs out at the end of their routine.

“Sleeping at night is...hard. I’ll crash in a little bit.” Skye replied, raising a single shoulder.

"How's the boy?"

"Eh, he didn't sleep very well." Skye smiled. "He'll be okay once Steve gets back."

May nodded, then continued, “Tony seems to think you can control his...Jarvis.”

“AI,” Skye supplied helpfully. “And I can make Jarvis my bitch.”

“I’ll spar with you, if you can turn the cameras off,” May offered.

“No holding back?” Skye asked, grinning. “I haven’t had a proper partner for a while. Bucky is the closest I can get, but he never liked the fighting.”

“Turn the cameras off,” May nodded.

“Jarvis, privacy mode. Lock the gym doors; warn us if anyone wants in.”

“Privacy mode activated,” Jarvis replied.

 

0-0-0-0-0

 

“Steven is requesting access,” Jarvis informed the ladies, nearly thirty minutes later.

“Let him in,” Skye huffed, panting heavily. May was a good partner.

“Good morning,” Steven mumbled, half stumbling towards Skye. He still looked half asleep. She smiled and lifted him to her chest when he raised his hands.

“You’re up early.”

“You were up before me.”

“True.”

“Did you even sleep?”

“Not yet,” Skye replied honestly.

“Is Steve going to be back today?” Steven asked softly, nuzzling into her neck. He clung to her a little tighter than usual; he was still worried about Steve.

“Probably not,” Skye smiled. May was watching their interaction with a soft smile on her face.

“He’s going to be okay, right?”

“He promised to be careful,” Skye replied. “That’s the best he can do. His job is very important. He saved you...would you make other innocents miss the chance to be saved because you miss him?”

“Technically, Trip saved me.” Steven muttered. May flashed Skye a quick grin at his stubbornness, which made Skye grin in return.

“That’s not the point,” Skye laughed, kissing his shoulder. “It would be selfish of us, honey.”

“He can save everyone,” Steven yawned. “He’s just not allowed to get hurt doing it.”

“That’s a big order to fill,” Skye chuckled. “Why don’t you go get some breakfast and May and I will join you shortly?”

“Can I try out your new aerial course instead?”

“I can go another round,” May offered, glancing up at the elaborate system of hooks, handles, ropes, and other knobs that were suspended from the ceiling, "but I want to hear about this later." 

“Deal.” Skye grinned. “Jarvis, put us back in lockdown?”

“Yes, Ms. Skye.”

 

0-0-0-0-0

 

“Skye?” Fitz asked, cocking his head at her as they walked into the kitchen. May smiled and set the boy down, shaking her head slightly.

“May is a big softie,” Skye mock whispered.

“It’s not a bad thing,” Steven hurried to reassure her.

“I’m not a softie,” May told him.

“{Yes, you are,}” Steven grinned. May looked surprised at the Mandarin, but simply responded in kind.

“{Fine. I’ll admit to being a softie - in your case _only_ ,}” She told him firmly. Steven giggled and launched himself at her. “{You tell anyone, and I’ll have to resort to drastic measures to silence you,}” May continued, her trademark stoney expression firmly in place. He just wrapped her up in a hug and grinned back at Skye.

“{Our family is getting pretty big,}” he told her in the mashup. May was still frowning; people _normally_ took her seriously when she had her specialist mask on. Damn this boy.

“{You’re good at bringing people together,}” Skye agreed, popping frozen waffles into the toaster. With no Steve to make them elaborate breakfasts, they were sticking to the basics. She couldn’t afford to have any more bad cooking stories.

“What the bloody hell is going on?” Fitz grumbled, shooting Jack an exasperated expression as he joined them in the kitchen.

“I didn’t do it,” Jack said quickly. Too quickly. Skye swiveled to look at her brother and raised a single eyebrow.

“Jackson Herbert, what did you do?” Skye asked.

“Nothing, sissy,” He grinned, waving her off. “I’m totally innocent and guilt free.”

“He licked the peanut butter knife before he stuck it back in the jar,” Tony supplied helpfully, meandering into the kitchen. “Why am I awake again?”

“Cause Pepper isn’t here to cuddle?” Skye smiled.

“Have you slept yet?” Tony asked.

“Nah, after breakfast.”

“Excellent. Let’s do that.”

“Cuddles?” Skye asked with a smile.

“Only with my favorite sister,” Tony grinned.

“{Uh huh. And _I’m_ the softie?}” May asked Steven, removing the waffles for him.

“{But, May, this is normal for Tony.}”

“{Trust me when I disagree,}” May denied, shaking her head.

“What are those two going on about?” Tony asked, jerking his head towards May and Steven.

“Nothing,” Skye shrugged.

“Don’t believe you, but okay. How’s the team?”

“Steve’s team?”

“Which other team?”

“Steve is fine,” Skye smiled. “The whole team is fine. We’re keeping a very close eye on them,” she smiled, waving a tablet at him.

“Wait, is that Steve?” Steven asked, hurrying over to Skye.

“You’re not watching this,” Skye smiled, clicking a button to hide the feed.

“But Skye!”

“{But nothing. No, you’re not watching.}” Skye informed him firmly.

“Skye!” Steven pouted. He stamped his foot lightly and pushed his lip out.

“{Steven, I won’t let you watch this, so drop it.}”

“{Uh oh, mom voice,}” Jack smirked.

“{Jaaaack, tell her to let me watch!}”

“{That’s not gonna get you anywhere, kid.}” Jack laughed.

“Jarvis, restrict Steven’s access to technology. Make sure he doesn’t try to hack this feed. Alert me if he does,” Skye called out, passing Steven a bowl of apple slices. Steven frowned and crossed his arms with a huff.

“That’s not fair.”

“Life’s not fair, kiddo.” Clint smiled, watching Steven’s pouting from the entrance of the stairwell.

“You’re all stupid,” Steven frowned, sliding from his stool. He started for the elevator, but hesitated. Finally, he huffed lightly and reached back for his waffles and apples, then (carefully) stormed from the room. Clint pressed his lips together as the boy made his retreat to the elevator, trying to contain his amusement until he had left.

“It’s a little early for teenage hormones, right?” Tony asked the room.

“He’s worried,” Skye smiled. “He’ll come around.”

“Skye, Coulson is wondering if you’d like to go to headquarters today,” Clint smiled, sliding into Steven’s vacated space.

“Nope,” Tony answered for her. “We have a cuddle date. She would love a raincheck.”

“She sleeps like...three hours a night,” Clint sighed. “She can go after your cuddle session.”

“Alone?” Skye asked.

“Well, I could go with you, if you want,” Clint offered with a soft smile. “I kind of want to know, too. Besides, I would love to see how you go about this.”

“Do I want to know?” May asked, raising an eyebrow.

“Probably not,” Skye grinned. “Cuddle date,” she said, pointing towards Tony, “then a standard B&E,” Skye smirked at Clint.

“You have to drive, or fly,” Clint sighed heavily. “Stupid Banner won’t clear me.”

“Since when have you listened?” Tony laughed.

“Since I’ve been informed that a certain seven year old hates doctors and will not listen to them if the adults in his life don’t…” Clint smirked.

“Mr. Barnes is attempting to access the footage you’ve blocked for Steven,” Jarvis chimed in.

“You’ve got to be kidding me,” Skye muttered, storming from the kitchen.

“OOOh, someone is in trouble.” Jack smirked.

“You’re just glad it’s not you,” Fitz grinned.

“Oh, don’t worry...she’ll come back and remember about the peanut butter,” Jack grinned back, scooping the peanut butter out of the jar with his finger. Tony made a disgusted noise. “What? I’ve already contaminated it.”

0-0-0-0-0

 

“Being completely honest?” Skye muttered to Clint out of the corner of her mouth, “I don’t know if we would have better luck looking in your director’s office or in the records department.”

“If there isn’t an online record, it’s probably super classified,” Clint murmured back. “That’s kind of why I’m here. Curiosity killed the cat.”

“But satisfaction brought it back,” Skye laughed.

“Stop laughing. May doesn’t laugh.” Clint frowned.

“I don’t look that much like May,” Skye retorted, falling back into an impassive expression anyway. “Just because we’ve got Asian roots doesn’t mean we’re alike.”

“Shh. God, you’re terrible at this whole undercover thing.”

 

0-0-0-0-0

 

“How are you so good at this?” Skye asked softly, her face red and sweaty. Clint was ahead of her in the vents, but he glanced back over his shoulder and grinned at her.

“Have I finally found something you _can’t_ do?” His tone was light and teasing. Her face fell slightly though. “You’re perfect and I love you,” Clint informed her seriously. Then he pulled a face and added quickly, “not like _that_ though. You’re like...my little baby sister, despite our ages.”

“Why am I everyone’s _baby_ sister?” Skye grumbled, pressing her palms against the vents to lift herself quietly, just like Clint had taught her. She pulled out a tablet, then hacked the feed to the office, looping the footage of the empty space so they would be invisible. Clint opened a vent, after disconnecting something that Skye honestly thought she might have missed otherwise, and disappeared out of the vent. She shook her head at him; how many times had he broken into this office?

“You’re the baby sister because everyone is fiercely protective of you, even if you don’t need us to fight your battles. You’re the baby sister because you know just how to work everyone up, but you also know exactly what we need. And you’re the baby sister because the rules never seem to apply to you the same way they apply to other people.”

“It’s getting deep in here,” Skye muttered, disconnecting the one camera in the office while Clint scanned for other cameras and listening devices. “Would it kill your director to have a personality? There is zero personal touch with this space.”

“Yeah, I don’t think he much cares about that,” Clint muttered, helping her rifle through the numerous drawers and cabinets.

“Got something,” Skye muttered a few minutes later, pulling a pin from her watch with ease. Clint shook his head and pulled out his own kit, from his pocket.

“I want one of those,” Clint muttered. Her kit had everything his did - but with the convenience of size and some added features.

“Looks like a double lock, then some fancy wiring,” Skye muttered, carefully pulling pieces from a complex looking lock box.

“We’re down to...seven minutes,” Clint muttered back, settling next to her on the floor so he could pick one lock while she worked on the other one. “Race?”

“No, no messing around. This is serious,” Skye murmured softly. “We could get in a lot of trouble for this. We could get AC in a lot of trouble for this. Take your time, do it right.”

“Yes, Master Ninja,” Clint smiled, rubbing his temple with the back of his hand. He had a headache from his concussion, and despite his best efforts, he hadn’t been able to shake it. Skye glanced over, so he just shook his head. He could deal with a headache.

 

“Three minutes,” Clint said softly, trying not to break her concentration. The lock box was very well protected. Annoyingly well protected. They had toyed with the idea of just taking it and unlocking it elsewhere, and then sneaking back in to replace it - but it was wired in a way that they wouldn’t be able to remove it _and_ put it back.

“Got it,” Skye grinned triumphantly, reaching into the lock box for the files. She quickly located the right folder and snapped pictures of the contents. She wanted to do the same for the other files - but she had promised Steve she wouldn’t. (But, _fuck_ , the curiosity was getting to her.)

“One minute,” Clint winced. “Get back in the vent. I’ll put it back.”

“Dude, no.” Skye sighed. “Not going to happen. Here, you put this back and I’ll straighten up the office.”

“Deal.”

 

“It’s fine, get up here,” Clint hissed from the vent. His arm was dangling from the opening, reaching for her. Fury’s voice was audible from the other side of the door. Skye tweaked one last pile, then let Clint pull her into the vent - and not a moment too soon, either. The vent cover was back in place, just as Fury walked into his office. Skye re-synced the camera, then followed Clint away from the office.

 

0-0-0-0-0

 

“What the hell is he going on about?” Tony asked loudly. His hands were clamped firmly over his ears, trying to block out Steven’s shouting. Jack and Fitz, who had already tried and failed to calm the boy, gratefully stepped back. They were more than happy to let Tony take the lead on this one.

“WHY WON’T ANYONE TELL ME!!!!!??” Steven was shouting at the top of his lungs. “SOMETHING IS WRONG AND NO ONE WILL TELL ME AND YOU’RE NOT EVEN LISTENING TO ME!!!!!”

“Kid, stop shouting and tell me what’s wrong,” Tony shouted, trying to be heard over the boy, when the only response he got was an exasperated shoulder shrug from Fitz.

“TELL ME!!!!” Steven shrieked, his voice dangerously high.

“Okay, kid, you’re killing my head.” Tony said, walking towards the boy. “Stop screaming, come here, and tell me what is going on in that head of yours?”

“Something is wrong!” Steven told Tony, trying to modulate his voice. He let Tony pull him into a hug, but lost his composure and sobbed into the shoulder of his shirt. “Something is _wrong_.”

“Nothing is wrong,” Tony replied as calmly as he could. “Skye is with Clint; even if they get caught doing whatever secret thing they’re doing, you know _both_ of them can talk their way out of a mess.”

“Something is wrong,” Steven repeated, a bit breathlessly.

“I’ve been watching Steve’s feed,” Tony confessed. “Skye doesn’t want you to watch it, and I agree, but I can promise you that Steve is fine. He’s got Trip and Red with him, and they’re all watching each other’s backs.”

“No, Tony. No, something is wrong.”

“Can you be more specific? Cause I honestly don’t know what to do with that,” Tony admitted.

“Sir, there appears to be a problem with Mr. Roger’s feed,” Jarvis chimed in.

“Shit,” Fitz muttered, running from the room. “Skye’s gonna kill me…”

“Trip’s comms just went down,” Coulson announced, running into the room. “I’m taking May and heading back to Headquarters. Fitz and Simmons can stay.”

“See?” Steven growled, “take me back. Take me to Shield. Take me back, _take me back_ , TAKE ME BACK!”

 


	52. Oh shit, oh shit, oh shit

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter has a little bit of injury detail. If you've read the other stories, you've definitely read worse...just wanted to give everyone a heads up. (It's really not that bad).

 

“What’s going on?” Skye asked, watching agents rush past them. The odd feeling in her chest was making it difficult to breathe. Something was wrong, and it was super important that she figured out what was happening so she could make it better. Clint grabbed an agent and dragged him to a stop. 

“Update, Agent.” Clint ordered.

“The strike team was ambushed,” The agent replied quickly. The knot in her chest tightened and she resisted grabbing her chest in front of the strange agent.

“Let him go,” Skye frowned, looking at the first aid kit in his hands. “Take us there, now.”

“Agent Barton?” The agent asked, not recognizing the woman next to them.

“You heard the woman. _Now_ , agent.”

 

 

The agent led them to the docks, and Skye momentarily back tracked into Clint as she took in the chaos. (Simmons would have a fit.) Injured agents were everywhere. There was the distinctive copper smell of blood and the putrid ash of charred skin.

“There was an explosion,” The agent explained softly, before rushing off to help provide first aid.

“We need to find them,” Skye whimpered, fluttering her shaking hands around her chest. It was suddenly very difficult to breathe. “Please, Clint, help me find them.”

“Now,” Clint agreed easily, tugging her along by her elbow. They had nearly reached the end of the makeshift triage line when she saw them.

“Oh, shit. Oh shit, oh shit, oh shit,” Skye gasped, pushing through agents to get to Steve.

He was covered in blood and the distinct smell of his burned flesh was present in the air. There was so much blood, and his cowl looked like it was melted onto his face. Half of his suit was singed; she knew Tony had designed it to be fire resistant, so he was probably okay under the suit. She grasped his hand and was appalled to realize it was cold. Steve was _cold_. Then she noticed that he was laying in a body bag - it just wasn’t zipped. Skye panicked and felt for his pulse; it was weak, _very_ weak, but it was there.  

Agent Triplett was next to him on a gurney, hooked up to a blood bag. He looked bad, but he was still conscious. Medical personnel were rushing around, trying to help everyone at the same time, but somehow Steve and Trip were unattended. She noticed Trip was on a body bag, too, and blinked away angry tears. They were the very end of the triage line - someone had decided these men were too far gone to save. Skye growled in her throat and snatched up a kit of her own. She took out a roll of gauze and clotting powder, determined to find the cause of Steve’s excessive bleeding, and passed the rest of the kit off to Clint. She nodded towards Trip, and Clint hurried to take care of him.

“Skye,” Trip winced, clutching his ribs. “I tried. He’s bad off, though, Skye. It’s _bad_.”

“This isn’t your fault,” Skye frowned, glancing up at Trip as she tugged off Steve’s Captain America cowl. Blistering skin pulled away with the cowl and she had never been more glad someone was unconscious. “I’m not mad at you, okay? This isn’t your fault.”

“I tripped something,” Trip argued. “Steve pushed me out of the way; he took the brunt of it...and that is my fault.”

“Shut up,” Skye said firmly. “We’re going to get those bastards that did this. This is _their_ fault, not yours.”

“Skye…” Trip coughed, wincing.

“Clint, we need to get Steve away from these agents,” Skye whispered, trying to hide her shaking hands. She had found one major wound and was applying pressure, but the blood stain was still growing. “I need to fix him. He’s going to d- Please, help me fix this. But I can’t do it around all these agents.”

“I need this man in a private room, _now_!” Clint bellowed, grabbing random agents as they hurried past, shoving them towards either end of the gurneys their friend was on.

“Trip, too,” Skye murmured. “He’s hiding it, but he’s bad off.”

“I need Agent Triplett in the same room, ASAP!” Clint relayed, the urgency in his tone had newbie agents scrambling to comply. “And someone find me Agent Romanov.”

 

Within minutes, they had a private room. Agent Ward, covered in blood and dirt but relatively unharmed, was standing guard outside the door, giving Skye the privacy to fix her team - her family - without prying eyes and without distractions.

“Find someone to find Agent Romanov,” Clint asked Ward softly.

“She’s okay,” Ward murmured, even as he nodded his understanding. “She was with me.”

“Find her. Please.”

“Yes, sir.”

 

0-0-0-0-0

 

“I’m good,” Trip coughed, waving her off. “Worry about your boy.”

“Agent Triplett,” Skye informed him severely, “You’re coughing up blood. I’ve already got a transfusion going for Steve, so shut up and lay back.”

“Skye…” Trip muttered softly, falling unconscious. Skye frowned, but gave him ten minutes worth of her blood. Clint put burn cream on Steve’s face, then wrapped a thin layer of gauze around his head to keep the open wounds clean.

“Skye, Steve’s vitals are falling,” Clint whispered, finishing bandaging up his wounds so the magic blood wouldn’t seep out before it could fix things. He had cut away the Captain America top and undershirt, leaving him bare chested on the table. Skye glanced over and was scared to see just how pale Steve was - much too pale - despite the red smears on his skin from Clint hastily cleaning the blood away, trying to figure out where the damage was. Clint’s phone was buzzing almost non-stop, but neither of them picked it up. There were more important things to do.

“Shit.” Skye muttered, her voice cracking. He couldn’t afford to deteriorate any more. She disconnected from Trip and wobbled over to Steve. “We’re missing an injury.”

“Agent Barton, Agent Rumlow is requesting a status update,” Ward said softly, his head barely inside the door.

“Not now,” Clint growled, helping Skye check Steve over, even as she prepared to give him another transfusion. “Please, have him find Romanov.” Ward nodded and closed the door, giving Skye the privacy to fall apart. She tried to bite back a sob and tied her arm off; she couldn't fall apart...not yet. They still needed her.

“Shit, Clint, I need you to…” She held the other end of the line out, indicating he would need to start the transfusion. Her hands were shaking and tears were streaming down her face. “Two lines. We need to fill a bag for Trip. I don’t think he got enough. He’s worse off than he says.”

“It’s okay,” Clint murmured reassuringly, offering her his arm. “You were way worse than this when we found you. This fixed you. It’ll be okay. We’ve got this.”

“I’m going to pass out,” Skye sobbed, climbing onto Steve to straddle his hips. She needed Clint’s steady reassurance right now; his calm tone was keeping her panic at bay...mostly. “Don’t disconnect the line. I’ll clot up before it gets critical - but he needs all the blood he can get.”

“You got it.”

“Don’t give him other blood, even if he’s still low…”

“I won’t dilute the magic blood,” Clint agreed. “Skye, you need to get flat before you fall over.”

“Don’t let anyone see…” Skye muttered, falling forward. “...won’t be their...experiment…”

“I got ya, ninja,” Clint murmured as he caught her and lowered her onto Steve’s chest. He wasn’t sure why, but she had climbed up there for a reason, so he left her. Clint started the transfusion, then noticed the blood dripping onto the floor. “Found the leak,” he muttered to himself. “Fuck.”

 

 


	53. Why am I so...big?

 

“Update?” Ward asked, half an hour later. Clint was at a sink, scrubbing the blood off his hands. Trip was still out, but Clint had wrapped his body in a blanket to conserve body heat. A bag of blood was dripping steadily into his system. Steve was still pale, but considerably less so than before. Clint had disconnected the transfusion line between Skye and Steve when she clotted up, but she was still on his chest shivering. The pair had a blanket draped over them, too; Skye was colder than usual with her depleted blood supply.

“They’re stable,” Clint groaned, rolling his neck. His head was killing him. “Get in here, let me check you over.”

“I’m okay, sir.”

“Get in here,” Clint said firmly.

“Yes, sir.” Ward sighed, stepping into the room and closing the door.

“Lock it. They don’t know about Skye,” Clint sighed.

“They know a woman is here,” Ward denied.

“ _A_ woman,” Clint agreed, “but they don’t know who she is and I would like to keep it that way. Besides, I think Steve would murder both of us if someone walked in on them like _that_ ,” Clint smiled slightly, nodding to the pair. Skye’s face was just barely visible above the line of the blanket, her cheek resting directly on Steve’s collar bone. She had shifted slightly, so her head was nearly next to Steve’s.

“It’s a compromising position,” Ward agreed, frowning at the pair.

“Can you imagine the uproar if people found out Captain America has a girlfriend?”

“Are you confirming that?” Ward asked, trying to sound casual in his inquiry. Clint was not stupid though, as self-deprecating as he could be.

“Is that why you’ve been so weird?”

“Weird, sir?”

“Thought it was more polite than saying you’ve been an asshole.”

“It’s my understanding you already thought I was an asshole,” Ward replied.

“Not gonna deny that,” Clint shrugged, stitching up a deep slash he found on Ward’s shoulder. “But you’ve always been cocky. Now, I get it. You’ve developed into a strong team player for Coulson - but at the Academy? Hmm, rubbed me the wrong way. But you _now_? That’s not cocky. That’s...I don’t know what it is. You’re over compensating or something.”

“I’m not a people person.” Ward admitted softly, wincing at the tugging against his skin.

“You were fine, you were _normal_ before we got Skye back. Does she make you uncomfortable?” Clint asked, deliberately turning to put the needle and surgical thread away so Ward couldn’t see his grin. Trip had thrown Ward under the bus at the Tower.

“She is...different.” Ward sighed, looking distinctly uncomfortable. “She’s not an agent, but she’s also not a regular girl. She made you all crazy about her in such a short time and you all should be worried. You’re all compromised.”

“So it has nothing to do with the fact that you can’t talk to beautiful women?” Clint grinned devilishly.

“Fucking Trip.”

“Hey, what you and Trip do in your bunks is none of my business,” Clint laughed, patting his shoulder. “I’m starving. Let’s find some food, yeah?”

 

0-0-0-0-0

 

“Tony?” Clint asked, putting his phone to his ear as he sat forward in his chair. He had sent Ward out to get food for everyone, but didn’t trust people enough to leave his teammates unsupervised. He finally had a chance to return the phone calls that had had his phone vibrating off the counters.

“Steven is in full meltdown mode,” Tony informed Clint, shouting into his phone to be heard over the boy. “Put Skye on. He won’t even listen to Jack.”

“Can’t,” Clint winced. “She’s...not...conscious?”

“Say that again?” Tony asked, his voice dangerously quiet. “What did you do to my _sister_ , Clinton?”

“The strike team got ambushed,” Clint replied, wincing. He had never heard Tony use his full name before. “Steve and Trip and...well, pretty much the entire team was hurt. She had to give Steve and Trip magic blood, Tony. She gave too much. She’s not conscious.”

“Who...talking...to?” Skye mumbled, scrubbing her hand over her face.

“Tony,” Clint told her out the side of his mouth.

“Is that Skye? Put her on. Now.”

“He wants to talk to you,” Clint sighed. “Think you’re up for a conversation?”

“It’s not a choice!”

“Put ‘im on speaker,” Skye mumbled. “Hands won’ stop…”

“Tony, I’m putting you on speaker.” Clint told him, watching her hands shake. “Skye’s barely awake, so chill, okay?”

“She needs fluids,” Tasha murmured, coming into the room behind Ward. They had food, bottles of water, and three bags of saline solution.

“Hmm, no mo’ needl’s, wifey,” Skye mumbled barely coherently.

“I’m going to take care of you,” Tasha replied, ignoring her refusal. “Talk to your brother.”

“What the hell is going on there?” Tony shouted. His voice rang through the room because Clint had switched him to speaker.

“If you don’t stop with the shoutin’…” Bucky’s voice said softly, carrying through the connection.

“Oh, what are you going to do?” Tony bit out angrily.

“Give me the phone,” Bucky said firmly, slipping into his soldier voice. Steven’s screaming got louder and Bucky grunted lightly. “{Солнышко, is everything okay there?}”

“{They’re stable.}”

“{And you?}”

“{Gave a little too much. I’ll be okay.}”

“{Okay, now, I’ve got a very distraught little boy trying to pull my metal arm off. He needs to hear you say that.}”

“{Put him on.}”

“{Skye?}” Steven asked in the mashup, hiccuping through his tears. “{Skye, something is wrong and no one will talk to me but something is really, really wrong!}”

“{I know, honey.}”

“{...wait, you know?}” Steven paused, sounding surprised. His tears had stopped, though his breathing was still trying to catch up. “{Why do you sound like that, are you okay?}”

“{The team was hurt on their mission,}” Skye told him softly. “{But don’t worry, I’m right here with Steve and he’s going to be okay.}”

“{Can I talk to him?}”

“{He’s sleeping. I’ll have him call you when he wakes up.}”

“{Why is he sleeping? Did you have to give him the blood?}”

“{Yeah, honey, I did. But he’s okay. Trip got some blood too, and he’s going to be okay. Tasha and Ward are right here and they’ve been helping Clint and me patch them up.} Ouch, shit, Wifey! I said no more needles!”

“{Why do you need needles?}” Steven whispered.

“{Just need some fluids, don’t worry. We’re going to head back soon. I’ll call you when we’re on our way, okay? Listen to Bucky, he seems to be the most reasonable one there right now.}”

“{Promise everything is okay?}” Steven asked. His voice was dangerously small.

“{I wouldn’t lie to you. I promise everything is okay. I mean...I still have to figure out who hurt them and kick their asses, but…}”

“{Language, Skye.}” Steven interjected, giggling a little. Skye grinned tiredly; mission accomplished.

“{That’s my boy,}” She murmured affectionately. “{I’ll call when we’re heading back or when Steve wakes - whatever happens first.}”

“{Okay. Thank you. I love you.}”

 

And then the line went dead and she couldn’t help her dumbfounded expression.

 

“What’s that look for?” Clint asked, gratefully unwrapping a sandwich.

“Not’n,” Skye murmured.

“Is that the weird language that the other kids speak?” Ward asked.

“’s not weird,” Skye yawned. “I prolly should eat, but ‘m gonna sleep. Wake me when we’re movin’?”

“You got it,” Clint agreed. Skye let her eyes drift shut and she shifted her cheek to a cool spot on Steve’s chest. Then she was out.

 

0-0-0-0-0

 

“What’s going on?” Steve muttered, hours later. Coulson and May had arrived and were helping transition the two injured agents and Skye to the Quinjet to be flown back to the Tower.

“You were hurt, on the mission,” Tasha told him, walking beside him as she steered his bed to the elevator.

“Why am I so...big?” Steve asked, glancing down his body. Clint had given him a heavy dose of morphine before they started moving, so he was a little woozy from the drugs. Skye and he was still cold, so they had put a foil blanket over the pair and inflated it with circulating warm air. It conveniently hid Skye, who was still out cold on Steve’s chest. She hadn’t even woken with the jostling of moving them to the bed with wheels or when Clint shifted her lower on Steve so her body would be hidden beneath the blanket.

“How are you feeling?” Tasha asked, instead of replying. “Better than you should?”

“There was an explosion,” Steve winced. Then he processed her clue - he was so big because Skye was on him. His eyes flickered down, suddenly much more alert, then back up to Tasha’s. “Is she okay?”

“Yeah,” She smiled, “Just gave a little too much blood. Don’t worry.”

“And Trip?”

“He’s about five feet in front of us,” she nodded. “He’s fine, though he needed a transfusion, too.”

“You’re gonna need to call the Tower, once we’re on the jet,” Clint told him, coming up on the other side of the bed.

“He didn’t want me to go,” Steve muttered.

“Skye talked to him. He was freaking out, but he’s okay. Don’t worry, it’s a short ride back to the Tower in the jet. I’m sure he’ll meet us on the roof.”

“She talked to him?”

“Yeah, so relax. He knows you’re okay.”

“Okay,” Steve agreed drowsily. He brought his arms up slowly, figuring out where Skye was, then wrapped his arms around her. She shifted slightly, but didn’t wake. Within a few minutes, Steve wasn’t awake either.

 

“Shit, he was supposed to talk to Steven.” Clint frowned.

“I’ll call him and let him know we’re on our way. He’ll understand,” Tasha smiled. She pulled out her phone and called Jarvis, knowing he would be able to connect her to whoever was near Steven.

“Steve?” Steven asked instantly. The phone had barely started ringing. “What happened? Are you okay? Skye said you needed…”

“Hey munchkin,” Tasha interrupted with a smile.

“Oh. You’re not Steve.” He noted needlessly.

“No, I’m not. But we’re heading your way. We’re on the way to the roof right now.”

“Skye said he was gonna call.”

“Yeah, but Steve’s still sleeping. He woke for a minute and talked to us, so I can promise you that he’s okay.”

“The magic blood will make him okay.”

“He’s already way better than he was. He may need to sleep for a while though.”

“Healing takes a lot of energy,” Steven agreed. “Okay. Thank you for calling.”

“Anything for you,” Tasha said fondly. “We’ll see you within the hour. Jarvis can give you a better estimate.”

“Okay. See you soon.”

 


	54. Bad things come in threes

 

“Where’s Skye?” Bucky asked, holding Steven on his hip. Steve and Trip were being wheeled off the jet. Jack and Fitz were behind Bucky, their hands entwined in a nervous clasp. Coulson and May were driving the SUV, so they were further behind. Ward rode with them because there wasn’t room on the jet, not with two medical beds.

“What’s wrong with his head!?” Steven asked, gaping at the bandaging around Steve’s head.

“Skye is on Steve,” Clint smirked, rubbing his head again. “I think she’s still sleeping. And his face got burned, so the gauze is keeping it clean until it heals.”

“She gave a lot of blood,” Tasha told him. “She’ll probably be starving when she wakes.”

“Me, too.” Steve muttered, his eyes still closed.

“Steve! You’re awake!” Steven shouted.

“Hi, buddy.” Steve murmured, blinking slowly. “I should have listened to you. I’m sorry.”

“It’s okay,” Steven replied, looking surprised. He wasn't expecting an apology. Hell, he hadn't even expected Steve to acknowledge it. “Can I have a cuddle? Or is Skye taking all of them? I don't want to hurt you...”

“Let’s get him set up in a room first, huh?” Clint grinned.

“I still need cuddles, too.” A tired voice added. Bucky grinned at Steve; the voice had come from his stomach area. Skye was awake - kind of.

“Am I okay going to my room?” Steve asked.

“After Banner looks you over, probably,” Clint shrugged. “I think the blood is going to fix you better than he can.”

“I’m not even going to look at him now,” Banner smiled, shaking his head. “We’ll take vitals, then I think they’re good to sleep this off, if Skye agrees.”

“Magic blood fixes things,” Skye agreed sleepily.

“I’m going to take that as agreement,” Bruce smiled.

“Bruce, hook Clint up to a small bag, okay? Jarvis will tell you where to get it.”

“I don’t need-”

“Dr. Banner, promise me.” Skye interrupted, stepping in firmly on Clint’s denials. “His head has been bothering him all day. Clint, just let me fix you, please?”

“Yes, ma’am.”

 

0-0-0-0-0

 

“Bucky, you can cuddle too.” Steven yawned, resting his head on Bucky’s shoulder.

“Oh, yeah?” Bucky smiled. He nodded and hummed his agreement. “Okay. Why don’t you go find a spot and I’ll help Skye off Steve?”

“Deal,” the boy smiled. He slid down Bucky’s front, then tossed the covers back on the bed. Bucky smiled at him and pulled the foil blanket from Steve.

“Hi,” Skye smiled, blinking sleepily at Bucky. She was awake, but struggling to remain so.

“Come here, Солнышко. Let’s get you in bed for some proper rest,” Bucky smiled, wrapping his arms around her.

“Fuck your arm ‘s cold,” She groused, shying away from the metal.

“Sorry,” he winced.

“‘s okay,” She murmured, rolling into his chest. “The res’ of you ‘s warm.”

“Steven needs some cuddles,” Bucky informed her.

“Hmm, me too.”

“Move your tush,” Steve grumbled. “I’m coming over.”

“You’re goin' to need to take at least one step,” Bucky laughed.

“I don’t get to get carried?” Steve whined playfully.

“No, you’re too damn heavy.”

“Okay,” Steve agreed easily. Bucky set Skye down next to Steven and the boy immediately crawled closer, checking that she was as okay as she said she was. Steve seemed to realize he was half naked and frowned.

“Clint said he had to cut your top off,” Bucky told him. “It was burned pretty bad and he couldn’t get it off otherwise.”

“Help me take these off?” Steve asked, plucking weakly at the singed pants. Bucky quirked an eyebrow, but bit back the dirty comment that came to mind. Steve flamed over anyway. “Get your mind outta the gutter.”

“But that’s the best place for it to be,” Bucky laughed, tugging the burned fabric down and off his legs. “Bed, punk.”

“Yessir,” Steve replied easily.

“Next time your kid tells you not to go on a mission, you’re not goin' on a mission - got it?” Bucky frowned, offering Steve his hand to stabilize him as he walked the two steps to the bed.

“Got it,” Steve agreed, falling into bed beside Skye. Steven climbed over Skye, putting himself between their two bodies. Bucky smiled and slipped in next to Skye. She would need the extra heat.

“Hey, at least we got our three out of the way,” Skye muttered sleepily.

“I thought you were kidding when you said I could take the next one,” Steve chuckled, draping his arm around Steven. It rested between Skye and Bucky, so he got to touch all of his most important people. Bucky raised an eyebrow at Steve, so he grinned dopily and explained, “Bad things come in threes. Skye got taken, Skye got shot, I got blown up. We’re all set.”

“No more bad things,” Bucky informed the three seriously, “I can’t take any more bad.”

“Cuddles make my heart happy,” Steven yawned.

"{You make me happy,"} Skye said softly, in the mash up. She pressed a kiss to the top of his head and added, "{I love you too, baby.}"

"{Really?"}

"{And don't you forget it.}"

 

 


	55. Good people are shiny

 

The next morning, Bucky hung out in the common space, patiently waiting for a certain redhead to pass through. He had put off this conversation long enough; he had to know. He hadn’t slept well the night before. He was worried about Steve. He was worried about Skye. And then, to top it all off, a particularly disturbing memory fragment had worked itself loose:

_Soldier, receive orders._

**_Detail orders_** _._

_Protect it. Train it._

**_Detail complete orders_** _._

_Protect it. Train it._

**_Orders unclear._ **

_Don’t argue with me soldier! Acknowledge orders._

**_Protect it. Train it._ **

Bucky didn’t know what to do with that memory. It had been running through his head all morning. He could see the scientist standing in front of him, barking the orders. He remembered being confused because he had no idea what he would be protecting...or _what_ he would be protecting.

Another memory, however brief, had also popped up last night. A boy. A small boy. He was cold. Bucky shook the memory clear of his head; he didn’t know if it was related to his orders or not, but he wanted to know. He wasn’t sure if Tasha could shed any light on the memory, but he needed to ask.

At the very least, he needed to address the elephant in the room.

“Can I ask you a question?” Bucky asked softly, stopping Tasha on her way through the kitchen. He had a mug of her favorite coffee all prepared and slid it over to her when she smiled.

“Do questions always come with bribes?” Tasha smirked, reaching out for the caffeine gratefully. “Cause if the answer is yes, you can ask me all the questions you want.”

“You knew me.” Bucky commented softly, running a finger around his own mug of coffee.

“I wasn’t trying to hide it,” Tasha replied, trying to gauge his mood. “I kept trying to get you alone, but every time I had time, you were wrapped up in Skye and we both know that wouldn’t have been a good time.”

“Clint calls her my safety blanket,” Bucky smiled.

“Hmm, sounds like you might be her safety blanket as well?” Tasha shot back, giving him a look that said she knew exactly what he had done for Skye. Bucky ducked his head to hide his smirk.

“Clint can’t keep a secret,” Bucky muttered, though he wasn’t mad. He kind of expected this.

“Clint can’t keep a secret from _me_ ,” Tasha corrected. “You’ll notice that Steve hasn’t been asking questions.”

“Yeah...not sure how long it’s gonna take for him to figure it out. Clint isn’t exactly...subtle. I think Steve may be mad when he finds out...”

“Steve will be fine, but if you’re worried Skye and I can be there,” Tasha offered with a smirk. This man was totally different than the man she remembered. “Now, what _was_ your question?”

“It’s going to sound...odd.”

“Excellent. Those are the best questions,” Tasha laughed.

“How much has Skye told you?” Bucky sighed, suddenly unsure where to start.

“About?”

“Me. My memories.”

“Hmm, we never sat down and talked about you,” Tasha replied, eyeing him with a critical look. “I mean, she knew you trained me. Do you remember that?”

“Maybe not all of it,” Bucky shrugged. “But enough. I knew you. You clearly know me.”

“You still haven’t asked your question,” Tasha pressed lightly.

“I have this weird memory tryin’ to come back and it’s just...frustratin’. I guess I was hopin’ it was you...but maybe it was a boy?”

“There weren’t any boys in the Black Widow program,” Tasha frowned, cocking her head. Bucky sighed and nodded.

“That’s what I thought.”

“Bucky?” Tasha asked softly, pushing him to keep talking. He was clearly troubled by this memory.

“There's this....thing,” Bucky muttered, waving his hand near the back of his head, “tryin’ and failin’ to come forward.” Bucky froze, blinking slowly, “I trained someone else, I think. We shared a sleepin’ mat. It was always cold.”

“Well, Russia _was_ cold, but men weren't allowed to stay. You trained us and left every night.”

“That's kind of what I remember too, except I remember being annoyed that I had to be driven away because the driver hit every fuckin' pothole and I couldn't sleep.”

“So this person you can't remember...”

“I think it was a kid. Or a small person,” Bucky admitted. He turned, mimicking laying in bed holding a small body, “They just feel...small.”

“So probably a child,” Tasha mused, picking at her lip as she thought. “When did you say this was?”

“The memory?”

“Yeah, general time frame. 90's? 80's?”

“Oh, I don't know,” Bucky shrugged, looking sheepish. “It's not much, yet.”

“But it helps to talk about it,” Tasha smiled. “You could ask Skye. She could dig into your files.”

“That's true,” Bucky nodded, “But I don't want to bother her and I just thought I'd check with you. You don't have to look into it either. I'm sure some more of the memory will come forward eventually. I don't need-”

What was that sound? It kind of sounded like Stevie, back when he was little. The room spun a little and he realized the sound was him. Tasha danced across his line of sight.

“Holy shit, Barnes. Breathe,” Tasha frowned. “Go find Skye.”

He just nodded his head and all but bolted from the room. He was going to lose his shit. He needed her to ground him. His hands were shaking and he could feel the Soldier smirking at his predicament. He was going to make an appearance soon. “Jarvis, get Skye to the gym. Quietly. Now.”

 

0-0-0-0-0

 

“Ms Skye, you're being requested,” Jarvis chimed softly.

“Who?” Skye asked. She was busy sorting through the files she had taken pictures of in the director’s office. Steve was sitting across from her, reading a book Clint had recommended to him. His face was still wrapped in gauze, keeping the new skin moisturized so it would heal properly. She frowned at the file, not liking what she saw. They were going to have to head back to headquarters, as soon as Steve was healed completely. She was overdue for another visit with the scientists.

“Code white?” Jarvis offered softly, dropping his voice module to a lower register. Steve looked amused at the AI's attempt at stealth, but Skye shot up.

“You okay?” Steve asked.

“Yeah, I'm good,” Skye smiled. “Just need to check on...”

Skye bolted from the room, forgetting to finish her sentence in her haste to get to the gym.

She slammed the door behind herself, locking the physical deadbolt she had installed. She turned and saw Bucky, standing stiffly in the middle of the gym. His hands were limp, at his sides. That didn't bode well. Bucky wasn't fighting it. That meant the soldier was here already.

“Jarvis, code white lockdown. No one in or out. Recording three for any inquiries.”

“Yes, Ms. Skye.”

“Soldier!” Skye barked out, knowing the tone she used would penetrate through the confusion.

“Orders unchanged?” The Asset asked, his voice low and slow. Everything about him was deliberate, right down to the way that he talked. Like he was in no hurry. (Of course he wasn’t in a hurry. He was dangerous and he knew it.)

“Verbalize orders,” Skye commanded, her arms locked behind her back as she paced in front of him.

“Protect it. Train it.” The Asset stated calmly. Skye took in his relaxed demeanor and relaxed a little, too. She smiled at him and dropped some of the tone.

“What are you protecting, soldier?” Skye teased lightly. “Ooh, look at this arm. Did Tony clean it? It's so _shiny_.”

The Asset fell to the back of Bucky's mind, surprised when a memory forced its way forward. Bucky surged back to the front, eager to see what the memory was.

There was a voice above him. Definitely a child's voice. Why was he above him? He was comfortable with him, Bucky realized. His tone was entirely too warm and sincere for him to be afraid of him. He blinked slowly as the gym faded around him and concrete walls sprung up around him, transporting him back to the time of his memory:

_“_ _{You're Shiny because you're good. Good people are Shiny. I know there's another voice. A mean voice. He's not Shiny. But he's not you. You need to remember that okay? You're Shiny. You're good. You're the only good here.}”_

“Bucky?” Skye was asked softly, gripping his face between her palms. He blinked quickly, forcing the memory back, but inadvertently bringing the Asset back too.

“{No.}” The Asset growled, twisting his face free from her hands. He was in control.

“{I want my Bucky back,}” Skye informed the Asset, slipping back into her commanding voice.

“{Line it up on the wall!}” The Asset shouted, imposing himself over her. “{Training starts now, little girl.}”

“{You don't give the orders around here},” Skye argued, shoving his chest away from her. “{I need Sergeant Barnes, front and center. _Now_.}”

“{Maybe the little girl needs to be taught a lesson,}” The Asset informed her, his voice dark.

 

0-0-0-0-0

 

“Jarvis, what are they doing in there?” Steve asked. Bucky had kicked Clint out of the gym, so Clint came to find Steve. He just missed Skye leaving Steve's room.

“He didn't look okay, Steve.” Clint murmured, shoving his hands in his pockets.

“ _Hi, you've reached the voicemail of Skye_ **_and Bucky_!** _We're having a private training session and can't come to the phone right now._ **_Please leave a message after the tone_** _. Beep!”_ Jarvis played recording three, like Skye requested.

“What does that mean?” Steve groaned. Both Skye and Bucky's voice were on the message, so it was something they had set up ahead of time.

“Ms Skye will be unavailable until the training session is over,” Jarvis replied.

“Tony can let us in,” Clint grinned, smacking his forehead. From the other side of the door, there was yelling and loud thumps. Clint winced and bounced nervously in place. “Jarvis, you'll let us in if their vitals fall, right?”

“There is a medical over-ride procedure,” Jarvis confirmed.

“I'm taking that as a yes,” Clint muttered. “Jarvis, tell Tony to fix this.”

“ _This isn't something Tony can remove or circumnavigate,”_ Skye's voice informed them from the speakers. “ _It's fine. Relax. Breathe.”_

“How many messages does she have recorded?” Steve sighed. Her forethought was a little odd.

“What's going on?” Tasha asked, strolling into the hall. Clint and Steve were sitting on the floor, propped up against the doors.

“Bucky and Skye are locked in the gym,” Clint muttered, hooking a thumb over his shoulder.

“On purpose?” She asked.

“Yeah. Very on purpose,” Steve nodded.

“Well, I was speaking with Bucky like, ten minutes ago. How much can go wrong in ten minutes?”

There was a loud thud against the door, shaking it hard enough that Clint and Steve were both pushed forward. The was an annoyed growl, loud enough to penetrate the door, then the Asset's voice snarled _“{Again.}”_

The voice moved away from the door and Clint blinked at Steve, “Shit. That was the other one, right? Think she’s okay?” Clint asked, speaking what he knew Steve was thinking.

“She can take care of herself,” Steve replied.

“At the very least, she’ll have programs in place - just in case.” Tasha agreed.

“What do you think they’re doing?”

“Whatever it is, it’s a _Code White_ ,” Steve sighed. “She was prepared for this.”

“Code white?” Tasha frowned. “Wasn’t that color the scientist that had Skye?”

“Skye is getting Bucky back,” Steven said softly, slipping around the corner. Steve smiled and opened his arms to the boy and he ran over and plopped in Steve’s lap. “Bucky told me that if I ever hear that voice,” he nodded towards the door, “that I need to run away really fast and get Skye.”

“Yeah?” Clint asked.

“Yeah.” Steven nodded.

“When did this happen?” Steve asked.

“I don’t know. Few days ago? He seemed nervous to be around me alone, so I asked him why. He said there’s another guy that Skye is helping get rid of, and sometimes he gets free. If that happens, I’m not supposed to hang around. He made me promise.”

“Have you seen the other guy before?” Steve asked softly. There were very faint sounds penetrating the door - but it only sounded like The Asset’s tone, not Skye’s. Steven quickly shook his head.

“No, I haven’t. He uses the voice sometimes, but he’s still Bucky. He’s worried about the other guy, not the voice. Skye said it doesn’t happen very much any more.”

 

 


	56. Need that skin to skin

 

When the gym doors finally opened, nearly two hours later, Skye was supporting Bucky. His arm was around her shoulders and she was clutching his waist, keeping him upright. Steve and Clint hurried forward, slinging Bucky between them. He was barely keeping his feet under himself and his face was grey with exhaustion.

“Doll, what do you two need?” Steve asked.

“We need to get him to his room,” Skye replied, brushing her hair back from her face. Large sections had fallen out of her ponytail and she looked only _slightly_ less wrecked than Bucky did.

“Let Steve and Clint take him,” Tasha suggested quietly. “Let’s get you to a shower.”

“Go, Солнышко,” Bucky muttered softly.

“I’ll be quick,” Skye nodded. A hot shower sounded positively delightful.

“I’ll be asleep. Go.”

“Don’t leave him,” Skye told Steve. “I’ll be by when I’m out of the shower.”

“I’ve got him, doll.” Steve replied. The concern was evident on his face, but he didn’t ask any questions - not yet, at least - and for that, Skye was grateful.

“I’ve got her, Steve.” Tasha smiled. “Take Bucky to bed.”

 

0-0-0-0-0

 

“Feel better?” Steve asked, smiling softly. He was in Bucky’s bed, sitting next to his friend who was snoring loudly. Skye smiled at the limbs sprawled all over and walked tiredly to Steve, using Tasha for balance. Tasha smiled and wandered back out; Steve could keep an eye on them now. She climbed up the middle of the bed, scooting into the space between Bucky and Steve.

“It’s always a good thing when he snores like that,” Skye confessed, struggling to get under the blankets.

“He always was a snorer when he’s really out,” Steve smiled.

“The soldier isn’t. That’s how I can tell that I got him all the way back,” Skye yawned.

“Can I ask what happened?” Steve asked softly, one corner of his mouth lifting in a wry smirk. “Or would you like to sleep first?”

“Two second abridged version?” Skye suggested, lifting Steve’s arm so she could slip under it. She adjusted her body against his and sighed happily as she settled. Steve smiled and nodded his agreement. “Sometimes when he’s really stressed, it’s easier for the soldier to come back. Sometimes I can order Bucky back, but sometimes we have to do it the hard way.”

“This was the hard way?”

“Uh uh,” Skye yawned, burrowing in the blankets. “Can we cuddle?”

“Stupid question, doll.”

“Ouch, Face Plant,” Skye grinned tiredly.

“Cuddles are always available for my girl,” Steve grinned back, kicking off his shoes so he could slip under the blankets with her. Even though she had just gotten out of a very hot shower, her hands were already cold. “Any idea what he was stressed about?”

“He was talking to Tasha,” Skye shrugged, pulling Steve to her so she didn’t have to move away from Bucky. He would phase out of this deep sleep soon and would seek human contact. She couldn’t go far. She grabbed hold of Steve’s shirt, keeping him nearby. Bucky needed her, but right now she needed Steve. “She said he was asking about a memory. He’s frustrated, 'cause he can’t remember.”

“Anything we can do?”

“Probably not,” Skye shrugged. “I’m going to look into his files again. I guess he trained some people?”

“Tasha mentioned him training them at the Red Room,” Steve nodded.

“Yeah, but she said that wasn’t what he was talking about. He remembers that.” Skye’s eyes fluttered shut and she hummed tiredly. “I let him train me. That’s what his orders were. Seemed easier to let him work through it.”

“Did he? Work through it, I mean?”

“I dunno,” She muttered. “Talk later, ‘kay?”

“You got it, doll.” Steve agreed, pressing a kiss to her forehead.

 

Within seconds, she was completely out. Steve smiled a little at the way her mouth fell open and brushed her damp hair away from her face. There was so much about his best friend and his girl that he didn’t understand. So much that he _wanted_ to understand. They didn’t seem to know where to start, and he wasn’t sure what to ask. _Tell me everything_ , wasn’t likely to get him any answers.

“Did she even see me?” Clint smirked from his position in the corner of the room. He was on an armchair, sitting on the back instead of the seat.

“Didn’t seem like it, did it?” Steve smiled. “She’s pretty tired.”

 

An hour later, Bucky rolled onto his side and stretched out his arms, seeking her out in his sleep. Steve and Clint watched on, unwilling to leave the pair alone, as Bucky found Skye and shuffled over to her. Bucky whimpered softly, trying to tug the blankets out from between them, but couldn’t find the edges. Clint hurried over and helped him; he still looked like he needed to sleep and Clint didn’t want him to wake prematurely because of blankets. Bucky took advantage of the help and pulled Skye to him. Steve let Skye go, seeing his friend needed her more than he did. Skye kept her legs tangled in Steve’s but turned into Bucky’s embrace. She clung to his shirt, clenching it tightly in her fists.

“ _Don’t care. I’m staying, girlie_.” Bucky muttered in his sleep.

“Tasha can’t get over _this_ ,” Clint commented softly, watching Bucky settle against her. “This isn’t the man she knew, at all.”

“It’s not a bad thing,” Steve whispered back. “I’m glad he has someone he’s comfortable with.”

“Even if you’d rather it was you?”

“Course I’d rather it was me,” Steve grinned, “But he’s here and we’re working on getting there. He’s already so much more comfortable with me than he was when he first came, and it hasn’t been very long. I can’t...I didn’t...expect us to just pick up where we left off in the forties. So much has changed...for both of us. Skye said he was nervous that I wouldn’t like who he is now, but I’m just as nervous that he won’t like who I am now. We’ve both got to rediscover each other. I’m glad Skye is here to help with that. She didn’t know us from the forties. She only knows us now. It helps, more than I’d like to admit.”

 

0-0-0-0-0

 

When Bucky and Skye had woken, considerably later in the afternoon, they both seemed disoriented. Bucky seemed wary of everyone, like he was expecting to be yelled at. He seemed thrown that all he received was support. Clint offered to take him out for a while, to get him out of the Tower. Steve was surprised when Bucky jumped at the opportunity, but then again, the two hit it off pretty quick. Clint had grinned at Steven and asked if he wanted to join. He knew Bucky needed to get comfortable with the boy again. He knew the boy had heard the Asset and was afraid to know what the boy had thought of that experience. Bucky smiled shyly at Steve when Skye wrapped him up in a hug before shooing the trio from the Tower.

“Think they’re going to be okay?” Steve asked after an hour had passed. They were sitting next to each other on the couch; Skye was back on her computer and Steve was attempting to read his book again. He just couldn’t focus on the words in front of him.

“They’re going to be fine,” Skye smiled, closing her laptop and setting it aside. “Relax, Steve.”

“It’s just...he just flipped out and now he’s out there and what if…?”

“Steve, relax.” Skye interrupted, pulling his face over to hers for a kiss. She had removed the bandaging earlier that afternoon; Steve’s face was still a little pink, and his hair was very short in a few places closest to the edges of his cowl, but he was good as new. Mostly. “He’s worried that being triggered is going to change things for him. This is exactly what he needs right now - to get out of his head. Clint and Steven will make sure he’s okay.”

“Steven’s really taken to him,” Steve smiled.

“Just...shut up and stop worrying,” Skye whispered into Steve's mouth.

“Okay,” Steve replied, smiling. He closed the gap between their lips, pulling her face to his gently. Skye adjusted against him until she could rise up on her knees. Steve steadied her with his hands on her waist, clutching her to him. He groaned when her fingers laced through his hair, tilting his head back so she could deepen the kiss.

He had almost missed out on this - almost missed out on getting to know his girl, raising his boy, getting close to his best friend again...all of it. He didn’t want to think about what would have happened without her magic blood. What if she hadn’t been at headquarters when they came back? Coulson had made it abundantly clear that he would have died - or they would have seen if he could die - without Skye’s intervention. Tony had hacked some footage, showing both Trip and him on body bags.

He made a mental note to start the paperwork for adopting the boy; even if he was killed in action, the boy shouldn’t have to return to Shield. The problem with that was that he had no idea how to even _start_ that process.

Fuck it. Everything could wait til morning. He  _never_ got alone time with Skye - not between the million people vying for her attention. She grinned against his mouth, like she could tell she had his complete attention. Bucky and Clint were right - he was so fucked.

“Bed?” Skye whispered, running her nose down his. Steve nodded and scooped her off the couch. She giggled and kissed his neck as he walked.

“Doll,” Steve hissed, kicking the bedroom door closed behind them.

“Jarvis?” Skye grinned and kissed Steve again. “Initiate privacy protocol sexy times.”

“Yes, Ms. Skye.”

“Sexy times?” Steve grinned, tossing her onto the bed. Skye laughed, bouncing on the bed.

“Commence Operation Sexy Times,” Skye nodded.

“Operation commencing,” Steve teased, crawling up the bed to kiss her again.

“Operation commenced,” Skye moaned softly, threading her fingers through his hair. His lips slipped from hers, trailing hot kisses down her jawline to her throat. To Skye's frustration, Steve kept his warm mouth from heading any lower. She groaned and flipped Steve over, pinning him to the mattress.

“I really like that you can do that,” Steve murmured, twisting his head so she could reach more of his neck. Skye giggled against his skin, dipping her tongue in the dip at the base of his throat. Steve groaned and sat up, adjusting her hips as he did. Skye chuckled and pulled his shirt up and over his head. “Skye...maybe we should not...I mean, I’ve just been unbandaged and you’ve been through...”

“Steve,” Skye smirked, bringing her head back up to his. “If anything, this will help you get better.”

Steve pulled her lip into his mouth, biting lightly. “Oh yeah?” He asked softly.

“Yeah. Skin to skin contact is good for blood pressure and stress levels, remember?” Skye muttered, arching back as Steve undid one button on her shirt, then another.

“Wouldn't want to stand in the way of my recovery,” Steve whispered with a smirk, trailing his finger down her sternum.

“Not to mention the benefits of actual sex.” Skye giggled breathily. Steve froze. Skye pulled back, gauging his expression. “Steve?”

“Skye, I don't think...” Skye waited for him to finish that thought, but he didn’t. She smiled softly, reading the hesitation on his features. (If she wasn't so good at hiding things, the same hesitation would be on hers, too.)

“Steve, relax.” Skye whispered, kissing him lightly. “We don't need to rush. I would love to not rush. I'm good with just this.”

“Yeah?” Steve confirmed, shyly. Skye considered her options, then grinned at Steve. She pulled her shirt off over her head with a private smile.

“This. I'm good with this.”

“You really need that skin to skin,” He smirked, tracing the edge of her sport’s bra. “I mean... _I_ really need that skin to skin.”

“You have no idea,” Skye whispered, pushing Steve back. When she had his back pinned to the mattress again, she took advantage of his position and trailed one hand down his chest, stopping to press a stream of kisses across his collarbone.

“You’re going to be the death of me,” Steve admitted, flopping his head back against their bed. “But at least I can say I died a happy man.”

 

0-0-0-0-0

 

Steven woke in the middle of the night, but he couldn’t place why. He had had a good night with Clint and Bucky. He didn’t feel upset, or worried, or anxious - so it probably wasn’t a nightmare. Skye and Steve’s door was closed when he and Bucky went to bed; he knew he could slip into their bed, but he wasn’t sure he needed to. He sighed and kicked off his covers. The stars on his ceiling glimmered down on him, making a small smile curve his lips up.

He wasn’t sure what he ever did to deserve this, but he loved living in the Tower. He loved having Steve and Skye. He loved having Bucky. He loved having Jack...and Tony...and Clint and Tasha. He loved everything.

He hadn’t meant to tell Skye that though. It had slipped from his mouth at the end of their phone conversation when Steve was hurt. He had been so relieved that someone understood his panic and that it had already been taken care of, that it had just _slipped_ _out_. He flushed, thinking back at the rush of horror and adrenaline that had surged through his system when he realized what he had just said. _Thank you. I love you._

Shit.

(He slapped his hand over his mouth, grinning at the look Steve would have given him if he had verbalized that word).

He remembered slamming the phone call off, then launching himself from the room. He was embarrassed and horrified - and he didn’t want Skye to call back and explain that his affection wasn’t returned. After removing himself from the situation, he could admit he was being impractical.

Of course, Skye returned his affections.

Maybe not _love_ , but _like_...at least.

Besides, he was living with Steve. It mattered what _Steve_ thought; It didn’t matter what Skye thought…

(...except it did.)

It did a lot.

Steven wasn’t entirely convinced that Skye wasn’t 47 - despite everyone’s assurances. Skye was too similar to the stories he had heard about 47. Besides, Jack _said_ Skye never healed fast except when using the blood - but Skye was good at hiding stuff. He could have hidden lesser injuries and only told Delta about the big stuff. Maybe Skye always had magic blood. It wasn’t like Dr. Banner had a sample from before Skye was taken. In his biology lessons with the scientist, Steven had learned about some of the tests they ran on Skye’s blood. They couldn’t say for sure what happened, because they didn’t have a untampered sample to compare it to. Who said it was normal to start with?

Besides, if Skye  _wasn't_ 47...how did he know about Delta? No one knew about the compound, the facility. He supposed it didn't matter; he loved Skye anyway.

And then, Skye had said it back - with a sleepy, smirky smile that left no doubt about the sincerity level behind the term of endearment.

_I love you too, baby_.

Steven wrapped his arms around himself, trying to contain his happiness. Skye loved him. He was Skye's  _baby_. Skye was awesome and _loved him_ \- even when he did bad things or made bad choices. He squirmed free from his bed, feeling unusually squirmy.

“What are you doing up?” Bucky asked with a soft smile. He was reading another one of Steven’s books on the couch. He raised an eyebrow with amusement when the boy’s shrug turned into a wiggle. “You look a little…”

“I feel squirmy!” Steven whispered, giggling softly.

“Like your…”

“Shhh!” Steven shushed, launching himself at Bucky to slap his hand over his mouth. “It’s a secret, Bucky.”

“No one is here but us,” Bucky chuckled, prying the boy's hand from his mouth.

“Skye has eyes everywhere…” Steven replied, comically checking over his shoulder for the camera.

“Let’s go check on him, huh?”

“Maybe that’s why I’m squirmy?”

“You are squirmy like a…”

“Shhh! _Bucky_!!”

 

0-0-0-0-0

 

“Your kid has a secret,” Skye informed Steve over breakfast the next morning. She was clearly fighting a smile. That made Steve wince.

“A good secret?” He asked hopefully.

“Honestly, I'm not 100% sure what it is,” Skye replied with a grin. “But I think Bucky is involved.”

“Fu-udge,” Steve muttered, pushing up off his couch. If Bucky was involved, it was either a very good thing or a very bad thing. “They're never going out alone again. Jarvis, where are Steven and Bucky?”

“They are within the building,” Jarvis replied, making Skye burst into giggles.

“What did you do?” Steve asked, looking at Skye with a horrified expression. Skye waved him down, trying to control her giggles.

“I gave Bucky the same privileges that I have,” She explained. “He must have figured out privacy mode.”

“Jesus. How do I find him then?”

“Maybe wait til they tell you? There's probably a reason they haven't told you yet,” Skye replied.

“Then why did you tell me _now_?” Steve grumbled.

“Because I like to make you crazy,” Skye giggled. She pressed a kiss to his lips then flounced off.

“Why does Bucky get the same privileges as you and I don't!?” Steve shouted after her. He heard a faint giggle, right before the stairwell door slammed shut, and couldn’t help but shake his head.

If someone had told him back in the forties that his life would turn out like this, he would have laughed himself sick.

 


	57. Evacuate the buildin’!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry the last few chapters have been weird - I was in the hospital and someone was helping me post, but I didn't have the opportunity to check the length of each chapter before putting them up. Thanks for bearing with me.
> 
> Also, this chapter is a little choppy - I'm sorry.

 

"Is this what you've been hiding?" Skye smirked, leaning against the doorway. She had been watching Bucky and Steven unnoticed, but she couldn't keep silent any more. 

"Shit, Skye." Bucky gasped, turning abruptly. 

"Don't be mad," Steven winced, instantly trying to placate her. She wasn't supposed to know yet. Steve wasn't supposed to know yet. 

"You two are not very subtle about your excitement," Skye informed them, raising her eyebrows at the pair.

"'m bett'na him," Bucky smirked, kicking the boy's shoe. His mouth fell open and he gave Bucky the most betrayed look he could manage.

"Bucky!"

"...what? You even had to come visit last night because you were feeling squirm-"

"Ouch!" Steven shouted, tugging his finger free from the puppy teeth it had found itself between. The boy gently set the puppy down to investigate the wound on his finger, and the puppy spilled over itself to investigate the new person in the room. It was a small puppy, in both age and size. Where a healthy puppy might be round and puffy, this puppy was malnourished and its coat was thin. Still, its eyes were bright and took interest in the people around. Steven's eyes were wide, when he pulled his finger from his mouth. "Skye, we need to finish training him. We weren't trying to hide him...we just thought Steve might let us keep him if he listened a little...well, a lot, better."

"How long has he been in the Tower?" Skye asked, hiding her smile behind the dog. They had obviously just given the dog a bath - it was damp and smelled fresh, whereas Bucky and Steven smelled like wet dog.

"Since last night," Bucky replied.

"Skye, he's homeless. Some guy was gonna toss him in the ocean and we couldn't let that happen, could we Bucky?" Steven continued, his eyes downcast. He didn't see the look of amusement that passed between Bucky and Skye. He was too busy trying to convince Skye to let them keep the puppy.

"Sure couldn't," Bucky replied solemnly, though he stepped behind the boy to hide his smile.

"And then his little head popped out of the bag, Skye, and he was just so  _little..."_

" _So little_ ," Bucky agreed.

"...and so  _scared..."_

"So scared," Bucky nodded.

"and...Skye? Are you okay?"

"Uh huh," Skye nodded, hiding her face in her hands. Bucky knew she was laughing, but he could see why the boy might think she was crying. He was laying it on just a little bit thick.

"Good. But, Skye...if we hadn't rescued this little guy,  _he wouldn't be okay_."

"Sure wouldn't," Bucky agreed from behind the boy. The small German Shepherd puppy blinked up at Skye, giving her a doe expression that no one with a heart could turn down.

"Who am I to turn such a cutie out on the streets?" Skye smiled, tilting her face away from the puppy when he started licking her face.

"We can keep him?" Steven confirmed, grinning.

"Well, it's kind of not up to me." Skye smiled, setting the dog down when it squirmed in her arms. "But if you can convince Steve, he'll fight Tony for you."

"Or we can show how well we've trained him," Bucky commented.

"Can we show you?" Steven asked, squirming with excitement.

"He already knows a trick?" Skye laughed. "He's only been here a night!"

"{Using 'trick' very,  _very_ loosely,}" Bucky informed her softly.

"{Bucky, we've been practicing Russian for too long to try to pull that off,}" Steven informed the man with a cheeky grin, slipping easily into Russian.

"{What language are you going to train him in?}" Skye grinned.

"{Why can't I do it in English?}" Steven frowned.

"{You can. But his  _secret_ commands should be another language, so he listens only to you for those,}" Bucky replied easily.

"{So...not Russian then?}" Steven giggled.

"Guys, I found the peanut butter and I  _knew_ I had some biscuits somewhere and...shit." Clint walked into the room, juggling a jar of peanut butter and a package of dog treats. He stopped dead when he looked up and saw Skye. The puppy was behind Steven, so Clint relaxed a little. He took a bite of a dog biscuit, trying to play it casual, and nodded to Skye, "Hey, how's it going?"

"Are you eating a dog biscuit?" Skye giggled, dropping to the floor. The puppy yipped and ran over to her, climbing clumsily into her lap.

"It's not so bad," Clint shrugged. "You gonna let us keep this secret until we've trained him up some?"

"What secret?" Skye asked, ghosting from the room.

"Yes, yes, yes!" Steven cheered as she left.

"Stevie's gonna be harder to convince," Bucky informed the boy dryly.

"Yeah, we should work on potty training," Clint agreed with a snort.

 

0-0-0-0-0

 

"I need to," Skye was telling Tony when Bucky and Steve walked into the room.

"That's never a good thing," Bucky smirked at Steve.

"You need to what?" Steve asked, wrapping his arm around his girl.

"I need to go check on the scientists."

"We just checked on them," Clint yawned from the couch.

"That was days ago, and that wasn't a check so much as a re-dosing," Skye argued. "Tony, I'm going back whether you want me to or not."

"Why can't she come back?" Steve asked. She had just been there with Clint, so he wasn't sure what the argument was even about.

"Shield knows a civilian was on base," Clint shrugged. He had assumed something like this would happen. After they found out the team had been hurt, they had both forgotten about stealth. He knew there was footage of him shouting at the agents around them, demanding a private room.

"We can always pretend she's May," Trip offered, strolling into the room after Steve. "She can come back with the team and May can stay here."

"Why am I staying back?" May asked, walking into the room in her Tai Chi garb. Coulson followed her, dropping onto the floor so he didn't get sweat everywhere.

"So Skye can talk to the scientists," Trip replied. He was unusually serious; getting blown up had shaken him. He had come to terms with dying; he knew he was bad off. He shouldn't have survived it - much less felt like he was fresh from the academy again. Skye had trapped him before leaving Bruce's lab and explained the magic blood and why it had to be a secret. With how he felt, he could understand why Skye didn't want anyone to know about it.

"We don't look alike," May scowled.

"We could fix that though," Clint shrugged. 

"Tasha's good with disguises," Steve nodded. "She can make Skye look like you."

"Fine," May shrugged.

"Really? No argument from you?" Coulson asked, picking his head up weakly.

"She took care of Trip. I owe her." May replied. She shrugged once more, then wandered out.

"She's my favorite today," Skye grinned and followed her out.

 

0-0-0-0-0

 

An alarm blared loudly overhead, covering Clint's cursing as he raced towards the kitchen. Skye was heading the opposite direction, so he stopped her.

“Skye? What happened?” Clint asked, worry clear on his face. Skye made a face, covered her mouth, grimaced, turned and waved vaguely back towards the kitchen area.

“Uh.” What the only sound Skye could vocalize.

“What's happening? What's that alarm?” Steve asked, running up to the pair. Skye's eyes were huge and she glanced back towards the kitchen. Thick, black smoke was billowing from the area now.

“Help.” Jack called, dragging himself from the smoke. “Help! Can't breathe. Gonna die.”

Jack continued to army crawl from the kitchen, dragging his legs behind himself. He would stop every now and then and cough pitifully, then continue his dragging. “I see the light.” Jack groaned, reaching for his friends. Jack gasped and flopped limply to the floor, tossing his arm over his face. Clint and Steve watched him come, smiling with amused tolerance. “What a way to go.”

There was more beeping behind them and one of Stark's robots shot past with a fire extinguisher. That's when Jack lost his composure and started giggling.

“I can't wait to hear what Tony has to say about this,” Jack snorted. Skye aimed a kick at him, but he rolled free from her reach.

“What happened?” Steve asked, pulling Skye into a hug. She looked like she needed it.

“Death by grilled cheese.” Jack chortled.

“You were cooking?” Clint grinned.

“What is Dum-E doing to my kitchen?” Tony shouted from the direction the robot had flown. Skye winced and pulled free from Steve. “Jack! Did you do this?”

“Why does he always suspect me?” Jack asked Clint, then got up and shouted at Tony as he headed back towards the kitchen, “Why do you always suspect me!”

“You were the one that made my blender explode its contents all over me!” Tony shouted back. Steve and Clint exchanged a smirk over that comment; their secret was still safe. Clint grabbed Skye's elbow and dragged her towards the kitchen. She didn't actively resist, but she was far from willing. When they made it to the kitchen, Jack and Tony were still yelling at each other. White foam covered the stove top.

“I lived at this tower for weeks without setting a single fire!”

“You made the toaster burn your name into my bread!”

“Your toast was boring!”

"I bet you're the one that blew up the microwave, too!"

"I did no such thing," Jack retorted, seeing Skye being dragged into the kitchen. Jack turned and pointed out his sister's guilty expression with a pointed look of his own. Tony sighed and slumped his shoulders.

“You did this...didn't you?”

Skye didn't reply. She didn't have to. She winced and tried out a smile that was more grimace than anything.

“Fire!” Bucky yelled, running into the room. He scooped Skye up over his shoulder and darted from the room again.

“Bucky!” Steve shouted, laughing. “Get back here!”

“Evacuate the buildin’!” Bucky shouted back just before the door to the stairwell slammed shut.

“I can't believe you let those two be together,” Clint grinned.

“Yeah, cause I clearly have a large say in what they do.” Steve retorted.

“I thought he was the responsible one between you two,” Jack laughed.

“ _Apparently_ , he's used up his responsible-ness. His word. Not mine. He says it's my turn.”

“And Skye did nothing to dissuade him, huh? Jarvis, damage report.” Tony sighed, pinching his nose. “And turn that damned alarm off.”

“Minor smoke damage.” Jarvis reported. “I have begun venting the area. Shall I request a cleaning crew, Sir?”

“Yes, please.” Tony nodded. “And don't let Skye use the kitchen unsupervised.”

“Dipshit was with her.” Clint pointed out.

“Okay, fine. Don't let Skye use the kitchen.”

“I'll do my best to keep her from my system.” Jarvis replied. Tony threw his hands up.

“Get your girlfriend under control. She can't keep tampering with _my_ AI.” Tony pointed a finger in Steve's direction.

“Hey! She's your sister. You get her under control.” Steve snorted, then turned to leave. He intended to find where his best friend and girlfriend went.

“Maybe if you had a better system, Skye couldn't mess with it anytime she wanted,” Clint added. Steve grinned from down the hall when Tony squawked his indignation.

 

0-0-0-0-0

 

“You know what occurred to me?” Steve asked, cocking his head at Skye. It was later in the afternoon; Bucky and Steven were busy - though they refused to tell Steve what they were doing and engaged privacy mode as soon as they were out of earshot. Jack and Fitz were in the common space with them, puzzling over improvements on Steve’s new comm set. His initial one had melted in the explosion.

“We just need to make the whole thing fireproof,” Jack sighed loudly.

“Let’s go talk to Tony,” Fitz nodded. “He’s working on his suit now.”

“Coulson is down there, offering advice on his suit,” Skye called out to them, before turning her attention back to Steve. “What just occurred to you?”

“Don’t laugh.”

“That’s not a promise I can make,” she teased lightly.

“Try?” Steve asked softly.

“Now I’m worried,” she admitted, twisting to face him. She pulled her feet up onto the couch and wrapped her arms around her legs. “I won’t laugh.”

“Jack said people have to…” Steve sighed and collected his thoughts. He huffed out a long breath of air and threw his hands up in the air. “Dating is hard!”

“People have to what?” Skye pressed, thoroughly confused.

“Are we exclusive?” Steve asked, his face flaming over.

“Do you want to be exclusive?” She asked, her own cheeks turning pink.

“I asked first,” Steve muttered.

“I’ve never had…” Skye started. She shook her head and smiled stiffly. “Do you want to be exclusive?”

“Can I sound like an asshole for a minute?” Steve asked, trying to smirk to lighten the mood. He was very afraid to hear her answer, though...so his smirk left something to be desired.

“Okay,” she nodded. twisting her fingers together anxiously.

“I’m an only child. I mean, I was raised with Bucky so he’s practically my brother...but…” Steve sighed and reached over to take her hand. “I don’t share well. I think it would physically pain me to see you with another man.”

“So, you want to be exclusive.” Skye stated, smiling. It looked way more sincere this time. Steve swallowed hard and nodded his head jerkily. She climbed onto his lap and wrapped her arms around his neck. “Steve, I know I’m only half your age, but I’m an old soul. Modern dating rules don’t apply to me...to us. I don’t _want_ more than one boyfriend. I’m good with the one I’ve got.”

“Yeah?” Steve asked.

“Yeah.” She nodded.

“So, yes?” Steve asked, ducking his head at his insecurity. He peeked up through his eyelashes. He needed to hear her say it.

“I’m all yours,” she confirmed.

A giant grin blossomed on his face and he reached up to cup her face in his hands.

“I _love_ that.”

“That was nauseating to watch,” Trip grimaced from the doorway.

“Shut your piehole,” Skye giggled, flipping him the bird.

 

0-0-0-0-0

 

“Steve, you can’t go,” Tasha sighed, watching him try to put on his new suit. It wasn’t quite complete, but that wasn’t stopping him from trying.

“I feel fine,” Steve argued.

“How are you going to explain to Shield how you’re better?” She asked, raising an eyebrow at him.

“I’m a super soldier.”

“And Trip?”

“Bruce worked miracles…” Steve muttered, seeing her logic.

“You’re willing to endanger her so you can go on a stupid reconnaissance mission?”

“You can’t do it with just Clint,” Steve argued. “We can tell Shield that I’m staying at the Tower, but I still need to go. You need an extra set of eyes.”

“We can take Ward,” She denied, shaking her head. “You’re staying.”

“You can’t boss me around.”

“Steve, you’re being stubborn. What would Skye say?”

“What would I say about what?” Skye asked, walking into the room with Clint.

“Stupid wants to expose the magic blood for a stupid mission,” Tasha informed her, her tone deliberately antagonistic.

“The stupid mission Clint just invited me along for?”

“You’re not going on my mission!” Steve argued, crossing his arms.

“It’s _my_ mission,” Tasha shot right back, finally at the end of her rope with him.

“And you don’t get to tell me what to do,” Skye added, frowning at Steve.

“Steve, she won’t be in danger,” Clint murmured. “It’s just surveillance.”

“Then why can’t I go?”

“Because you got blown up two days ago!” Tasha shouted.

“Steve, I haven’t been careful enough,” Skye admitted softly, stepping closer to him. “They’re already asking questions about me at Headquarters. I really don’t want Shield to come here when they realize we’re living at the same place. I mean, they’re _Shield_ , but they’re not complete morons. I only ever show up when you guys are around. It’s not exactly subtle.”

“Skye, it’s _my_ mission,” Steve told her softly.

“ _My_ mission,” Tasha interjected.

“I can’t ask you to go for me.” Steve continued, ignoring Tasha.

“I hate to break it to you, but this is about the exact opposite of _asking_ me to go for you,” Skye said pointedly, caressing his chin.

“Can I have a minute?” Steve sighed. “Alone?” He pressed, glancing up at Clint and Tasha. Clint smirked and grabbed Tasha’s arm and tugged her from the room.

“Just a minute, Cap. We need to have left five minutes ago.”

“Skye, I’ll have a suit for you on the jet - just come up when you’re done,” Tasha added, before closing them in the room.

“Steve?” Skye asked softly. Now she was frowning; he was too serious.

“I don’t want you to go,” Steve admitted.

“I can’t leave Tasha and Clint a man short,” Skye admitted back. “It’s my fault you can’t go...just let me cover for you.”

“It’s your fault I _can_ go,” Steve corrected.

“I’ve been an experiment,” Skye said softly, ducking her head. “I wasn’t trying to manipulate you, Steve. I don’t want Shield to know I’m _here_ ; I don’t want them to start asking questions. You showing up completely fine days after practically dying? Yeah, that’s gonna raise red flags, even for a super soldier.”

“You saved those kids,” Steve argued gently. “They already know you have magic something.”

“No, Simmons helped me with that. We created an antidote that would counter the specific drug in their systems - or close enough that anyone short of Simmons’ smart would be fooled. Shield thinks _she_ cured them.”

“You deleted yourself?” Steve asked with a small sigh. He didn’t know why he was surprised; honestly, he felt stupid for feeling surprised.

“Duh,” She teased. “Besides, I need out of the Tower. I’m mostly going to be looking at AC’s file and Steven’s, so it’s not really like I’m doing anything for the mission. It’s just a different location for me. We’ll be safe.”

“Steven’s file?” Steve asked with a frown.

“Just double checking that there isn’t anyone looking for him. None of the other kids have surviving family - at least not immediate family - so there’s no reason Steven should...but I don’t want any surprises when you file your paperwork.”

“I didn’t even think about him having other family,” Steve frowned. Why hadn’t that occurred to him before?

“Don’t worry,” Skye smiled, pressing a reassuring kiss to his cheek, “You look good to go.”

“He’s an orphan?”

“Hmm, haven’t quite figured that out yet,” Skye shrugged. “I’ll let you know when I know.”

“Okay.” Steve nodded, sighing heavily. "I'm conflicted about that. I feel really happy that there's nothing in his past to stop me from adopting him...but, that makes me a jerk for being happy that he has no family."

"He was never reported missing," Skye said softly, caressing Steve's jaw line. "Even if he did have family, what kind of parents don't report their child missing?"

"Terrible ones," Steve admitted.

"Besides, he's got the spine now and, well, it's not normal - not something civilians would adapt to seeing."

"Civilians," Steve smiled softly. "You're a civilian."

"Not in this, I'm not."

“True. Go, before Tasha yells at me some more.”

“It was kind of funny,” Skye giggled, giving him a proper kiss. “Bye, Face Plant.”

“Later, Ninja Feet.”

“You can start the paperwork while we’re gone!” Skye called out as she left. “Left a folder on the bed!”

 

0-0-0-0-0

 

“Okay, this is boring,” Skye sighed.

“Shut up!” Clint muttered, wrapping his palm around her mouth.

“Don’t jinx us,” Tasha muttered. “Last time doofus said that, Steve tried to send you a picture of us covered in soot.”

“Tried?”

“You were supposed to get pictures of the _whole_ team,” Tasha grinned. His pictures were genius...but his proud smirk was what made the whole experience. Skye giggled and nodded.

“He was so proud of himself.”

“You’re corrupting him,” Clint informed her.

“He’s 28 years old, Clinton. He’s allowed to act like he’s 28.” Skye informed him right back.

“For one, I like watching you corrupt him,” Tasha shrugged, smiling at Clint.

“Okay, what are we going to do next?” Skye grinned. “Let’s plan something.”

“His birthday is in like...a month. We can start planning that soon, too.” Tasha smiled. Clint and Skye had matching expressions of glee at the thought of planning a prank against Steve.

 


	58. Spoiler Alert: It's Clint's!

 

“Okay, I have just one question.” Skye asked, leaning forward to rest her chin on her hands. Their surveillance mission had gone off without a hitch, but the trio had just gotten back so they were still in their mission gear. Skye had come off the roof, (moaning to anyone who would listen) about the lack of snacks on their stake out. As a result, she was sharing a bowl of popcorn with Trip. Steve glanced at Clint with a small, worried frown. Clint grinned at him, knowing full well what was coming.

“Just ask it already,” Tasha muttered impatiently, flipping through a magazine. Skye forcibly composed her face and cleared her throat. Coulson groaned and rubbed his face; this wasn’t going to be good - or it was going to be _very_ good, depending on how you looked at it. Trip was grinning, from beside Skye, so he suspected the same thing.

“What was your reaction the first time you heard someone use _motherfucker_ in casual conversation?” Skye asked, her eyes betraying her innocent expression. Eleven sets of eyes swivelled to Steve, waiting for his reaction. He sighed with relief; as far as Skye's questions went, that one was pretty harmless.

“I don't actually recall when that was,” Steve shrugged. Trip moaned lightly; he wanted to hear this. Ward glanced over at his teammate and smirked at his vocalization.

“Liar.” Bruce snorted, tossing down his file by Simmons.

“Oh! Do you remember when it was?” Skye asked, turning towards the scientist eagerly. Unknown to her, Tasha had shot Bruce a text. No one would suspect Bruce of being in on the prank - and Skye’s surprised and pleased expression made it worth it to Tasha. Steve frowned, trying to think back. For the life of him, he couldn't remember the first time he heard that word in this new century. Of all the things Skye expected him to keep track of, this was the most absurd.

“Yep.” Bruce grinned, unusually playful. Skye wiggled in place, trying to dampen her squee of excitement.

“Tell me, tell me! Please!” Skye begged.

“We were with the Director.” Bruce told Skye. “It is his favorite word.”

“And his reaction?” Skye prompted, leaning closer. Jack snorted and shook his head at her excitement. And she said _he_ was immature.

“ _What? I would never!_ ” Bruce gasped loudly, his hands flying to his cheeks. His mouth was open in a perfect Oh. He looked disgusted and mortified at the same time.

“That never happened!” Steve denied instantly, but it was too late. Skye drowned him out with her loud peals of laughter.

“Oh, you're fucked.” Tony smirked, oozing satisfaction. Clint nodded his head, grinning affectionately at the pair.

“She's good for you,” Trip laughed, wrapping his arm around Skye so she wouldn’t fall off the couch.

Clint punched him playfully in the shoulder, “She keeps you from taking yourself too seriously.”

“Yeah,” Steve scoffed, “Like you guys let me take myself too seriously.”

 

0-0-0-0-0

 

“Again?” Clint groaned. “What did we do this time? I've been good! Mostly. Tasha – is this your fault?”

“It's _never_ my fault.” Tasha retorted.

“It's not mine either,” Steve shrugged. “At least, I don't think it's my fault.”

“That leaves Skye.” Clint groaned. “And if she got caught, that means she wanted to get caught... Which means this is going to be bad.”

“Hey,” Skye grinned, walking into the room, dutifully ignoring the three sets of eyes that rolled in her direction, “when you guys come back, can you check the kids out? They need to get out of the building. Vitamin D and all. Please?”

“If I say yes, will you tell us what you did?” Clint asked dryly.

“If I say no, will you take it out on those poor kids?” Skye smirked.

“No…” Clint grumbled.

 

0-0-0-0-0

 

“Which one of you assholes put the fucking chickens in my base?” Fury asked, all but pounding on the desk in front of him. Through their coms, they heard a small snicker. Clint shifted his feet, but Steve visibly rolled his eyes.

“Why would you assume we put them here?” Steve asked, raising an eyebrow.

“Because they're named after you,” Fury growled, pulling up pictures to show the trio assembled before him. “Hulk Chicken.” Fury pointed out, showing a chicken that had its feathers painted green. A tiny label around his neck clarified his identity, for those a little slower than most. Steve coughed into his fist, trying to hide his smile; he could practically hear Skye’s reasoning behind the sign...because, really, who else would set chickens loose in Shield Headquarters? “Iron Chicken.” Fury growled, showing a chicken with a helmet on his head. His legs were covered in fabric that looked like Tony's rocket boosters. “ _Rooster_ America, really Rogers?” That chicken was painted red, white, and blue – and had a shield strapped to its back. “Black Chicken.” Fury announced, showing an all black chicken with a black widow's marking traced onto its chest. Then he rounded on Clint. “Guess who's chicken we _haven't_ been able to locate?”

“Spoiler Alert:” Skye chimed in eagerly, “It's Clint's!”

“Barton!” Fury shouted, shoving one finger at his chest angrily. “Where is your chicken?”

“How am I supposed to know?” Clint asked.

“My agents have been running around all day looking for your chicken!” Fury continued angrily. “Do you think that's a good use of my agents' time?”

“Depends which agents you put on it...” Clint replied honestly. A vein on Fury's neck bulged at that remark. Deciding that Clint was a lost cause, Fury turned to Steve.

“I thought you were the team lead here. Why can't you keep your _motherfucking_...”

“GASP! I would never!” Skye all but shouted in their ears. Clint smirked at his shoes. This was clearly her end game – and she was very amused. Her laughter grew and grew until she was gasping for air. It was so infectious that soon all three agents were staring at their feet – desperately trying to compose their faces. Someone walked in one Skye's end, because she was trying to explain her laughter away. “He said it! He said it!” She gasped, her voice high and pinched with laughter. She sniffed loudly and hiccuped.

“What did you do now?” Tony asked faintly.

“Somehow chickens ended up at headquarters.” Skye replied, still laughing. “Clint's is missing.”

“Clint's chicken is missing?” Tony asked.

“Alright, you three.” Fury finally interjected. “I want the last of the chickens rounded up.”

“Don’t worry guys, Clint’s chicken is still here,” Skye giggled over the comms. “You’re done.”

“Why is Clint’s chicken here?” Tony asked.

“Clint, your chicken made a friend,” Skye smirked. Clint groaned, forgetting he was still with the Director.

“Aw, no. Is he alive?”

“ _She_ is fine, Archer.”

“Are you on comms?” Fury asked, leaning in close to Clint. He backed up with a horrified expression; he had totally forgotten he was in the Director’s office.

“No, it’s just the little voices in my head,” Clint offered quickly, shooting his director a cocky smile.

“Let me see your ears,” He insisted.

“Clint, relax. He won’t see it,” Jack interjected over the waves. “Don’t worry, I’ve got you.”

“What do I get when you’re wrong?” Clint smirked at his director.

“A psych eval,” Fury barked out. “Get over here.”

“But I don’t _want_ a psych eval,” Clint grumbled…”And you’re going to be wrong.”

“Aw, Archer, I’ll keep you sane - don’t worry about a lil ol’ file.”

“See, _that_ part should worry you,” Jack chuckled.

 

0-0-0-0-0

 

“Hey, girl,” Trip smiled, popping his head around the corner of Tony’s lab. She was still giggling, replaying the audio from the director’s office. She held up one finger and hit a button.

“ _My agents have been running around all day looking for your chicken!_ ”

“Is this why Steve didn’t want to go to headquarters?” Trip grinned.

_“Why can’t you keep your motherfucking team -”_

“He had to put some fake bandaging back on,” Skye giggled, wiping her cheeks dry. She enlarged the still shot from the video, showing Clint, Steve, and Tasha ducking their heads - their amusement hid with varying degrees of success. The back of the director’s head was also visible. “What can I do for you?”

“Coulson needs to head back to headquarters,” Trip smiled. “Technically, I’m still on the mend, so they’re making me stay back - but you’ve been invited along.”

“We’re gonna stop by the scientists?” Skye asked, sitting up straight.

“Yeah, I made Coulson promise.”

“ _You_ made him promise?”

“Hey, Bitey was my kid before Rogers stole him,” Trip teased. His smile fell though and he turned serious. “I’ve heard some of what those scientists put him through. What they put all the kids through. I’ll do anything in my power to help you take care of them.”

“Steve, Clint, and Tasha are bringing the kids back here for a little bit. They need out of that building, even just for a little while.”

“I would love to hang with them, but that wasn’t who I was talking about,” Trip informed her softly, sitting in an office chair next to her. “I meant the scientists. I would love to help you take care of the scientists.”

“What about the retrieval team? Some are missing,” Skye admitted softly. “I’ve been trying to find them...but haven’t been successful.”

“Maybe some new eyes will help,” Trip offered. “You’ve been looking for that team your whole adult life - they know you as well as you know them.”

“You offering?” Skye asked, smiling softly.

“Hey girl, you saved my life. I owe you a whole lot more than…”

“No, Trip. You don’t _owe_ me anything. I didn’t help you to get something out of -”

“I _do_ owe you,” Trip interrupted gently. “But not in a bad way. As a... _I appreciate you_ way.”

“You’re family,” Skye shrugged, smiling. “I couldn’t let you hurt...I couldn’t let you _die_...not if I could do anything about it.”

“I think my grandfather would have loved you,” Trip smiled.

“You can repay me with some stories,” Skye offered, grinning widely.

“You’re easy to please,” Trip grinned in reply. “Stories it is. I’ll tell you about the little girl the Commandos rescued in the 40s - when you get back from headquarters.”

“Deal!” Skye grinned, launching herself at Trip to wrap him in a hug. He returned the hug easily, squeezing her tightly against his chest. She hummed a little and muttered, “You’re good at hugs.”

“All Tripletts are,” He grinned, setting her down. “Go find Coulson.”

“Yes, sir!”

 

0-0-0-0-0

 

“I have been informed by no less than five people that we are not, under  _ any _ circumstance,  allowed to: 1) Leave you unattended,  _ for any reason _ , and 2) Leave the scientists without learning something,” Coulson told Skye from the corner of his mouth. Tasha had done her up, so to anyone not  _ very _ familiar with May, Skye looked like her.

“I’m supposed to stay with you, no matter what Coulson says,” Fitz added, smirking.

“And stop bouncing,” Ward muttered. “You’re supposed to be May, not a puppy.”

“May would smack you and no one would blink,” Skye replied, trying to compose herself anyway. As much as she hated to admit it, he was right. She looked entirely too excited to be May. Ward smirked at Coulson as she settled. Coulson rolled his eyes at his specialist - he was going to get himself injured.

“Behave, both of you,” Coulson said firmly. “Simmons, you head down to the labs and get what you need for...whatever that thing is you’re working on. Take Fitz with you...yes, Fitz - I’m overruling Jack. I’m your boss. Do it. Ward, you’re with me and  _ May _ .”

“If at all possible, I’m going to need you two to just be the strong and silent types,” Skye requested, glancing over at Coulson. “Observe, but don’t engage. They’re going to try to use you two to stop me. I promise, I won’t kill them; hell, I probably won’t even touch them. Nothing I’m going to do to them today is any worse than they’ve done to those kids.”

“But they’ve done some terrible things,” Coulson pointed out. “To say you’re not going to do worse is...well, it’s not saying much.”

“I need to know where the retrieval team is,” Skye replied with a shrug. “They know where I am. I was told about the eyes - Fitz thinks they were recording...which means the retrieval team knows where the kids are. Trust me, they need to be found.”

“We’ll find them, sweetheart,” Tony murmured in her ear. Jack had been visibly uncomfortable with the idea of seeing the scientists come out of their respective punishments - and Skye hadn’t pushed the matter - but Tony had offered up his time to listen in and make sure she had back up. Besides, aside from Steven, Tony really wasn’t a kid person - and the other kids were all at the Tower. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I couldn't figure out how to link this...cause my brain is broken today, but this was the inspiration behind Bruce's contribution to the Steve prank:


	59. Tasha is staying back

 

“Everyone accounted for?” Skye asked Coulson, who was standing by the door with Ward. The scientists looked very happy to be out of their respective hell holes.

“Yes, ma’am,” he replied easily.

“Please, you’ve got to help us,” one scientist begged, tears streaming down his face. He had just been released from the fearscape and was inches from a nervous breakdown. “There’s a _thing_. It’ll be back. Don’t let it in.”

“It?” Ward asked, momentarily forgetting about Skye’s request that they remain silent. Skye turned and gave him a dirty look. Ward silently took a step back and pressed his lips together.

“It’ll be back and it’ll hurt us,” he continued.

“You mean the woman that put you in those rooms?” Skye asked. She was stupidly pleased that they couldn’t see passed her disguise.

“That _thing_ is not a woman,” Mr. White snarled. His face was pale and gaunt, but he was more composed than the man beside him.

“Why not?” Skye asked.

“It’s not human.”

“So...you’re scared of her,” Skye summarized.

“Yes. And you should be too. The things it’s capable of...the things I’ve seen it do…” Mr. White trailed off with a shutter.

“I bet if you left her alone, she would leave you alone. I get the impression she’s been running from you.”

“It took something of ours.”

“What if she doesn’t have it anymore?”

“If it doesn’t have it, it knows where it is. We want it.”

“Okay, I’ll make you a deal. You tell me where to find the retrieval team...and I’ll keep her from that door,” Skye offered, nodding towards the door with her chin. Coulson and Ward were doing a good job with their strong and silent role.

“But we don’t know where they are!”  

“Well...that’s not entirely true,” Mr. White smirked, rocking back on his heels. Skye waited, unwilling to rise to his bait.

“But...where are they?” The other scientist asked.

“ _It_ has been there. _It_ knows where they are.”

Skye turned and walked from the room, calling out to Coulson as she walked out the door, “Put them back in solitary. We're not playing games with them.”

 

A loud groan echoed in her wake.

 

0-0-0-0-0

 

“Hey,” Skye said softly, slipping into Bucky’s room. Everyone else was with the kids - but Bucky wasn’t sure if they were supposed to know about him, so he was hanging out in his room.

“You okay?” Bucky frowned, glancing up from the book he was reading.

“Nothing a hug won’t fix,” Skye admitted, crawling up his bed to lounge against his side.

“Done,” Bucky smiled, setting the book aside to wrap her up. For a long minute, they were both quiet, then Bucky pressed a kiss to the top of her head and asked again, “you sure you’re okay?”

“They called me a _thing_ ,” Skye whispered. “I don’t know why it bothers me. It’s not like they hadn’t called me it before…”

“They’re wrong, Солнышко.”

“Okay, sap.”

“They’re _wrong_ ,” Bucky repeated, tightening his hold on her. He could tell from her tone that she didn’t believe him.

“Of course, they are.”

“They’re wrong,” Bucky said, once more. Skye nodded against his shoulder, but took a shuttering breath that she tried to hide. “There is nothin’ about you that is a _thing_ , no matter what they told you. You’re the kindest, most selfless person I’ve ever met, despite everythin’. Your mistakes only prove you’re human.”

“I know.”

“Do you?” Bucky asked, softly. Her shoulders heaved and Bucky felt his shirt grow damp. He tightened his arms a little more and pulled her onto his lap, letting her hide her tears in his shirt collar. “Because I don’t think you do. You’re afraid of bein’ what they said you are - but, Солнышко, you can’t save everyone. You can’t sacrifice yourself for everyone, no matter how important they are to you. You’re makin’ me human again, so I’m goin’ to do you a huge favor: I’m goin’ to make you selfish. I’m goin’ to make you see your worth. I’m goin’ to make you see that you’re not a _thing_ , but that you’re a wonderful, beautiful, _human bein’_.”

“You’ve been spending too much time with Steve,” Skye admitted, laughing wetly. She didn’t lift her head from his shoulder.

“Uh huh, and that’s your doin’,” Bucky chuckled. “I hear the kids were lookin’ for you.”

“Wanna come play a game with us?” Skye asked, wiping her face as she pulled her head away from Bucky.

“Am I allowed to?” Bucky asked, his own uncertainty rising to the surface.

“The kids will keep a secret, if I ask them to.”

“Can we team up against Stevie?” Bucky asked, smirking.

“Stupid question, Shiny.”

“Shiny?”

“Everyone has a nickname.”

“Bucky _is_ my nickname.”

“Yeah, but it’s not mine. My people need nicknames,” Skye giggled. She wouldn’t say it, but she was glad Bucky was teasing her - she needed to push her emotions back before going to see the kids. Then again, she didn’t _need_ to say anything; he knew without her verbalizing it.

“So mine is _Shiny_?” Bucky groaned loudly. “Is it because I let Tony clean the arm?”

“Maybe,” Skye giggled. “Or we could go for a _Firefly_ reference.”

“I don’t get it,” Bucky shrugged. Skye pulled away slightly with a horrified gasp.

“I’ve neglected your pop culture,” Skye moaned. “We will fix that. Soon.”

“Yes, ma’am,” Bucky smiled. Once again, she was okay too soon - but he also knew recovery was a process. He couldn’t expect her to face everything all at once, especially since she had never put that demand on him. “Can we storm the gym with the water guns?”

“Is that where they are?” Skye grinned. Bucky nodded and she laughed, “Hell yes, we can.”

“Let’s ruin those Shield shirts,” Bucky frowned. “Tony has a whole bunch of clothes for the kids; Jack helped him, I think. Steven told me he only had the one outfit.”

“Tony and I sent some clothes to the kids already, but we can definitely ruin some Shield clothes.”

“Let’s get you out of your head,” Bucky agreed, standing. He didn’t release her, just tossed her over his shoulder and headed for the elevator.

“Bucky!” Skye giggled, turning red.

“SHH!” Bucky laughed, swatting at her backside.

“Where are we going?” Skye giggled softly.

“Jack’s lab. He has the water guns.”

“OH, can we go to the trampoline place?” Skye giggled, still upside down. “I can call and have them reserve it for us, for the afternoon.”

“Whatever you want, Солнышко.”

“They said I know where the retrieval team is,” Skye blurted out. “Said I had been there...but, I have no idea what they’re talking about. Is this how you feel all the time, Bucky? Like you don’t even know where the finish line is because you don’t have any clue where you are in the race?”

“Sometimes,” Bucky replied, setting her on her feet. He had stopped abruptly at her words; she couldn’t hide the emotion from her tone. “Sometimes, it’s overwhelmin’, cause it was 70 years...and I know I’ve done some bad things in that time. I-I-I just...it’s been good lately...too good. Makes me nervous. The bad is startin’ to pop back up, and I’m afraid all the good I’ve remembered...all the good I’ve had...won’t be enough to balance out all the bad I remember...all the bad I’ve done. But I’ve also got you, and you’re makin’ _new_ good. Steve’s makin’ _new_ good. Hell, Steven and Zeus are creatin’ _new_ good.”

“-Zeus?”

“Oh, the puppy,” Bucky smiled. “Cause he’s the protector of the sky...and I think it makes him think of you.”

“Fucking sappy bug,” Skye grumbled. Bucky was smirking, probably because she was so predictable.

“But other times,” Bucky said softly, holding her face in his hands, “Sometimes, it’s enough to just _be_ , in the moment. To see the good and choose to ignore the unknown, even if it’s just for ten seconds. Someone once told me, _anyone can make it through 10 seconds_.”

“I didn't say it. It was from a show!" Skye muttered.

"Don't argue with me, girlie."

"Ten seconds, I can do.” Skye nodded, smiling shyly. “I don’t know what I ever did to deserve a friend like you.”

“Well, you made a pretty big investment,” Bucky smirked. “The least I can do is give you back everything you’ve given me. And in the meantime, we can go talk to those scientists.”

“They’re at Shield, Bucky.”

“So we break in.”

“Bucky, I’m not letting you break into Shield…”

“ _I_ wouldn’t be breakin’ in,” Bucky grinned. “ _You_ can break in and _I’ll_ supervise.”

“I’ve been a terrible influence.”

“And we can stop by our other favorite scientist on the way there, or the way back.”

“Fuck yes, we can,” Skye grinned back.

“Did you know they have that guy here? The one that took out a hit on you?”

“I thought he was de-”

“The one before him,” Bucky interrupted.

“He’s here?” Skye gaped.

“Yeah. It’s not a secret; I found out one of my first days here. I think they keep forgettin’ about him, to be honest. Tony set up a program, to take care of him. He’s survivin’, but he _ain’t_ happy.”

“We can stop by the holding cell on our way out. Tonight is going to make everything better.”

 

0-0-0-0-0

 

“Yippee ki yay, mother fucker,” Skye shouted, taking Clint out with the water gun as he headed out of the gym. He was looking at a ball that was deflated and didn’t see Skye and Bucky come around the corner with the water guns. Clint screamed girlishly and bolted back into the gym, laughing as they gave chase.

“Heeeeeeeeeelp,” Clint wailed, giving a dramatic death scene. The children looked up with panicked expressions, then realized it was only Skye and that Clint was just playing. They grinned at each other, then stormed the pair with the guns.

 

 

“{This is my friend, Bucky.}” Skye told the kids later. They were all on the floor, drenched and gasping for breath. “{He’s a little different, like us, so I need you to help me keep him a secret.}”

“{Secret from who?}” One of the older children asked, frowning. Steven was sitting on Bucky’s lap, giggling at the exhausted expressions of his brothers and sisters. He still had plenty of energy left.

“{Everyone, but especially Shield.}”

“{Where did the arm come from? Did Shield do that to him?}”

“{No, Bucky is old. Older than he looks. He’s Steve’s age. The Russians had him for a long time and did some really terrible things to him. I won’t let him end up in their hands again. Promise me, you’ll keep this secret?}”

“{Of course,}” A few children agreed, then there was a smattering of agreement from the other children.

“{Great. Let’s get you dry clothes and then I have a surprise.}”

“{Trampoline place?!}” Steven shouted in Russian, grinning up at Bucky.

“{Well, now it’s not a surprise,}” Skye giggled, joining Steven in Russian.

“{What language was that?}” A child asked, cocking her head at Steven.

“{Russian,}” Skye replied, reverting back to the mashup. “{He’s been practicing.}”

“{I want to learn!}”

“Let’s do the surprise first, then we can have a Russian session,” Tasha smiled, switching to English because Steve looked lost.

“Me too?” Steve asked, pushing his lip out.

“Sure thing, Fossil,” Tasha smirked.

“Bucky’s older,” Steve grumbled.

“Here’s dry clothes,” Jack smiled, coming back into the gym with Tony. They were pushing a small tub between them. The children stood and ordered themselves from smallest to biggest, just like they always had at the facility. Skye frowned sadly at the gesture; it was efficient, but it also showed just how much they needed a normal environment.

“Can I help with the Russian session?” Bucky asked Tasha, letting Steven join the front of the line so he could get dry clothes as well.

“Hmm, if you’re good,” Tasha teased.

“Aw, Wifey,” Skye giggled, “you can’t expect him to be good at the trampoline place!”

“That reminds me; Tony has a private bus coming, so we can all go together. The owner promised the trampoline place would be closed to the public, so we should be good to go,” Tasha replied. She had, with Pepper’s help, organized the day for the kids.

“Thanks for doing all this,” Skye smiled, wrapping Tasha up in a hug. “I appreciate your help. I haven’t spent enough time with these kids.”

“Well, we’re going to be getting back to our normal schedules here soon, so you’ll have more down time. I have a few agents that I would trust to bring the kids here. I know you don’t want to go to Shield more than you have to.”

“I think the bigger issue is that I want Steven to have time with them too, but I’m not willing to let him go back. Not until Steve is ready to file paperwork and they can’t do anything about him leaving again.”

“Shield can stop that paperwork.” Tasha pointed out softly.

“Not if I put it right in the system,” Skye shrugged. “They can’t stop something they don’t know about.”

“Let’s talk about this later,” Tasha laughed lightly, finally releasing Skye from the hug. “I think the kids have something to show you.”

Skye turned around to see the kids and gasped. Her hand flew to her mouth and she just stared at them. They were all wearing bright blue shirts that read _Private School of Gifted and Talented_. After a long beat, her eyes strayed over to Jack and Tony. They were both watching her with wary expressions, like they weren’t sure how she would take it. Skye wasn’t sure how to take it. On one hand, she could see the humor and appreciate the sentiment behind the shirts...but they also reminded her of Delta. Too much of Delta. The anniversary of breaking them out was coming up soon (too soon) and the loss always hit her extra hard. (She had lost so many kids.)

“{Do you like them?}” Steven asked softly, breaking away from the rest of the kids. He ran at her, then climbed her easily and wrapped his arms around her neck. “{You look sad.}”

“{Delta had shirts like these,}” Skye admitted, fingering the material lightly. Steve started towards her, not needing to understand the words to understand the conversation.

“{I know,}” Steven replied. “{Jack showed me. Delta was important - to all of us. We thought this might be a good way to remember them by.}”

“{Don’t be sad,}” The oldest murmured. Skye took a shaky breath and let Steve wrap his arm around her, letting her dictate how much she needed. Steven hummed from between them, giving Skye enough of a distraction that she could keep the tears at bay. “{We just wanted to honor their memory - honor your commitment to them. Don’t be sad that they’re gone. They’re done suffering. They’re safe now, untouchable. They had family. They had love, hope, a _choice_. That’s all any of us would ask for.}”

“{Well, shit.}” Skye laughed, though it sounded hollow, “{Let’s get going or we’re gonna be late.}”

"{You're okay though, right?}"

"{Yeah,}" Skye lied. "{I'm just happy you're safe.}"

"{Safe?}"

"{The retrieval team never attacked when we were wearing them,}" Jack explained. "{It usually meant we were around other people, on a field trip or something, and attacking school kids would have drawn a lot of attention.}"

"{We know we're safe with you. Steve said you were the one that sent them to help us.}"

"Really gonna be late," Skye smiled. "We don't want to get stuck in traffic. Everyone to the bus."

The children streamed past her to line up by the elevator with the Avengers. Steven detached from Skye and climbed over to Steve; the two of them following the last of the kids out of the gym. Jack hung back, waiting until the gym was empty of everyone but them, then let her fall into his arms. She didn’t cry, just clung to him, relishing the feeling of him comforting her.

“{You’re not mad, are you?}” He asked, when she finally pulled away.

“{No, not mad,}” Skye denied. “{You just caught me off guard is all.}”

 

0-0-0-0-0

 

“They don’t know the difference between men and women?” Tasha asked, leaning over the table, thumping her palms firmly against the wood. The entire dinner table went silent at the anger in her voice - the kids had been taken back, so there was just the Avengers and Coulson’s team around the table. Skye raised an eyebrow at the tone, but shrugged lightly.

“They know the difference, they just weren’t taught masculine and feminine verbs for the languages.”

“Is that why Steven refers to you as _he_?” Ward asked.

“All the kids do it,” Skye nodded. “It’s not a big deal. It’s just how the mashup works; everything is masculine.”

“But even in English, they use masculine,” Tasha retorted. “ _Is Skye okay? He’s not mad about the shirts, is he?_ ”

“Why are you mad?” Skye asked, withdrawing slightly. “I didn’t teach them.”

“Is 47 a boy or a girl?” Tasha asked, her eyes flashing.

“Why are you mad?” Skye repeated, her voice small.

“Shit, Nat, you can’t just run off,” Clint grumbled, coming off the elevator a minute behind her. He froze when he felt the tension in the room. He took in Skye’s demeanor and Nat’s angry posture and sighed. “Nat, it’s not her fault the kids were taught that language.”

“We’ve been searching for 47 on the assumption that he’s a _he_.” Tasha barked out, her eyes still locked on Skye’s - waiting for an answer.

“Why are you looking for 47?” Skye asked, her own anger rising to the surface. “You don’t need to look for 47.”

“Answer my question.”

“No.”

“What? No run around, no loopholes?”

“No. I’m not answering your question.” Skye repeated firmly; her anger making her stubborn. “47 is none of your concern.”

“Of course 47 is our concern! He is important to you!”

“Sounds like he’s important to you!”

“He could answer so many questions.”

“Leave 47 alone,” Skye growled.

“We just want to bring him in, for you.” Tasha said, softening her voice slightly. She hadn’t expected Skye to get angry back - hell, she hadn’t expected to get angry herself. She was just trying to help; couldn’t Skye see that?

“If I wanted him here, he’d be here.” Skye snarled, shoving away from the table. “Now fucking drop it.”

With that, Skye stormed from the room, leaving an uncomfortable silence in her wake.

“What the hell was that?” Tony asked finally.

“47 might not be a boy,” Tasha told him.

“Yeah, I caught that,” Tony replied, rolling his eyes. “I meant the rest of it.”

“You think she’s 47?” Simmons asked, interjecting softly.

“I don’t know what I think,” Tasha sighed. “I’m not hungry. Night guys.”

“Bucky, give her some space,” Jack warned, seeing him push back from his spot at the table.

“We had a date planned with our old guys,” Bucky admitted, only half lying. The scientists were old, after all. They could push that off a day and visit the bar instead. Skye needed a break from the Tower. "I think some time out might be good right now."

“Do I get to go this time?” Tony asked, crossing his arms like a pouting five year old.

“I think Skye needs some time with Bucky,” Steve answered, seeing Bucky hesitate. Just then the Avenger alarm went off and everyone groaned. Seconds later, Coulson’s phone went off and Clint shook his head.

“This isn’t going to be good,” Clint muttered.

“Tasha is staying back,” Steve told Clint, taking a tablet from Tony. “She needs to regain her bearings.”

“Let’s go guys,” Tasha announced, rushing into the room.

“You’re staying back,” Clint told her.

“The hell I am,” Tasha retorted.

“A certain scary assassin recently told me I’m no good if my head isn’t in the game,” Steve told her, his voice leaving no room for argument. “It’s not a punishment, but you are staying back.”

Tasha couldn’t argue, not against her own words, so she just nodded once and sulked back into the elevator. Coulson’s team departed during the brief stand off, and the Avenger men followed suit.

“I’ve got Steven,” Pepper smiled, waving Bucky and Steve away. “Go.”

“Thanks, Pepper.”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The "anyone can make it through ten seconds" (paraphrased) quote is from the show Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt.
> 
> "Yippee ki yay, mother fucker" is Die Hard.


	60. We're being kind because you're cooperating

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm going to switch back to weekly updates, because the school year is starting up. Looking at maybe Thursday posts, but we'll see how that goes. I'll let you know what I settle on.

 

“I remembered something else,” Bucky told Skye as they strolled down the sidewalk. Bucky’s arm was covered with a leather jacket that Skye found for him; his hand was in a glove.

“Good or bad?”

“Hmm, not sure. Feels good...but bittersweet good,” Bucky frowned. “The kid I trained is dead, I think. The boy said Delta was safe now. That their sufferin’ was over. I felt like that. Like...it was unthinkable that he died...but also good, because whatever happened - I couldn’t help him. I think it was my job...but I couldn’t save him - but it was okay because death was better than what he went through. He is untouchable now.”

“So you definitely think it’s a boy?” Skye pressed gently.

“I definitely think it’s a kid,” Bucky shrugged. “When I had that programmin’ mishap, he was on my shoulders. He called me _shiny_ , too...but not because of the arm. Said it was cause I was good. That he knew there was another voice...but that he wasn’t good. I must have trained with him for a while, if he got to see Bucky _and_ the Asset. I just hope that isn’t why he died…”

“You didn’t tell me this before,” Skye said softly, cocking her head at him. “Why not? It obviously bothers you.”

“Lots of stuff bothers me,” Bucky chuckled humorlessly. “Besides, there’s not a lot you can do about it. I just need to wait for some more memories so I can go kick some butt.”

“Can I kick some butt with you?” She asked, almost shyly. “Mr. White isn’t under Shield protection tonight.”

“You still want to do that tonight?”

“Yeah,” Skye shrugged.

“I thought you might want a break…”

“I want answers. I want...I need to _know_.”

“You and me both,” Bucky grunted. “How about we compromise? Dinner at the bar, then the scientist I kidnapped, and then Shield?”

“How about Shield first, then the bar? We can stop by the interrogation room when we get back to the Tower?”

“Course,” Bucky scoffed, offering her his elbow. She grinned and looped her arm through his.

“You’re my favorite today.”

“I’m your favorite _every_ day.”

“Shh, don’t tell the others,” Skye giggled. “We’re gonna need a car.”

“Nah, got a bike at the safe house.”

“Oh, safe house,” Skye smirked.

“Safe house, Shield, Bar, Tower?”

“Bike, Shield, Bar, Safe house, Tower.” Skye amended. Bucky grinned and pulled her closer to his side.

“You really want to see those scientists.”

 

0-0-0-0-0

 

“Hey, guys!” Skye called out, strolling confidently into the room. “Jarvis, privacy mode, lock down.”

“Yes, Ms. Skye,” Jarvis sounded from her phone. Bucky could hear the locks engage on the door and couldn’t help his smirk. Of course, she tampered with Shield.

“Did you guys miss me? I’ve got some questions for you,”

“We’re not talking to you,” A scientist whispered, trying to sound firm, but failing.

“Oh, you will. You _will_.” Skye laughed. “Wanna know why?”

“Why?” Bucky supplied helpfully, when the scientists remained silent.

“Because Shield isn’t here to protect you right now and my friend here definitely won’t stop me...so I won’t leave until my questions are answered. Really, you’re deciding how long this goes on.”

“What do you want to know?” A woman asked.

“Where’s the retrieval team?” Several heads swiveled towards the support team, but Skye quickly shook her head. “No, the field retrieval team. The ones that have been chasing me.”

“I don’t know,” The woman shrugged, her face falling. Bucky sighed and pulled the glove from his hand, one finger at a time. He shrugged free from his jacket and set it over the back of the door handle.

“Let’s try that one again,” Bucky growled, letting his tone fall into that of the Asset.

“I see you’ve found each other. I wondered how long it would take,” Mr. White muttered, his face turning ghostly white.

“Where’s the retrieval team?” Bucky asked, striding towards the group. He stopped mere inches from the first scientist. “Where?”

“I don’t know. We don’t know,” One answered. “It’s their safe place. They’ve never told us where it is. But _it_ has been there.”

“How do you know that?” Skye asked, hiding her frown. She had never been to a secret place. She was positive of that fact.

“They were mad because you got it all shot up,” one shrugged.

Skye sighed and switched tactics. They obviously had her confused with someone else, “What did you give me?”

“When?”

“After Mr. White stabbed me.”

“Yeah, you and I are going to be having words about that,” Bucky informed him with a dark smile. Mr. White swallowed loudly and hung his head.

“I can’t tell you.”

“You _will_ tell me.”

“It’s not that I don’t want to tell you; I _can’t_ tell you.”

“You’ll tell me or I’ll lock you in solitary.”

“Don’t say I didn’t warn you,” the scientist shrugged. “You were given a serum; no, not like that serum. A serum to rebuild you, even after death.”

“Yeah, not believing that,” Skye scoffed.

“Your blood does it to some extent - why is this so hard for you to believe?”

“Because you’ve never told me the truth, ever?”

“You’re going to regret this.”

“Why is she going to regret it?” Bucky asked.

“There are side effects.”

“What kind of side effects?”

“You’re going to go mad. We don’t know why.”

“When did you give me this?”

“After you died.”

“After Mr. White murdered her?” Bucky corrected.

“Well...there’s that. We had nothing left to lose. We weren’t supposed to kill you.”

“So it just brought me back to life?”

“Essentially. Your blood helped things along.”

“Has anyone else been given this serum?”

“Oh, yes. That’s how we know about the side effects.”

“What’s it called?”

“GH-325.”

 

“What the _fuck_ is GH-325?” Skye groaned, rubbing her hand over her face tiredly. “I’m too old for this shit.”

“We’ll look into their files again. Tony has been lookin’ through the ones from the second facility. The one you don’t remember,” Bucky replied. “You didn’t eat and I only started. Let’s head to the bar and clear our heads before we head back to the safe house, yeah?”

“Food sounds good,” Skye smiled.

“And the guys would love to see you,” Bucky smiled back.

 

0-0-0-0-0

 

“She’s back,” Fred smiled, opening his arms wide for a hug.

“Thought you might have left again,” Alan agreed.

“Aw, guys, no guilt trips,” Skye grumbled, letting Bucky shove her towards them. They each gave her a long hug, making her grumble a little bit.

“Let me guess,” Fred smirked, “You’re hungry?”

“They’ve got you pegged.” Bucky chuckled, following them all over to the bar.

"Yeah, cause you eat less than she does," Fred coughed, smirking. Bucky's wide grin had the older man smiling. "You look like you're in a better place. You look happy."

"Definitely a better place," Bucky agreed, ducking his head shyly. "Get to see Skye every day. That certainly makes me happy."

"Ah, so you went back?"

"Didn't have a choice," Bucky shrugged.

"He missed me too much!" Skye giggled, wiggling onto a bar stool. It was an unspoken agreement that they weren't going to mention the Russians or Skye getting shot. "What's new with you guys? How's George?"

"The bar is doing fine," Alan smiled. "Though, we like the youthful air you bring in when you visit."

"Aw, come on guys, you're not that old."

"Yeah, they're younger than me." Bucky laughed.

"What about George?" Skye asked again.

"Eh, he's okay. Not great. His kids are in town, actually. We probably won't see him tonight. He got a nurse, now; she's a real tight ass. Won't let him out after dark."

"Then we'll have to kidnap him," Skye replied easily.

"Besides, we can't stay long tonight. We're runnin' a few errands and needed a break. Thought we'd come catch up with you guys." Bucky added, glancing the menu over.

"Play us a few songs while we get your food ready?" Fred asked, smiling sweetly. Skye giggled and swatted at his face, trying to wipe the smile off it.

"Make my fries crispy, sir, and you've got a deal."

"Like I would serve you anything but perfect fries," Fred scoffed. 

 

0-0-0-0-0

 

“I’m out of food,” The scientist growled, the second Bucky took the gag from his mouth. Bucky glanced over at the IV stand and rocked his head back and forth.

“What do you say, Skye? Nutrients and fluids in exchange for a few answers?”

“Sounds fair,” Skye smirked, strolling into the room. The man settled - realizing who was with Bucky. His aggressive posturing immediately dissipated.

“Who are you reporting to?” Bucky asked, cutting straight to the chase. His Brooklyn accent disappeared when he used his Asset voice.

“You?” The man frowned, cocking his head with confusion.

“No,” Bucky sighed. “The other scientists...oh, yes, we’ve visited them as well...mentioned that you guys weren’t supposed to kill her. Who gave that order?”

“I don’t know,” The man winced. “I know that’s not what you want to hear, but _I don’t know_. It’s been a standing order for years. Get you back at all costs - but you needed to be alive. Mr. White fucked up. I think he panicked when you escaped.”

“What _do_ you know?” Skye asked.

“I know where the missing children are,” the man offered, licking his dry lips.

“Which ones?” Skye asked softly. She knew where this was going and she wasn’t sure she was going to like it.

“The ones they didn’t get a chance to tamper with. The last group. Group Psi.”

“From the first building?” Skye asked.

“I can give you coordinates. I can’t promise anything, but...the team might be there, too.”

“Coordinates, then fluids.” Bucky compromised, tossing the man a small pad of paper.

“What are you going to do with me?”

“I’m going to give you what I promised,” Bucky shrugged.

“I mean, when you’re done with me.” The man asked, his voice soft. He was a broken man. Bucky had had the privilege of spending a few days alone with the man, while Skye was healing at the Tower. He hadn’t known if Skye was alright for the first couple days, and his impatience and worry had been taken out on the man currently scribbling coordinates onto the paper.

“You’ll get dropped off with the other scientists,” Skye told him. “Your condition will depend on your usefulness.”

“I promise, you’ll find a building there. You’ll find the kids there. Beyond that...I can’t promise anything.”

“It’s a good start.” Bucky nodded, reaching up to remove the empty bags from the IV stand and replacing them with full ones. Skye offered the man a cup of water, letting him wet his parched lips.

“We’re being kind,” Skye informed him, kneeling so she was at his level, “because you’re cooperating. Keep cooperating and this will be over soon.”

“Thank you,” the man nodded, gulping at the cool water.

“I have one more question,” Skye murmured.

“What’s that?”

“What the hell is GH-325?”

“You’re not supposed to know about that,” he told her, nearly spilling his water.

“So I’ve heard.”

“It won’t end well. It hasn’t ended well, for those that have found out.”

“The others mentioned the side effects,” Skye agreed. “What are they?”

“I won’t make it worse. You’re being kind, so I’m being kind. Trust me, you don’t want to know.”

“See, that does nothing to dissuade me,” Skye smirked. “Tell me. I’ve heard your warning.”

“It affects everyone similarly, but not necessarily to the same degree,” the man sighed. He could see she was set on finding out.

“Go on,” Bucky prompted.

“Everyone tested developed some sort of psychosis,” The man admitted, licking his lips nervously. “You’re going to draw, paint, carve, _something_ ...this set of symbols. We don’t know what it means, but it’s the same between all the participants. Not necessarily the same image, but the same underlying structure. You’re going to be overwhelmed, _consumed_ , with the need to figure it out. In short, you’re going to go crazy.”

“She’s a lot smarter than you,” Bucky snorted disdainfully.

“Yes, well...this drug isn’t new. We’ve had a lot of minds working on it.”

“Where did it come from?”

“Whoever gave us the orders,” The man shrugged. “I don’t know. We didn’t develop it, just tested it. It’s been around for a while. A long while. One of the other scientists might be able to offer more information on the mechanics of it. That’s not my area. But, don’t get your hopes up. Like I said, it’s been around a long time. Don’t be surprised if no one knows where it came from.”

“What does this obsession look like?” Bucky asked, rocking back on his heels. He needed to know what to watch for.

“Carving?”

“What do they carve though?” Bucky sighed.

“Oh, um...it’s basically arrangements of lines and circles,” The man offered, doodling a small bit in the corner of the paper where the coordinates were written. “Let me know if you figure it out?”

“Yeah, fat chance of that.” Skye laughed. “Thanks for the information. We’ll be back in a few days.”

“Don’t leave me-”

His words were cut off as Bucky put the gag back in place. They wordlessly made sure he had everything he needed to survive the next few days, then left the space. They walked from the safehouse back to the Tower, leaving the bike behind. Bucky waited until they were back inside the Tower before turning to her and pulling her into a hug.

“You alright with everything so far?” He asked softly. She just nodded her head. Bucky sighed so she took a breath.

“I’m alright, Bucky.” She whispered. “It’s just a lot to take in. A lot I need to process.”

“We’ve got one more person to talk to,” Bucky replied. “Want to hold off on him?”

“No, let’s get it over with,” Skye sighed. “I don’t want this hanging over my head.”

“Interrogation room it is,” Bucky agreed, tugging her towards the elevator.

“Jarvis, privacy mode.” Skye muttered.

“Yes, Ms. Skye.”

“You _fucking_ assholes better let me out of here. When I get out I’m going to burn this mother _fucking_ building to the gr-” He stopped cold when Bucky and Skye stepped into the room. He sat down hard and swallowed. “Oh.”

“Yeah, oh.” Bucky smirked. “Told you I’d be back.”

“Hey, you know...I didn’t mean to almost kill you…” He groveled. “Times are hard and a paycheck is a paycheck, you know? It wasn’t personal.”

“God, I hate that line,” Skye informed him, sitting down opposite him. “I hope you understand that this, confinement, is nothing personal either.”

“What do you want?”

“Answers.”

“To what? I don’t know who they are. I don’t know where they are now. We’ve been over this.”

“What do you know about them?” Skye asked, leaning forward to rest her elbows on the table.

“Apparently their name is Centipede,” The man shrugged. “The red headed woman told me that though; I never knew it. They’re super secret. I’m pretty good at finding people. I’m _really_ good at finding people - have to be in this line of work - but I couldn’t find anything about them. I followed them once, to a building. They left within hours, though.”

“Where is this building?”

“I want something in exchange,” The man gulped.

“This should be good,” Bucky muttered to Skye, smirking from behind the man. “What is it that you want?”

“I want to go home,” The man murmured. “My mother is sick. I take care of her. I’ve never been gone this long, even on a job, and she isn’t independent enough to live alone longer than this. I’ll stay at her house. You can put a tracking bracelet on me. You can do whatever you want, just...I need to take care of her.”

“I’ll make you a deal,” Skye replied. “Write us down the coordinates of that building you followed them to and we’ll check it out. If your tip pans out, we’ll let you go. You’ll need to hang around, in case we have more questions, but you can be with your mother.”

“Really?”

“Really,” Skye agreed. “But if you’re fucking us over-”

“I’m not!” The man interrupted. “I promise, I’m not. I don’t know what’s inside; couldn’t get past their security...but they were there. I’m not lying.”

“Good.” Bucky smirked, tossing the man paper.

 

0-0-0-0-0

 

“They’re the same coordinates,” Bucky murmured, showing Skye the two papers they had gotten that night - one set from the scientist and one set from the hit man.

“What are the chances of that?” Skye grinned. “Can we go tonight?”

“Uh, yes.” Bucky grinned back, elbowing her playfully. “We can steal Tony’s jet.”

 

“I’m going to be ready for bed after this,” Bucky commented, glancing over at Skye as he flew the plane.

“Yeah, sleep would probably be good.” Skye agreed, smiling tiredly. She was still processing. Some questions had been answered, but so many more had popped up in their place.

“Think the kids are alright?” Bucky asked softly.

“No,” Skye whispered. She pulled her legs up into her seat and wrapped her arms around her knees. “No, I don’t think they’re alright...but hopefully they’re alive. I would settle for alive.”

“We can make them better, Солнышко.” Bucky nodded.

“I hope they don’t remember,” Skye admitted. “What happened at that building...God, I hope they don’t remember. I don’t want to remember...they shouldn't have to.”

“You’re not a monster because you couldn’t save them,” Bucky murmured soothingly.

“It’s my fault they went through that. It’s my fault the others are dead.”

“It’s the scientists’ fault,” Bucky contradicted.

“Either way,” Skye shrugged, unwilling to argue, “They’re dead. Either way, they suffered.”

There was a long silence in the cockpit, then she swallowed hard and admitted to Bucky, “I can still hear them. They were so little, Bucky. They didn’t deserve that. It’s burned into my eyelids. It’s burned onto my ear drums. Why can’t I forget that part? There is a week after that that I can’t remember, but _that_ is the thing that sticks with me?”

“You’re making it sound like you could have done something about it,” Bucky murmured, switching the plane to autopilot and swinging his chair around to look at his friend. “You’re not acknowledging that you were strapped down. That you were hurt, too. That _you_ didn’t deserve to be put in that position.”

“Their expectations were too high,” Skye nodded. Logically, she knew Bucky was right. She knew there wasn’t anything she could do. She couldn’t help herself, so how was she supposed to help those kids? Illogically though... _illogically_ , she felt the weight of their deaths on her chest. Their expectations came from somewhere; they really thought she could save them. They seemed just as frustrated with her for not being able to save them as she was at herself.

“We’re almost there,” Bucky offered, changing the subject. She smiled gratefully over at him. “How about we plan a prank to play on Steve before we get there?”

“I have a great idea,” Skye grinned, immediately jumping at his distraction.

“Tell me,” Bucky grinned, swiveling back to take the jet off autopilot.

“Well, his birthday is soon…”

 

0-0-0-0-0

 

“There’s a building half a mile to the west,” Bucky informed Skye as he set the jet down in a small clearing in the woods. The building was isolated, buried deep in the mountains.

“I’m glad they didn’t lie to us,” Skye smiled. “I would have been really pissed.”

“You ready for this?” Bucky asked, slipping into his gear. He had grabbed his duffel with the Winter Soldier uniform in it. He didn’t like wearing it, but it protected him and he had no idea what would be coming at them from the other side of the doors. Besides, it helped him focus and he had a feeling whatever they found inside was going to require him to distance himself.

“Not really,” Skye admitted, zipping up the suit Tasha had given her. She pulled her hair away from her face and pulled a black stocking cap over her head. “Let’s get those kids out of there.”

“How many are there?”

“Tasha said three were unaccounted for,” Skye replied.

 

“This is an odd location,” Bucky noted, watching her back as she hacked the side door.

“Odd?”

“The other buildings were at least near something else. This is very isolated.”

“Who knows what they use it for,” Skye grimaced.

The door clicked open so she opened it and waved Bucky in. Bucky had several icers strapped into place along his suit, taking the place of his normal weapons. A larger rifle, equipped with icer rounds, was in his hands. Skye was weaponless - trusting Bucky to protect her from threats at a distance and confident with her combat skills to deal with close threats. She had tools in a small bag slung across her back - door picks, flash drives, and a first aid kit, to name a few.

They cleared the building room by room, taking their time. By the time they found the control room, they had cleared 90% of the building. They had yet to encounter anybody. Bucky waved her into the room, then stood guard while she hooked herself into their computer systems.

“There is so much stuff here,” Skye murmured. “We’ll have to look at it later.”

“Does it say anything about the kids?”

“Working on it,” Skye smiled cheekily. Bucky smirked and shook his head. Another few minutes later and Skye was pulling away from the computer. “Found them. Room 108. There’s no one else here.”

Bucky knew that meant the kids probably weren’t okay, but he didn’t vocalize that thought. The expression on her face let him know Skye was already thinking along the same lines.

“Lead on, Солнышко,” Bucky murmured. Skye hesitated, then zipped up her bag and slung it onto her back again.

“I don’t think we’re going to like this,” she replied needlessly. Bucky just grimaced and held the door open for her, double checking that the hall was still clear first. They cleared the last few rooms first, then paused outside of room 108.

“I don’t hear anything,” Bucky said after a moment of listening. Skye shook her hands out and swung her bag around to grab her lock picking kit. The door clicked open and Skye slowly pushed it open. She didn’t even go into the room. She backed up quickly and let the door close.

Bucky, who hadn’t seen inside, popped his head inside the room to see for himself. Three small bodies were on examination tables - pale and still with death. Bucky heard Skye’s choked sound and hurried to close the door and reassure her. She cried into his shoulder, feeling utterly useless.

“Think of it like my kid,” Bucky murmured after the worst of it was out of her system. “It was probably terrible, but it’s over now. They’re safe. No more experiments for them.”

“What if there is footage of it on this?” Skye asked, patting her bag. “I don’t...I can’t…”

“We’ll skip it,” Bucky replied reasonably. “We’ve both got enough nightmare material to last us a lifetime.”

“I feel like I should have saved them.”

“We can’t do anything for them now, Солнышко.”

“Yes, there is. We can take them to 47. He’ll take care of them.”

“Anything you want,” Bucky agreed.

 


	61. I remember the boy

 

Bucky waited, unable to sleep, for SKye to come back - so he paced circles at the foot of his bed. Skye had gone up to check in with Pepper and he had gone to check on Zeus. He had beaten her back to their floor, so he poked his head in on Steven. The boy was sprawled in an ungainly heap across the middle of his bed. Bucky had smiled and covered the boy up, then quietly exited the room and closed the door. There were so many children that had been failed, so it felt extra important that they didn’t fail with Steven. He liked having one on one time with the boy. It reminded him of watching Steve grow up.

Steven was so patient with the puppy: feeding it extra formula to help regain some body weight, repeating the same commands over and over without getting frustrated, and cleaning up after it when it inevitably made a mess. Still, the puppy hadn’t been in the Tower for long and the progress was significant. The bond between boy and dog was clear as day. Bucky loved watching it grow. He loved watching the proud smirk on the boy's face when the puppy finally did what he asked of it. They were going to have to spring the puppy on Steve sometime soon. The poor thing was getting tired of the garage.

Bucky smiled and slipped into his bathroom. Hot showers always helped calm his head down.

Instead of hot water though, cold water shot from the tap. Jarvis corrected the temperature almost instantly, but the cold water had shaken a memory loose.

“Jarvis, put it back.” Bucky requested, desperately clinging to the memory fragment.

“Sorry, Mr. Barnes,” Jarvis replied. “Ms. Skye had made it clear that your temperature cannot drop below lukewarm.”

“Request override,” Bucky begged, hanging his head. The fragment was slipping away.

“Bucky? Are you okay?” Skye asked only moments later. He could tell she had cracked the door open, but was standing on the other side.

“Give me cold water,” Bucky begged again, his voice cracking.

“Are you okay?” Skye asked, pushing further into the room.

“It was cold for a split second and there’s this memory and I’m losin' it, but it’s important. Give me cold water, please.” Now Bucky was crying, his forehead resting on the cold tile in his shower. “Please.”

“Jarvis, return water to the previous temperature,” Skye said after a beat. Bucky gasped when the cold water hit his shoulders, but was relieved when he felt the memory spring back.

 

**_“{Train it. Protect it.}”_ **

**Those were his orders. He was standing in a cold shower, watching blood from his last mission run in streams down his body. The scientists never gave him privacy and the Asset had never minded the intrusion.**

**It? He realized he was worried about that pronoun. Not, _protect him_ or _protect her_. No, he had to protect _it_. **

**The door to the room had slammed loudly behind him, trapping him in a cold, concrete room. He was dressed now, and holding a small duffel bag with some gear. It was made clear that his own training wouldn't suffer because of this new assignment. Bucky remembered flinching at the sound of the door. The Asset had snarled his disapproval of the reaction.**

**Then a small child had come out of the shadows, creeping towards him slowly. He felt himself wanting to take a step away from the child; the shaved hair usually meant lice was going around the barracks and he had no intention of getting that again. He was supposed to train _this_ child? This little slip of a boy? What was so special about him? **

**The child was small. Very small, with no muscle on his frame. His head was shaved, but Bucky could tell the child had dark hair from his follicles. His facial features were hard to read, because he was so incredibly thin, but he would guess the boy was Greek? Pacific Islander, maybe. His arms and legs were pathetically thin, lacking any definition. He was mostly bone, the knobby ends of his elbows and knees making him look younger than he assumed the boy was. What was he supposed to do with this boy? Surely he wouldn’t have the stamina to complete the training regimen outlined for him.**

**“Are you here to keep me company?” The boy had asked, hope shimmering in his wide globes of eyes.**

**Christ.**

**He was an innocent.**

**The Asset pushed forward, taking control before Bucky could spiral.**

**“{No.}” The Asset had replied with a growl. “{You require training.}”**

**“{Train? Like fighting? _You're_ the one going to teach me to fight? They told me they were sending someone. They made me learn your language.}” The boy, no older than seven or eight, was suddenly bouncing with anticipation. He had slipped easily into Russian when Bucky responded in a different language than the boy had spoken in. “{Oh, this is going to be perfect.}” He had nodded his approval, rubbing his hands together. At the time, Bucky remembered thinking he was pushing the maniacal villain act a little far. He hadn't realized until later that he was cold. He assumed the tank top and shorts he had on was his choice, not his only option.**

**“What's goin’ to be perfect?” Bucky had asked, slipping past The Asset with surprising ease. He hadn't realized at the time, didn't realize until very recently, in fact, that it was his own personality shining through. He had assumed, in his post-cryo sensitive moments, that the other voice in his head was his conscience. He certainly disapproved of the things The Asset did.**

**That was the first time he remembered that voice taking over though. The Asset had been quite capable of keeping it at bay. He hadn't had a wipe in a while; his chair had needed repairs that prevented the wipe from happening. The other voice in his head had more control when there were no wipes, but it made The Asset extra hostile. He didn't like sharing control.**

**“{What’s going to be perfect?} The Asset had corrected firmly.**

**“{Taking them down,}” The child informed him, the serious expression looking out of place on a his face. The confused expression at the language change was quickly hidden away. “{I promise, I'm going to be the best student you ever had!}”**

**He almost laughed at his eagerness. There was no way he was going to be able to keep up with his training regimen. Maybe he needed to re-think his strategy for him.**

 

“Bucky?” Skye asked.

“I remember the boy.” Bucky admitted. “I had to train him. He was so little. Maybe seven or eight. Thin. No muscle. He was so excited that I got to train him.”

“Dry off,” Skye murmured, though Bucky could hear the faint smile in her tone. “Get some clothes on. I’ll meet you in bed and you can tell me all about your boy.”

 

0-0-0-0-0

 

Bucky fell asleep with a smile on his face, having gone over every detail of his memory he could recall. Skye had carded her fingers through his hair, soothing him to sleep. She was glad some memories were coming back, but was worried about what was going to spring up. This memory sounded like an early one - the first time he had met the boy. But Bucky had admitted earlier that he thought the boy was dead.  She could only hope there were some happy times between those two points.

With a small sigh, she slipped from his bed. She needed to check on Steven and take her own shower. Then, if she had any energy left, she could look into those files they had recovered. Then again, maybe she would wait for daylight. Hard things were easier to handle in daylight.

She was just putting pajamas on when Jarvis chimed in, preventing her from crawling into Steve’s too large bed by herself.

“Ms. Romanov's heart rate is elevated.” Jarvis informed Skye. She took off running for the elevator; Jarvis let her off on Tasha and Clint's floor.

“Thanks,” Skye muttered, rushing off the elevator and towards the shouting assassin. Once on the same floor, it was easy to hear the distress in Tasha's Russian shouting.

“{It's not fair! He didn't deserve to die.}” Tasha shouted, struggling in her sheets.

“Tasha!” Skye shouted, trying to be heard over the assassin's own shouting. That obviously didn't work. Skye winced and stepped closer, hesitantly reaching out to caress her shoulder. Tasha immediately snapped into fight mode. Skye was afraid that would happen. “{You're not there. Wherever you are, you're not there right now.}”

“{Just like you to lie.}” Tasha growled, pulling a gun out from under her pillow and turning it on Skye. She easily disarmed her friend, forcing down the panic at the gun in her face, sending the gun skittering across the bedroom floor. Tasha growled again and launched herself at Skye. Skye parried her blows, knocking them aside instead of returning them.

“{Tasha. Girlfriend. Wifey, Please. You're okay. You're safe.}”

“{That's what I told him!}” Tasha argued. To Skye's horror, tears started running down Tasha's face. Skye swallowed and launched herself at her friend. After a very brief scuffle, Tasha was pinned to the bed.

“{Wifey. You need to wake up. I don't know where you are right now, but I'm here. I'm right here and I've got you.}” Skye begged, her own tears welling in her eyes. Skye brushed Tasha's hair away from her face and tried to turn her face up towards hers. Tasha still struggled under Skye, but she wasn't able to slip out of her hold. Skye forced her voice to be firm and told Tasha, “{Wake up!}”

“Skye?” Tasha whispered, her eyes darting around to take in her surroundings. All of the fight had gone out of her body.

“Can I let you up?” Skye asked softly. Tasha bit back a sob, but nodded. Skye moved back, letting Tasha slip out of her hold. To her surprise, she was immediately caught up in an entirely different hold. Skye returned the hug, rubbing Tasha's back softly as she sobbed into Skye's shoulder.

“I'm sorry.” Tasha choked out as she got her sobbing out of her system.

“It's okay.” Skye replied softly, still rubbing circles onto her back.

“I didn't hurt you, did I?”

“No, you didn't hurt me.” Skye replied truthfully. “Do you want to talk about it?”

“No.” Tasha choked out, half crying and half laughing.

“Okay.” Skye agreed easily.

“I killed him.” Tasha admitted anyway.

“Who did you kill?” Skye asked softly.

“My brother. My little brother.” Tasha whispered. She pulled away for a brief second, flashing Skye a brief look of her horrified face. “He was my responsibility.”

“What happened?” Skye asked softly, letting Tasha adjust her hug. Whatever she needed, Skye was more than happy to provide it.

“I was recruited. They said I could bring him. I couldn't leave him at home. There was no one there to look after him. After I passed some of their tests, they decided I was worth keeping. Worth training. He was too little. Not worth their efforts.”

“They killed him.” Skye inferred.

“Because of me.” Tasha cried, breaking out into sobs again. “I killed him.”

“It wasn't your fault.” Skye whispered, knowing as she said it that it was the wrong thing to say.

“It was!” Tasha yelled. “It was my fucking fault. I should have known it wasn't a good program. I should have known...”

Tasha trailed off, wrapped up in her own misery. Skye knew little about Tasha's past; she respected her too much to dig like she would for any other person. But she knew the program she was referring to was the Red Room program. She also knew she wasn't recruited; It may have sounded like she had a choice, but it wouldn't have been a choice to decline. It was a join or die situation. She suspected Tasha knew this as well, but for the moment wasn't able to process it.

“What was his name?” Skye asked. Tasha pulled away from Skye's wet shoulder and smiled sadly.

“Степан.” Tasha whispered. “The Russian version of Steven.”

“Oh, honey.” Skye whispered, pulling Tasha back into a hug. She went willingly, eagerly even.

“Will you stay with me?” Tasha asked softly. She reminded Skye of a very scared little girl. Skye blinked away her own tears; Tasha’s childhood was very much like Jack and Steven’s. She never really had the chance to be a little girl.

“Of course.” Skye nodded. “Of course, I will. Lay down. I'll take Clint's side.”

“He's going to be so confused.” Tasha admitted through a wet hiccup.

“Shh, I can handle Clint.” Skye whispered, tucking in next to Tasha.

“I know you can.” Tasha muttered, adjusting herself next to Skye so she could wrap her arms around the other woman. “You can handle anything. You're so strong.”

“You are the strongest person I know.” Skye argued, running her hand down Tasha's tangled hair. “And I've restrained myself from bitch slapping Ward. Nope, that’s a lie. I've restrained myself from slapping him more than once...but he deserved it, Wifey.”

“You're so stupid.” Tasha chuckled sleepily.

“You love me.” Skye whispered, smiling fondly at her friend.

“I’m sorry I was mad before. I’ll leave 47 alone.”

“Go to sleep. I've got you.”

“Hmm.” Tasha muttered incoherently, already mostly asleep again. Skye waited until she was sure Tasha was back asleep before settling herself more comfortably. Between Bucky’s memory and Tasha’s nightmare, she knew she wasn’t going to sleep. She couldn’t afford to have her own break down right then.

 

0-0-0-0-0

 

“What the fuck?” Clint yawned tiredly, looking at the two women sleeping in his bed. One of them, of course, he was more than happy to see. She was never in bed this late though, and that fact alone had Clint worried. The fact that Nat was clinging to Skye did little to dampen his worry. He noticed the gun lying on the floor and quickly put the pieces together. He backed out of the room quietly, taking the elevator back up to the kitchen where Steven was helping Pepper make an assortment of breakfast foods.

“That was fast.” Steve yawned, fighting his exhaustion for long enough to eat some of Steven's breakfast. He had worked so hard and was proud of his contributions. He hadn't had the heart to tell the boy that he was so tired that food didn't even sound good.

“Skye's in my bed.” Clint whined, pointing vaguely.

“Jarvis?” Tony asked, immediately concerned.

“Ms. Romanov had a nightmare. Ms. Skye was asked to stay.”

“ _Nat_ asked Skye to stay?” Clint frowned.

“Yes, Mr. Barton.”

“Shit.” Clint groaned, rubbing his face. “Steven, can you save me a plate for later? This looks amazing and I want some...but I can't eat right now.”

“Sure.” Steven nodded. “Is everything okay?”

“Yeah, buddy.” Clint nodded. “Tasha might just need a little extra love today.”

“I can do that!” Steven nodded eagerly.

“Are you guys good here?” Pepper asked, turning the stove off. “Something is happening at SI. I need to go in for a bit.”

“Everything okay?” Tony asked, frowning.

“Nothing I can't handle.” Pepper replied, absently pressing a kiss onto the corner of Tony's mouth. “I'll see you guys later?”

“Good luck. Let us know if you need anything,” Steve yawned thickly. Pepper grinned and nodded.

“You three need to get to bed.”

“No arguments from me.” Steve agreed instantly.

“My bed is full.” Clint pouted.

“Your bed is giant.” Steven rebutted. “Almost as big as Steve's.”

“How do you know about my bed?” Clint laughed.

“Tasha likes to read me stories.” Steven grinned back.

“Russian stories?” Clint asked softly. Steven grinned and nodded. “Steve, can I steal your kid?”

“Why don't you ask him?” Steve shrugged. “I'm fine with it. You're going to crash soon though.”

“Yeah. But he's going to crash with us.” Clint nodded, looking towards Steven for his input.

“For a cuddle pile?” Steven grinned, bouncing in place.

“Yeah.” Clint nodded, smiling.

“Yes! I just need to wash the...stuff...off my hands.” Steven muttered, looking down at the sticky substance on his hands. Steve glanced down at his hands, frowning at the unidentifiable substance. The boy stuck his fingers together and looked up at Steve in distress, “help!”

“Okay, well I'm going to go shower. Change into something comfy and join me, okay?”

“In the shower?” Tony couldn't help but add, smirking in his self satisfied way. Steve smiled and handed the boy a wet cloth for his hands.

“Showers are something you do by yourself,” Steven replied instantly, scrubbing at the goo on his fingers.

“Exactly right.” Steve nodded.

Clint frowned, “I'm showering, then I'm going to bed. Don't get into too much trouble, Tony.”

“Psh, trouble. The only thing I'm looking to get into is my bed.” Tony grunted, pushing his plate into the sink. “Cap. Don't start. Dishes can wait.”

“Okay,” Steve agreed, sliding his own plate on top of Tony's.

“Give me five minutes to shower, then I'll meet you on my floor for a cuddle pile?” Clint confirmed, looking to the small boy. Steven grinned and nodded his agreement.

“I'm going to go put my pajamas back on.”

“I'll go with you.” Steve groaned, pushing himself off his stool. “I need a shower and my own pajamas.”

“But you don't wear pajamas!” Steven laughed as the elevator closed, leaving Tony alone in the kitchen.

“Sometimes I do.” Steve grumbled. Clint grinned and got off on his floor.

“When Bucky is in your bed, sometimes.” Steven nodded.

“I'm going to go shower.” Steve sighed, stretching tiredly. “I'll see you when you get off Clint's floor.”

“You can come cuddle with us.” Steven offered. “If you're going to sleep anyway.”

“Don't hold your breath.” Steve laughed. He grabbed clean clothes and headed to his bathroom. He could hear Steven rummaging through his drawers, looking for just the right pajamas. “The ones Tasha got you are in your hamper!” Steve shouted.

“Can I still wear them?” Steven shouted back.

“Yeah!” Steve shouted, grinning at the domestic aspect of his life. He hadn't imagined getting a chance for having a family – not like this. He still found himself pinching himself to make sure it wasn't a dream. “I'm showering now!”

“Good, you stink.” Steven teased, now standing in the doorway. “I'm going up.”

“Have a good cuddle?” Steve grinned, waving the boy off. The boy came in for a hug first, squeezing hard enough that Steve groaned in fake pain.

“You're squeezing my insides out.”

“Liar.” Steven smirked, peering up at Steve. “Love you, bye.”

Steve stood staring in shock. Realistically, he knew the boy loved him. He showed it every day. But this was the first time he said it. And Steve hadn't said it back. Not that the boy had given him a chance to. He had hurried off as soon as the words left his mouth. Steve smashed his palm into his face, groaning with frustration and disappointment. He stripped out of his uniform, dropping it into his hamper. He stepped into the hottest shower he could draw, grinning despite his regret. He washed quickly, eager for bed.

Steven loved him.

 

0-0-0-0-0

 

After laying in bed for a long while, tired but unable to fall asleep, Steve groaned and punched his pillow. It wasn't like he wasn't used to sleeping alone. There were nights when Skye didn't come to bed because she was working on a project; Steven had gotten better about his nightmares and didn't frequent their bed as often, though he was there often enough. Bucky was unpredictable. He would occasionally slip into their bed when he needed to be grounded, when he needed to be reminded where he was, but more often than not Skye would catch him mid-nightmare and comfort him before she made her way to bed. In short, it was utterly ridiculous that he couldn't sleep because he was alone in his giant bed.

“Jarvis?” Steve groaned, finally giving up. “Are they asleep on Clint's floor?”

“Breathing patterns indicate Ms. Skye, Ms. Romanov, and Mr. Barton are asleep. Steven's breathing is just starting to shift.” Jarvis replied helpfully. Steve frowned and considered his options. He could stay here, in the giant bed, _alone_...or he could go join the cuddle pile.

He was invited, after all.

“Fudge it.” Steve groaned. He peeled himself out of bed and stumbled towards the elevator.

He didn't try to sneak into the room with his sleeping friends; he knew that would only wake them. He couldn't help the little smile on his face when he took in the scene. Skye and Tasha were in the middle of the bed. Tasha's head was on Skye's chest, her arms wrapped around her like a lifeline. Steven was curled up against Tasha's back, his little hand pressed between her shoulder blades. Clint was sprawled out in the remaining space behind Steven. There was plenty of space by Skye. He walked confidently, if tiredly, to the edge of the bed and slid in next to his girl. A small smile quirked up on Skye's lips when he kissed her forehead. She couldn't cuddle, not with Tasha on her chest, but she slid her free hand over to caress Steve's side. He smiled and pulled his pillow a little closer to hers; She wasn't as asleep as she appeared.

 

0-0-0-0-0

 

“Jarvis, where is everyone?” Bucky asked, walking out into the common area after his shower. He had spent the last few hours in the gym, surprised that no one had joined him. He knew Steve, Clint and Tony were back from their mission – Steve's uniform was in the hamper – but he hadn't seen any of them yet. He hadn't seen Skye or Steven either, though that was less of a surprise. They could easily disappear together. Coulson had left a message with Jarvis that morning, letting Skye know that Jack had come aboard the Bus and was still with them. They were on route to their next mission and didn’t have time to drop him off.  Bucky had grinned at the message - Coulson sounded annoyed, so Jack had snuck on.

“Mr. Barton and Ms. Romanov's floor.”

“All of them?”

“Sir is in his own bed.” Jarvis replied, giving Bucky the impression that everyone else was _not_ in Tony's bed. Who's bed were they in?

“Can I go down?” Bucky asked, at a loss.

“It is my understanding that everyone is welcome in a cuddle pile.” Jarvis replied. Bucky took that as an affirmative and got back into the elevator. He strode confidently off, ducking into the spare rooms before locating the aforementioned _cuddle pile_.

He froze, indecision warring within him. He wasn't sure if he would be intruding, even after this long, but _damn_ if he didn't want to be part of that. He glanced at his sleeping friends again, this time noticing Skye was watching him. He smiled fondly at her; her responding expression was fondly exasperated.

“Get in here,” Skye mouthed to him. Bucky grinned and nodded. He wasn't ready for sleep. If anything, his workout had woken him more effectively than caffeine ever could, but he couldn't turn this down. He settled in next to Steve, cramming himself into the tiny space Steve hadn't taken up. He forced himself onto his side, clutching at Steve to keep from falling off the bed. Steve grunted and shifted against him, twisting to wrap an arm around his waist.

“You're finally not cold,” Steve mumbled, rubbing his face along Bucky's ribs. Skye slapped her free hand over her mouth, trying to contain her snort. She partially succeeded, though Tasha stirred on her chest. Skye and Bucky froze, waiting for her to settle again. She shifted, pulling Skye further under her body until she was completely on top of her. Skye winced and shifted slowly, easing her hip bone away from Tasha's. A few minutes later, Steven sleepily climbed on top of Tasha before settling on her back. Skye looked over at Bucky and frowned. She was buried.

“{She's awake.}” Bucky muttered, smirking. Tasha raised a hand to flip him off, making Skye giggle quietly. “{So is he.}”

“{Aw, Uncle Bucky!}” Steven groaned, forgetting to be quiet. Steve startled to life, quickly realizing the body he was clutching wasn't Skye's.

“You're right. I'm not cold.” Bucky told Steve, watching with delighted satisfaction when he started blushing.

“How much did I say outloud?” Steve groaned, shifting onto his back.

“How much _didn't_ you say outloud?” Bucky asked, smirking.

“What time is it?” Steve countered, pushing closer to Skye to give Bucky more room.

“Too damn early for all your gabbing,” Clint groaned. “Why are all of you in my bed?”

“Oh, you don't like how that feels?” Steve teased, his voice too deep with sleep.

“Cap, that was ages ago. Ages.”

“True, but revenge is a dish best served cold.” Steve bantered.

“ _Ice_ cold?” Bucky laughed.

“Okay, but seriously, why are you all in my bed?” Tasha laughed.

“Cause we love you.” Steven replied instantly.

“I knew that already.” Tasha blustered.

“Yeah, but it means more when we show it.” Skye whispered, trying to hug her friend from the bottom of the pile. “If you love _me_ , you can prove it by getting off. I can't breathe.”

“How is getting off going to help with that?” Clint chortled, obviously proud of himself.

“Aw, Clint.” Steve groaned in disgust. “You're so crude.”

“And stinky.” Steven gasped, crawling over bodies to escape Clint. Groans followed in his wake as knobby knees and elbows found their way into soft flesh.

“Sorry.” Clint shrugged, though the smirk on his face was decidedly unapologetic.

“Oh, my God. You do stink.” Tasha groaned. “What did you eat?”

“Sandwiches.” Steve replied dryly. “I think air gives him gas.”

“I have a delicate system.” Clint laughed.

“You're our delicate little flower.” Skye giggled. “Short of Tony out of his suit, you're the most delicate one on the team.”

“That hurts.” Clint retorted, clutching his chest. He slid over to Tasha, finally getting the chance to wrap her in his arms. He wasn't sure what had happened, but he could guess what the nightmare was about.

“Not as much as my nose hurts.” Tasha snorted.

“Aside from the stinky, I think this is the best cuddle pile we've ever made.” Steven observed, looking at the too full bed. Steven had fit himself between Bucky and Steve, so now there was more room on Clint's side.

“Cuddle piles are the best.” Skye agreed. Steve could feel her corresponding hum of contentment. He smiled and pressed a kiss to the exposed skin on her shoulder.   

 


	62. Please, don’t make me wait any longer.

 

Steve heard Skye's infectious giggle and was immediately intrigued. He probably should be worried, because she didn't laugh like  _ that _ over very many things. Then he heard Bucky shout something and couldn't help his grin. No doubt, those two were getting into trouble again. He better go check on them. 

As he got closer, there was a rapid thumping noise that definitely had him concerned.

“Skye turn it off!” Bucky shouted over the noise. Skye's laughter silenced, then Steve heard her take a long breath and the giggling returned. He leaned against the wall, watching their interaction. Skye was on the floor, giggling so hard that sound wasn't even coming out. That would explain the silence. The concerning part, though, was Bucky. He was attempting to restrain his metal arm, which was forcefully chopping lettuce. Pieces of it were flying everywhere. “Turn it off!”

“Hold on,” Skye gasped. “I need video.”

“Whatcha doing?” Steve asked, figuring he better intervene before someone got hurt. Skye hit a few buttons on the tablet he hadn't noticed and Bucky's arm stilled.

“I'm not cooking!” Skye said instantly, throwing her hands up in the air and shifting to block his view of the cutting board. Steve saw the pile of green mush though. Most of the lettuce hadn't survived the chopping. Bucky was splattered with the green mess and was scowling.

“Did you hack Bucky's arm?” Steve asked, raising an eyebrow. Skye pinched her lips together and rolled her jaw, trying to hide her grin.

“Technically, no.” Skye replied. “But you can bet your cute butt I'm going to look into doing just that.”

“Technically, what did you do then?” Steve smirked.

“We broke into Tony's lab?” Bucky offered, quietly scooping up a handful of the wet mush.

“So I didn't hack anything. I just used this handy dandy tool. Pie and UGH!” Skye screeched, spitting out a mouthful of lettuce mush. Her face was green, though the thicker stuff was already falling off. She turned slowly to face Bucky. “Oh, it's so on.”

“{Or...we could get him?}” Bucky asked. Skye reached forward to grab her own handful of mush, nodding.

“Steve, can you help me hold him down? I think he's looking a little pale.”

“Nope. Not getting involved in this, thanks.” Steve laughed turning to leave the kitchen. Nothing was broken and no one was hurt. He filled his duties. He stopped when something wet smacked into the back of his head. He didn't need Bucky and Skye's quiet giggles to tell him what had just happened. He turned slowly. “You're gonna hit me when my back's turned?”

Two wet piles immediately hit his face and chest.

“You're done for.” Steve said softly, scraping mush from his head and chest. He stalked towards the two, while Bucky and Skye scrambled to hoard the ammunition.

 

 

Tony found them ten minutes later in a green pile on the kitchen floor. Jarvis had alerted him to their activities when it threatened to overflow from the kitchen. He just sighed and propped his elbow up on the counter. The three froze and swiveled their heads towards him, all sporting guilty expressions. Skye recovered first.

“Would you believe me if I said this was all your fault?” Skye grinned charmingly.

“I would love to hear your logic on that one, sweetheart.” Tony replied dryly.

“If your new toy wasn't so fun, I wouldn't have had to steal it and try it out...and then we wouldn't have this nice pile of lettuce to play with.” Skye replied innocently. She started making a pile on the floor behind her, scraping it from the floor around her. Bucky caught on and helped add to the pile. There was so much on them at this point that it was hard to scoop up enough for a handful.

“My new toy?” Tony asked, confused.

“We broke into your lab.” Bucky added. “Whoops.”

“Does it work, at least?” Tony sighed, running his hand down his face. When did he turn into the stuffy old guy? That was Steve's job. He was supposed to be the fun one.

“Oh, does it.” Skye laughed, nodding vigorously. “But I can't get it off his arm. You might want to come grab it before the moisture gets to it...”

Tony sighed and walked around the bar, walking carefully to avoid slipping on the floor. “If you ruin my new...” Tony didn't finish his sentence because Skye pelted him with a face full of the mush. He froze, standing perfectly still, debating his options. He wiped his eyes and saw Steve attempting to smother Skye's giggling. He was failing. Miserably. “Skylar Elizabeth. You don't know what you just started.”

“You were looking a little wrinkly. I heard moisturizing is the key to young looking skin. Honest, I was just trying to help, little brother.” Skye said innocently, somehow managing to pull off a concerned expression. Her hand slipped on the floor and she fell backwards into Bucky, causing both of them to crack up.

“Your stray sure seems to cause a lot of trouble,” Tony bluffed. 

“Jarvis, what's the rule about strays?” Skye asked.

“Doth who findeth, keepeth.” Jarvis supplied helpfully. Even Tony couldn't keep a straight face at that.

“Stop hacking Jarvis!” Tony shouted, laughing.

“I didn't add anything!” Skye laughed. “He just likes that phrase.”

“It is fun to say, Sir. Findeth, Keepeth.”

“See? Innocent!” Skye laughed. 

“I'll show you innocent,” Tony growled, launching himself at his pile of friends.

 

 

“Do I even want to know?” Pepper asked, sighing tiredly. She had her heels in hand.

“Pepper, it's not what it looks like.” Tony grinned, significantly less green than the other three – not that it was their effort at fault. “Out of curiosity, what does it look like?”

“I'll tell you what it feels like.” Pepper retorted. “It feels like I live with a bunch of three year olds. Stop picking on poor Steve, he doesn't deserve your pranking.”

“Hey!” Skye huffed. Steve grinned and pulled her onto his lap, covering her mouth with his hand. She was still talking, but the words were smothered.

“Pepper, I'm so glad you stopped this.” Steve told her seriously. “I was just trying to get some water and these three teamed up on me...”

“Lies!” Tony denied quickly. Skye squawked against Steve's hand indignantly.

“You three, clean this mess up. Steve, come with me. Let's get you cleaned up.” Pepper sighed. Steve shot a triumphant grin at Bucky and scrambled to get clear of the mess. “Shoes, Mr. Rogers. You're not trailing green all over this tower. I take a little credit for this thing.”

“Come on, Stark Tower is your baby.” Tony grinned. “Give yourself, hmm... 12% of the credit.”

“Twelve percent?” Pepper asked, giving Tony a look. Bucky and Skye slid away from Tony, giving Pepper some room to injure him without suffering collateral damage. Steve was shaking his head behind Pepper, trying to warn Tony to stop. Tony missed all of those clues.

“An argument could be made for fifteen.”

“Twelve percent for my baby? I designed it.” Pepper huffed, her eyebrows disappearing into her hairline.

“Well, I did do all the heavy lifting. Literally, I lifted the heavy things.” Tony seemed to realize the hole he was digging for himself, only after he was finished speaking. The distance Skye and Bucky were putting between them made clear what Pepper's expression hadn't. “I'm going to pay for that comment about percentages in some subtle way later, aren't I?”

“Not gonna be that subtle.” Pepper smirked. “You know what, I think I need Bucky and your sister. Urgent business, you understand.”

“Aw, Pepper...” Tony groaned. Skye dragged Bucky to his feet, hurrying to get out of the kitchen (and the mess in it) before Pepper changed her mind. They followed Pepper from the kitchen, turning back to grin at Tony.

“Have fun with that, old man.” Skye whispered, smirking. Bucky grinned and dropped his arm around her shoulders, pulling her from the kitchen before Pepper changed her mind. When they cleared the kitchen, Jarvis spoke up.

“Would you like me to call a service, Sir?”

“Please.” Tony sighed. This is what he got for messing with the younger crowd. Fuck, the older crowd? This was ridiculous.

“I know you're not as innocent as you look, Mr. Rogers,” Pepper informed Steve as soon as they were out of earshot of Tony. “But I couldn't help myself.”

“Quite understandable!” Steve smirked, nodding along eagerly. Bucky snorted from behind him, still draped over Skye.

“He's such a suck up,” Bucky whispered loudly to Skye. She giggled and nodded.

“Hey, Steve? You have something on your nose. You know...riiight, there.” Skye informed him, rubbing the side of her own nose.

“Is it green?” Steve dead panned, half turning to respond to her.

“Nope.” Skye grinned. “It's brown.”

 

0-0-0-0-0

 

“I hear you’ve been naughty,” Skye smirked. Jack was bouncing on his feet, grinning from the other end of the video feed.

“We were working on a project, Skye!” Jack defended half heartedly. Skye just smiled and shook her head.

“You’re ridiculous and I love you,” She said warmly. “Do I get to hear about this project?”

“Bucky tested it out for us!” Fitz chimed in, rolling into the frame.

“Hey, you can’t test things on-” Skye started, her humor falling from her tone.

“Jesus, you think we don’t know that?” Jack groaned, interrupting her.

“He just had to wear it,” Fitz smiled. “It didn’t require him to do anything and he wasn’t hurt.”

“What was the project?” Skye asked again, though her tone was less severe this time around.

“We got the idea from the sticker comms,” Fitz supplied, sounding shy. He wasn’t used to being on the stern end of Skye’s tone.

“Except it’s not a communication device, it’s a tracking device,” Jack added, tossing his arm around Fitz’s shoulders. Skye silently tapped a few keys, stealing that image.

“You made a tracking sticker?”

“Yeah,” Fitz smiled. “It runs off the electrical current that your body naturally produces. It’s very subtle, so it will be missed by scanners and whatnot. We’ve finished the electrical components, but we’re still tinkering with the actual sticker.”

“Right now, it’s an actual sticker,” Jack supplied when Fitz trailed off. “A small one, mind you, but a sticker none the less. Ideally, we’d like to make it a little harder to remove. Like I said, still tinkering.”

“You two are so smart,” Skye grinned. “How’s AC handling this pairing?”

“He yelled at me for sneaking aboard,” Jack shrugged.

“Worth it though,” Fitz smirked.

“He’s going to love this sticker,” Skye offered. “A subtle way to track someone? Perfect.”

“Right?” Fitz nodded eagerly. “Jack left a few stickers behind, if you wanted to look at them. They’re not as good as our finished project, but they’d get the job done.”

“Bucky shot a few for us,” Jack added. “He’s crazy good with a rifle, sissy.”

“He was a sniper,” Skye reminded him. 

“Still. Crazy good.”

“I’m glad Bucky’s helping you, but just...be considerate when asking him to help, okay?” Skye said softly. “He’s never liked the fighting. I’d like to keep him out of it from now on.”

“He’s a grown ass man-”

“-who won’t tell you he’s uncomfortable because he doesn’t want to get kicked out. All I’m saying is use your judgement, your common sense. You’ve  _ usually  _ been good at that.”

“Let one Iron Man animation go and it’s all ‘you’re usually good at using common sense’,” Jack grumbled jokingly to Fitz.

“Is that your sister?” A voice asked from off screen.

“Hey, AC,” Skye called out, grinning. Jack casually slipped his arm from Fitz and scooted a half step away from him.

“I just got a call from the director.”

“Yeah?” Skye smirked. “What’d Baldie have to say?”

“There were weird system glitches last night,” Coulson informed her, pushing into the frame. “Know anything about that?”

“Dude, I’m just glad they noticed!”

“That means she didn’t try to hide it,” Jack supplied helpfully.

“What did you do?” Coulson asked, frowning at her.

“Just paid some assholes a visit,” Skye replied, smiling charmingly.

“We were just there,” Coulson argued.

“Yeah, but I’m scarier when they know there’s no one there to stop me,” Skye replied, shrugging casually. “I’m not going to apologize, if that’s what you’re looking for. I didn’t dig into Shield’s secrets - you’re all safe, okay? I just needed sometime with them.”

“Jack, Fitz, can I have the room?” Coulson asked.

“Dude, it’s our lab!” Jack huffed.

“Jack, go,” Skye laughed.

“Fine, but he has to stop grumbling about the stow away,” Jack argued, crossing his arms.

“Done,” Coulson agreed with a dry smirk. “Now go.”

“We never got a chance to talk,” Skye smiled, knowing full well what he wanted to talk about.

“Did you find anything out?” Coulson asked, leaning forward anxiously. Skye’s smile fell from her face and she leaned back. “I’ll take that as a yes. Can you share?”

“How long did you say you were dead for?” Skye asked softly.

“I didn’t.” Coulson smiled. Skye rolled her eyes so he elaborated. “Depends who you ask. Most common story is eight seconds.”

“Eight seconds?”

“That’s what I said. Do you disagree?”

“Uh, yeah.” Skye scoffed. There was no humor in her scoff though.

“Skye, please,” he begged softly.

“Days, AC.” Sky said softly. “You were dead for days. Your heart was severed in two, by Loki’s staff. You were right, you were dead. You  _ did _ feel yourself die.”

“Days?” Coulson said softly, exhaling the words with a soft huff. “How?”

“I would love to do this in person, AC.”

“You can’t ask me to wait. I’ve waited this long. Please, don’t make me wait any longer.”

“You were given a serum. Your file was missing a page, but there was a sticky note marking it. Someone intends to put it back.”

“Okay, so some magic serum made me better?” Coulson asked, rubbing his temples. “Like the one Centipede gave the kids?”

“The serum promoted cellular regeneration. As far as what the kids got...I don’t know. I need to find your missing file.”

“Is that how you’re not dead? You bled out. Did you get serum, too?”

“You’re good,” Skye replied, smiling artificially. “I just found out about this...of course, you have to figure it out as soon as I do.”

“So, yes?”

“I don’t know.” Skye shrugged. “Don’t know what you received, so I can’t say if mine was the same. It would make sense to assume yes, but you know what they say about assumptions.”

“What did you get?”

“I thought this was about you, AC.” Skye teased. “Anyway, the serum brought you back to life...but your body was damaged. Your brain was damaged. They had to fix it.”

“Just tell me.”

“You had seven surgeries, to reconstruct your brain. You were conscious for the last ones, so they knew if they were successful. But, the pain...AC, are you sure you want to hear this?”

“I need to hear this.” He nodded. “I know it’s not going to be pretty. There’s a reason they won’t give me my file. But...I need to come to terms with this. I  _ need _ to.”

“Your file calls it... _ catastrophic neurological damage _ ,” Skye sighed. “They said...they said you lost your will to live. The pain...the knowledge of what was happening...it was too much. They didn’t want to ruin your second chance at life, so they created a pleasant memory to cover up the bad. To give you back your will to live.” She paused when he wiped his mouth, then continued softly, “Tahiti.”

“It’s a magical place.”

“It reinforces the memory,” Skye explained. “In case you started to remember. I don’t want you to remember it, AC. Trust me, you don’t just get rid of bad stuff like that…”

“Trust you?” Coulson asked softly. “You wanna talk about your bad stuff?”

“I’ll let you know when I find that file about your serum, okay?” Skye replied softly. “Until then, have Simmons take a blood sample. We’ll compare it to my blood. If we have the same serum, we should be able to see it on the results.”

“So you do know what you got.”

“It’s called GH-325,” Skye nodded.

“What does that one do?” He asked.

“I don’t know yet,” Skye shrugged. “Just found out about it, remember? I’ve got a rather hefty file to sort through before I figure that one out.”

“Ms. Skye, Sir is pinging you,” Jarvis chimed in. 

“AC, I’ve got to go,” Skye apologized. “Come back soon and we can finish this conversation, okay?”

“Sure thing; we’re already heading back to headquarters.”

“And go easy on my brother, yeah?”

“Yeah, yeah.” Coulson grinned, waving her away. His end of the video feed went black, so Skye turned hers off as well.

“I’m not in privacy mode, am I?” Skye frowned, wondering why Tony didn’t just come down to talk to her.

“Sir is not in the building,” Jarvis replied.

“Where is he?” Skye asked, her gut dropping. This couldn’t be good. Bucky ran into the room, frowning hard.

“Sir is at Stark Industries. He appears to be under duress,” Jarvis said. “I request an urgent response.”

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The parts you recognize are Marvel's, not mine.


	63. I can’t do this without you.

 

Skye didn’t need further prompting. Bucky grabbed her hand and dragged her to the elevator and then onto the quinjet. When they were airborne, Bucky put the jet on autopilot and headed towards the back to put his gear on. Skye was already back there, struggling into Tasha’s spare suit. They were similar in size, but not identical - Tasha was just tall enough that Skye had to struggle to pull the extra material up around her shoulders.

“Breathe,” Bucky said urgently, hurrying over to help her. Her jerky motions betrayed her anxiety.

“Someone is attacking Stark Industries,” Skye replied, accepting his help. “This is my fault. If he’s under duress...if he’s hurt? Bucky, he doesn’t have a suit with him. He was just visiting Pepper. Oh, god. Pepper.”

“Relax,” Bucky urged, pulling her face around so she had to look at him. “We will fix this.”

“Bucky...I didn’t want you involved with this...you hate the fighting and…”

“Shush. I hate fightin’, yes. But these are our people; I’ll fight for them.” Bucky smirked a little and bopped her nose, “Now gear up, girlie. I’m not lettin’ you go in there alone.”

“Okay,” she agreed, nodding. She helped him into his gear, handing off a sniper rifle when he reached for it.

“I know,  Солнышко ,” Bucky nodded, slinging the gun across his shoulder blades. “But it’s still something I’m good at. I’ll have your back.”

“And if that brings the Asset up?”

“We’ve been workin’ on that trigger word,” Bucky shrugged. “Good of time as any to see if it works under stressful situations.”

“Shit,” Skye exhaled. She shook her hands out and stretched her neck. When she was looking at Bucky again, he could see she had pulled her emotions back into check. He couldn’t help his proud little smirk; she was stronger than she knew. There was beeping from up front, so they headed to the pilot station.

“Game time,  Солнышко.”

 

 

“I’ll find Pepper, you find Tony,” Bucky told Skye once they were in the building. Skye had hacked the helicopter pad, so no alarms went off to alert anyone inside to their presence.

“But…”

“He might need blood,” Bucky said firmly, shoving a first aid kit at her. “No arguin’. Find Tony. Keep me up to date. Be safe.”

“You got it, Shiny,” Skye nodded, slinging the bag onto her back. “Keep that comm in.”

 

 

“Shit, I’ve got Tony,” Skye whispered several minutes and six floors later. There was a guard standing over him, talking to him in a low tone. There was a massive puddle of blood under Tony and his face was stark white. He blinked slowly, struggling to reopen his eyes when they shut. “Fuck. He’s hurt, Bucky. I’m going in. I won’t be able to be back up for a little while.”

“Go, I can hear Pepper. We’ve got this.”

“Hey, Fuck Face,” Skye called out, stepping around the corner and into the light. “Why don’t you pick on someone your own size?”

“Told ya,” Tony gasped, letting his head fall back. The guard frowned and stepped towards Skye.

“You’re not supposed to be here.”

“I’ve been looking for you,” Skye smirked, dropping bags as she strolled towards the man. She recognized his gear when he turned around. “Is the whole team here? Because I would  _ love _ to bring you in, all at once.”

“Think we’re that stupid?” The man snarled, punching Skye. She dodged his fist and swept his feet out from under him. He landed with a thud on the floor.

“You must be new,” Skye frowned. “That was entirely too easy.”

“Was it? Let’s fix that.”

 

 

By the time Skye had the man unconscious and securely restrained, Tony was unconscious.

“Bucky, update,” Skye asked, setting up a transfusion line as she spoke. She had done this so many times that her hands were moving on autopilot. She was damn glad for that too, because the worry and panic racing around her skull refused to let her focus.

“Gettin’ a vantage point,” Bucky replied softly. “She’s unharmed. Three men with her.”

She started the blood flowing, then worked on the hole in his chest. His reactor was damaged - the glass was shattered and wires were disconnected. The entire casing was sitting crookedly in his chest. She ripped his shirt open and saw blue lines extending out from the reactor.

“Fuck, Tony,” Skye cursed. “Bucky, when you’re done there, I’m going to need assistance.”

“You got it, Солнышко.”

“So, brother dearest, is this why you’re always drinking that blue shit?” Skye asked his unresponsive body. “Cause I’m gonna kick your ass if it is. You have a magic fucking cure right in front of you, but  _ noooo _ , let’s drink some blue smoothie. Fucking Starks. Stubborn. Can’t ask for help.”

“You know that applies to you, too, right?” Bucky chuckled breathlessly.

“Shut it, Barnes,” Skye groused, though she was smirking through her worry. He was going to need help. More than magic blood could fix. The reactor was going to have to come out. Bruce was going to have to pull the shrapnel from his chest, then let the magic blood repair him completely. She started another IV line, this time pooling blood into an empty bag. Once she got him on the jet, she was going to need to help Bucky - unless he could get the three men with Pepper with his rifle.

“They know we’re here,” Bucky whispered a minute later. “They’re talkin’ into comms. Someone isn’t respondin’.”

“That would be Fuck Face here. Shit.” Skye hesitated over Tony. She couldn’t do anything else for him right now; the magic blood would take better care of him than she could...but she didn’t want to leave him alone. It was her fault that he was hurt. The retrieval team was looking for her - had always been looking for her - but had found him instead. Guilt rolled her stomach into knots; this was her fault. She had just found him...just found actual family - and she could lose it. She couldn't lose him. He was her baby brother and she needed him. She needed him to be okay. She couldn't stand the guilt - couldn't stand the hole that would be left if he died because of her.

“Солнышко,” Bucky groaned, “They’re movin’. I don’t have a shot, not without gettin’ Pepper hurt. Get up here.”

“On my way,” Skye agreed. She shoved a metal rod into the drywall and hung the blood bag off it, letting it drip slowly into Tony’s system. The hole in his chest was covered, for now. She kissed his clammy forehead and raced towards Bucky and Pepper.

“ETA,” Bucky requested.

“Two floors away,” Skye replied, regulating her breathing as she climbed the stairs.

“Hurry. You’re goin’ to need to be there to protect Pepper once I start shootin’. They’ll go straight for her.”

“Hey, Fuck Faces,” Skye called out, slamming the door open near the three men and Pepper. Pepper looked remarkably composed, despite her ruffled outfit. “Hey, Pepper. How’s it going? These assholes giving you some trouble?”

“Shit,  _ It _ ’s-” One man started to talk into his comms, but stopped suddenly. Blue lines appeared on his face and then rapidly disappeared again.

“Nice shot!” Skye grinned. She smirked at the two men in front of her. “And then there were two. Not gonna lie...odds are in my favor guys. Give me Pepper.”

“Fuck you!” One growled, pulling a grenade out of his jacket. Before Skye could blink, he had pulled the pin and tossed it at her feet. Skye rushed Pepper, trying to put her body between the other woman’s, but the grenade went off before Skye could get there. A puff of gray mist exploded around them and Skye’s arms closed around nothing but air.

 

 

“Please be okay. Please be okay. Please be okay.”

Skye became aware of a voice slowly, like she was underwater with ear plugs in. She felt disconnected from her surroundings - like she was floating in salt water. Beneath her eyelids, a light show of stars and galaxies and beautiful, distant places was flashing - making her feel surprisingly calm and sleepy. Cold pressure rained down on her head, displacing the calm feeling.

“Please be okay. Солнышко, come back. Come back, come back, come back. I can’t do this without you.”

Come back where? Where was she? There was warm pressure and cold pressure on her cheeks, which confused her until she realized it was Bucky. Was he crying? Why was he crying? Shit, was he hurt? The sleepy, calm shattered around her and she blinked the light show away.

“Are you hurt?” She croaked. “What’s wrong? Are you hurt?”

“Солнышко?”

“Answer me,” Skye coughed, trying to push the pressure away from her head.

“You’re in the decontamination shower on the jet,” Bucky said soothingly. “I don’t know what they used, but it knocked you out. Only...I don’t know how to explain this, Солнышко. Are you okay?”

“I’m fine. I asked about you,” Skye grumbled irritably, pushing his hands from her face. She ran her own hands over his cheeks, brushing the tears away. “Bucky? Are you okay?”

“I was just worried, is all.” Bucky nodded.

“Where’s Pepper? Shit, where’s  _ Tony _ ?”

“Relax, Солнышко. Tony is behind us; I used an older bag of the magic blood when he ran out of your new bag. He’s not great, but I called Bruce and he’s setting up an operatin’ table.”

“Pepper?”

“I wasn’t fast enough to stop them from takin’ her,” Bucky admitted, dropping his head. In the crucial moment, he had panicked. Skye was lost in a grey cloud and he got distracted for a split second. He hadn’t had enough time to shoot both of the men with the icer rounds, so he settled for tagging Pepper with Jack and Fitz’s new stickers. He hoped they worked as well as the engineering pair promised.

“We’ll find her,” Skye reassured him. She finally realized she was in a shower - a cold shower - and reached up to shut the water off.

“We’ll need to call Fitz and Jack. They need to tell us how to activate their new project.”

“You got a tracking sticker on them?” Skye gasped, suddenly grinning.

“You know about them?”

“Jack just told me about it,” Skye beamed. “You got them?”

“I got Pepper,” Bucky shrugged. “Wasn’t fast enough to get all three. She seemed the most important.” 

“I really, really love you and I’m so glad you came to live at the Tower.”

“That makes two of us,” Bucky laughed, offering her a hand up. He handed her a towel and a dry set of clothes, then retreated to the front of the quinjet to get a hold of Jack and Fitz.

 

 


	64. There's two left.

 

“I’m going to unload Tony and leave some blood from the stash,” Skye told Bucky quietly. He was still on the phone with Jack, trying to activate the tracker that was on Pepper. He glanced up and nodded his understanding. “Put privacy mode on. I’ll be back shortly.”

“You got it,” Bucky smiled, waving a small screwdriver at her. She grinned and kissed the top of his head, then hurried over to Tony. His face was a little less pale, but the third bag of blood was nearly gone. She could see where it was leaking into the gauze covering his broken reactor.

“Don’t worry, Tony. Bruce is going to make everything better. No more metal shards, no more poisoning, and no more blue smoothies,” Skye said conversationally. She was hiding her panic with an overly chipper tone. He had to be okay. It was her fault he was hurt. If he died, it was on her. She couldn’t carry that burden; it would eat her alive.

“Hello, Ms. Skye,” Jarvis chimed when she stepped out of the quinjet. “Dr. Banner is preparing his lab for your arrival.”

“Great,” Skye sighed. “Let him know we’re here? Can you also ask Steven to bring some blood down?”

“Already done.”

“What happened?” Steve asked. He was inside the elevator when she paged Jarvis for it.

“Help me get him to Bruce?” Skye asked. “This thing is hard to maneuver on its own.”

“What happened?” Steve asked again, helping her wheel the bed off the elevator and into Bruce’s lab.

“I’m all prepped,” Bruce informed her, indicating to the pair where he wanted the bed. “I called Dr. Simmons. Coulson is heading back here instead of Shield headquarters so I can use her for this operation. Steve, will you help me move him?”

“What happened?” Steve asked again.

“I brought some blood,” Steven panted, running into the room. “Is this enough?”

“It’s plenty,” Skye smiled, taking a bag from him and hooking it up. Bruce took the other bags and put them in a small mini-fridge to keep cool. “Thanks, Steven.”

“You’re going to make him better, right?” Steven asked, looking worriedly at Tony.

“He’s going to be fine. Better than fine. Bruce is going to take his reactor out.”

“That glowy thing in his chest?”

“Yeah, it’s bad for him.” Skye nodded. “He’s going to be much better off without it.”

“Steve, a hand?” Bruce asked, nodding towards the foot of the bed. They lifted the sheet and transferred Tony to the operating table in one smooth movement.

“Okay, really. Now you need to tell-” Steve paused mid-sentence and glanced around. “Skye?”

“Where’d she go?” Bruce frowned.

“Jarvis, where’s Skye?”

“Ms. Skye is in the building.” Jarvis replied.

“I really hate privacy mode,” Steve confided to Bruce.

“Is Bucky with her?”

“Mr. Barnes is in the building,” Jarvis replied.

“... _really_ hate privacy mode,” Steve grumbled. “What can I do to help you?”

 

0-0-0-0-0

 

“No one wanted to help?” Bucky asked, cocking his head in confusion.

“I didn’t ask,” Skye shrugged. “We’re going to be able to infiltrate the building better. We understand stealth. They’re a little obvious.”

“And you can’t risk anyone else getting hurt?” Bucky said knowingly.

“You’re gonna be up high,” Skye nodded. “Not because I don’t trust you, but because you can have my back from up there. It’s your area of expertise.”

“I can have your back on the ground,” Bucky huffed, settling into a seat at the front of the quinjet.

“I need you high. I’ll be able to do my work better without worrying about you getting in the way. My strength is hand to hand. Your strength is sniping. We’ve got to play to our strengths.”

“Okay,” Bucky agreed with a sigh. She smiled a little because she knew he was still frustrated but couldn’t argue with her logic. “I’ve got a location. Jack and Fitz helped me. We’re all set to go.”

“Excellent. Get us there.”

 

“This can’t be right,” Skye muttered, scoping out a decrepit building with binoculars.

“This is where the sticker is.”

“It just doesn’t seem their style.”

“Ambush?”

“Probably.” Skye sighed and rubbed her temples. “I’m going to give you a head start so you can be in position before I go in.”

“I can get in through that window,” Bucky acknowledged, pointing to an open window at the top of the building.

“Go for it,” Skye nodded. “Let me know when you’re in position.”

“Yes ma’am,” Bucky smirked. She smirked back, then pulled him in for a hug.

“Be safe okay?”

“I’ve got this,” Bucky replied, hugging her back. “We’re a good team. We’ll get her back.”

“We have to,” Skye agreed. “Tony would kill me if I lost her.”

“You’re not goin' to lose her,” Bucky said firmly.

“Get going.”

 

“In position,” Bucky said softly, twenty minutes later. “This is goin' to work out well. It’s a warehouse. My vantage point can see the entire floor. Pepper is in a chair. She looks unharmed. She's blindfolded. Definitely not happy, but she doesn’t look hurt. Four hostiles.”

“Perfect. That only leaves two unaccounted for,” Skye whispered back, stepping out of the quinjet. She left the cloaking device on, hoping to preserve the element of surprise.

“Come in the west door,” Bucky whispered. “You should be able to get closer from that direction.

“Yes sir,” She smirked.

It took Skye ten minutes to sneak around the building. There was limited cover and she had no reason to hurry. Bucky had eyes on Pepper and she really wanted to keep the element of surprise. She was worried, though. Worried that the retrieval team was filling her in on the more monstrous parts of her past. She hoped that they wouldn’t mention her biggest secret. Bucky knew...but they had gotten close during the random visits she paid him. He shared his horrors and she shared hers. They were on equal ground. Bucky understood, so he didn’t pity her. God, she hated the look on people’s faces when they caught a snippet of her past. Usually it had something to do with the kids - that was bad enough. It would be worse if it was personal.

That was one thing. The kids were an important part of her past. While she had done some terrible things to terrible people, it was always with the kids’ well-being in mind. She didn’t mind being a monster for them. She was used to being a weapon....and that was exactly why she was worried. Being a monster for the good of others was one thing, but being a monster because of _them_ ? Because of what they did to her? Well, she couldn’t rationalize that one away. She had blood on her hands. Blood that stained her flesh so deeply that it felt like her soul was tainted by it. _That_ was their fault. She was going to remove the retrieval team from the equation and hope it would remove some of that taint.

“I’m at the doors,” Skye whispered. “Going in.”

“I gotcha,” Bucky murmured. She eased the door open just enough that she could slide through, then paused to let her eyes adjust to the semi-darkness. She sneaked forward, getting closer to the team. Finally, she was out of cover and was forced to show herself. One man had his hands on either side of Pepper’s shoulder, talking into her ear. A blindfold covered her eyes and she was sitting stiffly. The man was much too close to her.

Skye stepped out from behind the box and hurried to take advantage of a silent approach. The team swivelled to look at her and she took the closest man down with ease. Two rushed her, forcing her to take defensive action before slipping back into offense. The fourth man headed for Pepper, but he never made it to her. There was a near silent whistle as Bucky’s bullet whizzed through the air and lodged itself between the man’s shoulder blades. He went down heavily, crumpling into a lifeless pile. It took Skye several more minutes to take out the remaining two, but when she was done they were just as crumpled. It didn’t matter that they died, not to her anyway. Two of the team were still unaccounted for, but nothing she could do would convince these men to give up their remaining team.

“Pepper?” Skye asked softly, wiping her hands off on her pants. Some blood had already dried onto her skin, but she refused to let it bother her. She didn’t mind being a monster to get Pepper back. Pepper was worth so much more than the stain on her soul.

“Skye?” Pepper gasped, struggling in the chair.

“Shh, it’s okay,” Skye murmured comfortingly. She hurried forward and placed her hands on her shoulders. “Are you okay?”

“They didn’t hurt me,” Pepper replied softly. Skye paused for a second, then continued untying her from the chair. She deliberately left the blindfold on. She didn’t need Pepper to have nightmares because of the broken bodies at her feet.

“That’s not what I asked,” Skye said finally.

“I’m not hurt.” Pepper repeated. Her hands were shaking and her face was pale.

“Let’s get you home, huh?” Skye smiled, extending a hand to her friend. Bucky dropped from the rafters and landed nearly on top of Skye.

“You okay, girly?” He asked, shouldering his rifle. He took Skye’s face in his hands and inspected it. He frowned when he ran his thumb over a cut on her forehead. They had gotten in a lucky blow - she had managed to dodge the pipe but the very end caught her skin.

“I’m fine,” she huffed, swatting him away. He grabbed her hands and inspected those as well.

“Let’s get you both home,” Bucky suggested, eyeballing Pepper’s shaking form. “Pepper, leave the blindfold on until we get you to the jet, okay? Skye, you take her. Get her settled in. I think she’s goin’ into shock. I’ll bring these guys.”

“I’ll drop her off and come hel-”

“No, stay with Pepper.” Bucky interrupted firmly. “We need to keep an eye on her.”

“I’m okay,” Pepper denied. Her tone didn’t match her brave words though. Bucky looked at Skye firmly.

“Stay with her,” He insisted, his tone matching his expression. Skye rolled her eyes and offered him a sloppy salute. He grinned and bopped her nose. “Get goin’, girly. Take Pepper up front.”

“Come on Pepper, let’s get you home.”

“Can I take this off?” Pepper asked, fluttering her hands around her blindfold. Skye winced and grabbed her shaking hands.

“Not quite yet, okay?”

“I won’t think you’re a monster,” Pepper whispered. Skye froze, surprised at the ease that Pepper read her with. “I don’t believe any of the things they told me. It’s okay, Skye.”

“What did they tell you?” Skye asked softly.

“It’s not true.”

“What did they tell you?” Skye repeated.

“Get her up front,” Bucky called from the edge of the building. Skye glanced back and saw the body draped around his shoulders.

“Tell me later, okay?” Skye said softly. “Let's get you up front so we can take that blindfold off.”

“That would be a plus,” Pepper laughed shakily.

 

“Better?” Skye asked, handing Pepper a mini bottle of vodka from Tony’s stash of alcohol. Bucky had changed out of his gear before coming up front, so he was in normal clothing for piloting the quinjet.

“I don’t know,” Pepper admitted, laughing through a sob. “I’m not hurt. They didn’t hurt me. I’m just a little…”

“Violated?” Skye offered.

“Yes, exactly.”

“You were supposed to be safe at Stark Industries and now they’ve taken that from you.”

“Yeah,” Pepper nodded, her voice sounding more teary and less like a laugh. “The worst part is that I don’t know why. They didn’t ask me any questions. Most seemed genuinely surprised when you showed up at SI and...oh my God. Tony. Tony was at SI. What if Tony is…”

“It’s okay,” Skye interrupted. “He was hurt, but we found him. He got magic blood. His reactor is broken, so Bruce and Simmons are taking it out. He’s going to be okay. He’s going to be better than before.”

“Is that going to fix the blue lines?” Pepper asked, swallowing the vodka in one gulp. She winced at the burn, but kept her eyes on Skye.

“Yes, it’s going to fix the lines. He’ll be lucky if he gets out of this unscathed though,” Skye told her dryly. “That brother of mine is going to get an earful.”

“Good,” Pepper chuckled. “He can be stubborn.”

“So can she,” Bucky scoffed. Pepper’s chuckling slowly dissolved into tears. She hiccuped and fought to get a breath. Skye floundered, feeling helpless to make it better. A crying child was easy to comfort. Pepper, though? She had no idea. She decided to do her tried and true method and awkwardly pulled the woman into her side, wrapping her in a tight hug.   

“They’re the most awful people,” Pepper cried, clinging uncharacteristically to Skye. Bucky glanced back, looking over his shoulder as he flew the jet back towards the Tower. He was frowning. “No wonder you’re so scared of them.”

“{We missed a few,}” Skye murmured to Bucky in Russian. “{All but two are accounted for. She’ll be okay though. No lasting damage.}”

“{To her body,}” Bucky retorted dryly.

“And they just kept calling you _It_ and what gives them any right? They’re more of a monster than you are.” Pepper sobbed, clinging to Skye.

“Is that what they told you?” Skye asked. “That I’m a monster?”

“Not in so many words,” Pepper said slowly.

“What did they say?” Skye asked softly. Pepper winced, but seemed hesitant to tell her. “Pepper, please, you’re not going to hurt my feelings.”

“They said you’re an _It_ . Over and over. _It_ this and _It_ that. _It_ ruined all of their hard work. _It_ could have saved all those children, but chose not to. _It_ pretends not to know _it_ s origin. _It_ pretends not to know _it_ s power. _It_ sacrifices everyone around it so _it_ can remain hidden. _It_ is a fiend. _It_ makes everyone around care about _it_ , makes everyone else protect _it_.”

“I’m the _it_?” Skye whispered.

“When you found us at SI, they panicked. They said, _Shit, It found us_.” Pepper whispered back. “Then I heard your voice. I think they were taking bets. One guy laughed and said, _I can’t believe It was stupid enough to come_.”

“They didn’t think I’d come?”

“I don’t think you were supposed to know until after they had left with me. Tony threw a wrench in that plan. He wasn’t supposed to be there either.”

“I know he got hurt,” Skye murmured, “But it’s a good thing he was there. He sent out an alert through Jarvis. Without him, we wouldn’t have known until it was too late. Bucky wouldn’t have been able to get that tracking sticker on you.”

“They were happy you were there.” Pepper continued. “They were talking about testing something out on you. It worked. Whatever it was, it worked.”

“Bucky?” Skye asked softly. “What happened with that grenade?”

“You’re okay now.”

“What happened with that grenade?”

“{Can we talk later? Please. Later. Alone. Please.}”

“{I’m holding you to that.}”

“{I promise.}”

“The point is, you can’t blame yourself or believe anything they say,” Pepper interjected.

“I don’t know what half of that stuff means,” Skye admitted.

“It’s not true,” Pepper said forcefully. “Don’t you dare believe them. You didn’t make us care for you. We chose to. You don’t make people protect you; you go out of your way to protect others. As for the other stuff, well, it doesn’t matter if it’s true or not. That’s private. That’s personal. It doesn’t matter because it’s none of their business anyway. I’m so glad you’re in our lives!”

“Even after you got kidnapped because I’m in your life?”

“Especially after I got kidnapped. It just proves how much you’ve needed people in your life.”

“People are a liability. A weakness.”

“That sounds like Agent Ward speaking.”

“Shush it,” Skye giggled. “Don’t compare me to him.”

“Okay,” Pepper nodded, nuzzling in closer to Skye’s side.

 

Bucky glanced back a few minutes later and was unsurprised to see the pair had fallen asleep. He smiled and put the quinjet on autopilot. Quietly, he retrieved a blanket and settled it over the pair. Skye shifted with a frown, but settled with a quiet command from him.

They slept all the way back to the Tower.

  
Bucky was glad. He still didn’t know how to explain to Skye what had happened when the grenade went off.

 

0-0-0-0-0

 

Skye slipped free from Pepper when they landed the quinjet back at the Tower. Pepper was still out cold because Skye had slipped some sedatives in the vodka. Not a lot, just enough to keep her from having a full on panic attack while she processed things. 

"You would be so mad if I did this to you," Bucky muttered with a wry smirk. He knew what she had done.

"I didn't think it would knock her out," Skye replied defensively. "I just wanted to keep her calm."

"She's smaller than she appears," Bucky smiled. "Move. I'll carry her in. You might need both hands free."

"I might need both-"

"-Skylar Elizabeth Motherfucking Stark," Clint shouted, storming the quinjet as it opened. Tasha and Steve were right behind him.

"Oh," Skye muttered.

"Shh, let me take Pepper out before you guys give her the third degree," Bucky said softly.

"Traitor," Skye hissed. Pepper wouldn't wake to a little shouting.

"Shh," Bucky hissed back. "See you inside."

"Care to explain why we had to find out Pepper was missing through Jarvis?" Clint asked, crossing his arms aggressively.

"Care to explain why we had to find out how Tony got hurt through Jarvis?" Tasha added.

"Care to explain why a seven year old knows where a stash of magic blood is, but you won't tell us?" Steve finished. 

Skye tried to withhold her giggles. Really, she tried her hardest. She did. But they echoed each other and then each had crossed their arms so aggressively that she couldn't help the spluttering. 

"Stop laughing!" Clint shouted. "We're mad at you."

"Come yell at me when you're not synchronized," Skye giggled, shoving through them. Steve caught her around the waist and pulled her back into the jet. 

"Clint, Tasha. Get off. I need words."

"I have words too!" Clint said, shaking his head. 

"Off. Now." Steve said firmly.

"We get her next," Tasha bargained, dragging Clint off by his ear.

"Please don't yell at me," Skye said into the silence that followed in their wake.

"Are you okay?" Steve asked, fingering the cut that had already scabbed over and healed. The only evidence it had happened was the dried blood on her forehead. His tone was stern and his jaw was clenched, but he was trying to reel his anger in.

"Yeah, it was just a graze." Skye replied, wiping her forehead with the back of her hand.

"Why didn't you ask for help?" Steve sighed. He was frustrated. He was beyond frustrated. Never, not once in all of his years, had he met anyone as stubborn as the woman in front of him. "You know we would have helped."

"Honestly?" Skye asked.

"Please."

"You're not very subtle. Jack and Fitz had Bucky help them test out a new tracking sticker. Bucky got one on Pepper at SI. We knew there were only a few people with her. It was the retrieval team, Steve. The retrieval team broke into SI, hurt my brother, and stole Pepper."

"And you felt like that was your fault," Steve murmured knowingly. The pieces started to fall into place and he felt some of his anger fade. The frustration was still there, but he couldn’t stay angry...not with her. Not about this.

"It was my fault."

"We still would have helped."

"I couldn't risk anyone else getting hurt," Skye admitted honestly. "Tony was already hurt. Pepper was taken. Bucky was allowing himself to be a weapon..."

"Knowing Bucky you couldn't have convinced him otherwise," Steve smiled.

"He said he didn't mind being fighting for his people." Skye shrugged. "He hasn't had people for so long Steve."

"You haven't had people either, Skye." Steve retorted quickly. "We're your people. Let us prove it to you."

"It's not that I don't know," Skye shrugged. "It's more that I'm afraid of what's going to happen to you because of that."

"Well, you said it was the retrieval team," Steve smiled. "Does that mean they're not a problem any more?"

"There's two left." Skye smiled back. "Just two."

“Why do you have to be so damn stubborn,” Steve sighed, pulling her into his chest. She relaxed into his hold and shrugged lightly.

“It’s one of my charms?” She offered quietly. Steve couldn’t think of a single thing to say to that so he just groaned.

 

 


	65. It scared the shit out of me

 

“Our turn,” Tasha announced, grabbing Skye away from Steve the second they stepped off the quinjet.

“Go easy on her,” Steve warned.

“I’ll do no such thing,” Clint scoffed. He took Skye by the shoulders and forced her to face them. The anger that Steve had managed to wrangle into control was still present on Clint’s face. Skye immediately tensed back up.  “What were you thinking?”

“You’re going to have to be more specific,” Skye replied, completely without sass.

“Why did you go by yourself? No, why did you go with only Bucky?” Clint replied instantly. 

“He was there when I got the alert,” Skye shrugged. She knew the shrug was wrong the second it happened, but she was helpless to stop it. She understood why they were angry, but she still stood by her choice to leave them out of it. She was falling back into her natural snark without consciously doing it. It hurt her to know they were angry with her, but she couldn’t let them see that. She wouldn’t reveal another weakness. Clint yelled through his teeth and shook her shoulders lightly. 

“And you didn’t think to take us?” Tasha asked, knocking Clint aside.

“I guess I just assumed he was hurt, at first. Jarvis just said he was in duress. He didn’t say the building was infiltrated. We didn’t find that out until later. I just thought he needed a little blood. You know, science experiment gone wrong.”

“Well, that does sound like Tony,” Tasha sighed. Skye felt herself relax marginally; Tasha didn’t sound angry with her. But then she took a closer look at her friend and saw the anger and the hurt simmering below the surface and shut down. Tasha’s next words only reinforced her withdrawal. “But then you found out SI was under attack and you didn’t alert us. Pepper was taken and you didn’t alert us. Hell, you were here, dropping Tony off for surgery and you didn’t tell us. What the hell?”

“{She couldn’t risk her people getting hurt,}” Bucky supplied softly, stepping in when Skye remained silent. He could read the anger and the hurt on  _ her _ features and refused to let that stand. If she wouldn’t explain herself, he was more than happy to do it for her. “{We knew there weren’t very many people with Pepper. She wasn’t in danger.}”

“{It’s easy to stand up for her when you were in on it,}” Clint growled.

“{Pepper’s looking for you,}” Bucky told Skye, holding his hand out for her. Clint gripped her shoulders a little tighter. He wasn’t done with her yet.

“Ms. Pott’s heart rate is elevated,” Jarvis chimed in quietly.

“Let her go, Clint,” Tasha said quietly. “We’ve made our point. She’ll involve us next time or there’ll be hell to pay.”

“Got it,” Skye agreed, nodding. She felt the cocky smirk on her features and wished for once...for  _ once _ in her life that she could just explain herself.

“Let’s go before she has a panic attack,” Bucky said quietly, holding his hand out for her again. Skye slipped from Clint’s grip and slid her hand into Bucky’s outstretched one. Skye caught one last snippet from Clint, right before the door closed behind her and Bucky.

“...single most infuriating fucking person…”

 

0-0-0-0-0

 

“Where’s Skye?” Steven asked over dinner.

“She’s with Pepper,” Steve replied, scooping vegetables onto the boy’s plate. He grimaced a little but didn’t complain. Steve hid his smile and added veggies to his own plate. “They’re checking on Tony, then they’ll be up. Bucky said maybe ten minutes.”

“Bucky is worried about her,” Steven commented, piling mashed potatoes onto his steamed broccoli. He exhaled slowly then took an overly large bite. He made a face when he could still taste the broccoli through the potatoes. He chewed quickly and shoved some of his chicken into his mouth. Steve was almost amused enough to forget about his comment.

“Why do you say that?” Clint asked.

“He won’t leave her. I asked him if he wanted to come help me tra-...if he wanted to hang out and he said later.”

“But why is he worried? Skye wasn’t hurt...was she?” Tasha frowned.

“I don’t think so. She just had that little spot on her head, but it’s all healed already.” Steven shrugged. He kind of liked being the center of their attention - he just didn’t like that it was about something bad. Bucky turned down training his puppy and he had never said no to that before. He said it wasn’t fair to Zeus to have to stay in his kennel so much so they spent every spare moment they had training the small pup. Bucky figured he was pretty close to being trained enough to show him to Steve.

“I had Jarvis show me footage from SI,” Bruce interjected. “I wanted to see what happened to Tony so I knew if we were missing any injuries.”

“And?” Steve asked.

“They threw a grenade,” Bruce replied. “I don’t know what happened with it though. The cameras shorted out. It must have had some sort of EMP device or something. Maybe something happened with the grenade?”

“She didn’t look like she’d been through an explosion,” Tasha replied, her tone was still clipped. Clint was at least hiding his anger from Steven. “She was in one of my spare suits - I could tell she had fought in it, but there would have been more damage to it if a grenade went off.”

“Maybe it was a different kind of grenade,” Steven suggested, pushing a large piece of broccoli around his plate. “Like how Fitz made those bullets that aren’t really bullets?”

“That’s true,” Steve nodded. “Where is Coulson’s crew?”

“Jemma went back with Coulson, May, Ward, and Trip,” Bruce answered. “She’s restocking their infirmary. Trip is still pretending to be recovering, so he’s helping her restock. Fitz and Jack are in their lab, I think. They seemed pretty excited that Bucky used one of their inventions and that it worked so well.”

“Psh, well ?” Jack scoffed, all but skipping into the room. “It was perfect. Fantastic. Superb. Marvelous…”

“I think they get the point,” Fitz laughed.

“But it definitely was all of those things,” Skye laughed, walking up behind them. Pepper was at her side, her arm draped through Skye’s.

“Yes, it definitely was perfect,” Pepper agreed quietly. She was still a little shaken from her experience. “Skye and Bucky wouldn’t have been able to find me so quickly without it. So, thank you. Really. Thank you. I owe you one...or a million.”

She pulled free from Skye and wrapped her arms around Fitz and Jack, pulling them both into an extended hug.

“Well, you’re helping fund our research, so let’s call it even, huh?” Jack murmured. “I’m just glad you’re alright. I’m glad they worked. Bucky had our prototype. I wasn’t sure we were going to be able to activate it remotely.”

“Well it’s a good thing you two are so smart,” Pepper smiled. She released the pair and walked over to Bruce. “Thank you, for taking such good care of Tony.”

“It was nothing,” Bruce replied with a smile. He stood and pulled Pepper into a hug. “Really, Skye’s blood did the hard work. Simmons and I just removed a few things.”

“You did more than that and we both know it,” Pepper denied, hugging him tightly. “Just...thank you. For so long it’s been just Tony...and then later Tony and me. I’m still getting used to this giant change that happened. You were just teammates, not really even friends...but now you’re family, all of you, and I’m just so glad that you’re all here.” She blushed a little and wiped at her eye, blinking quickly. “Shit. I’m sorry.”

“Don’t apologize,” Steven told her, hurrying to give her a hug of his own. “I just got a family, too. I know how you feel. It’s okay to show how you feel.”

“Unless it’s gratuitous PDA,” Clint added dryly, making the room laugh. Pepper chuckled and pulled Steven into the kitchen.

“Broccoli isn’t my favorite either,” She confided softly. “Let me show you a trick.”

“Okay!” Steven grinned, bouncing along beside her.

“Where’s Bucky?” Steve asked, smiling at Skye. She was still standing where Pepper had left her, her trepidation about joining them clear on her features.

“Showering. Said all the emotions were contaminating his manliness,” She shrugged, smirking. 

“That is not what I said,” Bucky chuckled, walking off the elevator.

“Totally what he said,” Skye grinned. 

“What I said was Steve doesn’t like dirty people cuddling in his bed.”

“I can vouch for that one,” Jack agreed. “Make sure you brush your teeth too. He’s a stickler.”

“I’ve had way too many people in my bed,” Steve told Skye dryly. He looked over at Bucky and sighed, “Does this mean you’re cuddling tonight?”

“Am I allowed to?” Bucky asked, smiling. He knew Steve was just kidding around with him. He also knew Steve knew how important it was for him to be near Skye when nights were hard...and he had a sneaking suspicion that this night was going to be hard.

“So long as you’re not grabbing my butt,” Steve laughed. “Shut up and come eat.”

“Sir, yes sir!” Bucky saluted, kicking his heels together.

“At ease, soldier.” Steve said, rolling his eyes at his friend.

“I’ll be back, gotta go check on something quick.” Skye offered to no one in particular, then strolled from the room. Bucky sighed and gave Clint and Tasha an exasperated look. Clint raised his eyebrows right back and shook his head. He wasn’t backing down. He was mad, damn it, and that was hard to do.

“...yeah, but cheese ?” Steven said skeptically, carrying a small bowl of melted cheese back to his spot.

“Try it,” Pepper smiled. “Maybe you won’t like it. It’s always a good thing to try new things.”

“You’re gonna like it,” Jack smirked. He had used cheese to disguise more than a few of his vegetables in his youth. He had been a picky eater.

“Does this still count as healthy?” Steven asked, spearing a piece of broccoli with his fork.

“You’re still getting all the good parts of the vegetables,” Steve smiled. “If it means you eat it, I’ll take it.”

“So if say...ice cream means I’ll eat it…?”

“Yeah, nice try, buddy,” Steve laughed. “You can’t tell me you would eat broccoli flavored ice cream.

“Okay, true.” Steven agreed easily. He smiled at Clint and shared his cheese with him.

“Same time?” Clint asked, pouring cheese over a piece of the green vegetable.

“Deal,” Steven grinned. He glanced around the table and frowned, the broccoli halfway to his mouth. “Where’d Skye go?”

“Just eat,” Steve replied, leaving the question hanging.

“She’ll come join us in a little bit,” Jack offered, smiling. If there was one thing he knew about his sister, it was that she wouldn’t stay away from food for very long.

 

0-0-0-0-0

 

“You didn’t eat,” Bucky commented, leaning against the door of her van. He had a plate of food in his hand, offering it to her.

“Thanks,” Skye whispered, accepting the plate. She immediately set it down without touching anything on it and turned her attention back to her computer system.

“They’re having a movie night,” Bucky told her.

“Okay,” she nodded.

“Are you going to join us?”

“I’m not going to lie to you,” Skye whispered, glancing up briefly. “Go join them. It’s okay, Bucky. I’m okay. Go.”

“I’m going to give you some space,” Bucky sighed, “But you can’t stay holed up here. It isn’t going to solve anything.”

“Okay,” Skye nodded. “Close the door on your way out?”

“Sure thing,” Bucky replied tiredly. He closed the van door and started for the elevator. He glanced back and saw she had activated the cloaking on the van. He sighed and rubbed his forehead. He knew why she was creating the distance. It was a bad time of year anyway, but having people she cared about mad at her was just making it worse. He knew why she was shutting down...but he could also understand why Clint and Tasha were mad. He would be mad if she had left him behind. He knew that the only reason she had taken him with her was because he happened to be there when she got the call.

“Is Skye coming?” Steven asked hopefully, smiling at Bucky when he joined them on the couch for the movie. Pepper stood to grab a blanket and settled back down closer to Bucky. She couldn’t explain it, but he made her feel safe. He had gotten her back. She had never done anything for him, but he risked himself to get her back. She would repay that debt...but right now she just wanted to relax and convince herself it was all over. Bucky smiled at Pepper and helped her arrange the blanket.

“She might be up later,” Bucky told the boy with a soft smile.

“That means she won’t,” Steven muttered glumly.

“It was a long day,” Bucky offered. “She just needs a little personal time.”

“Is she sad?” Steven asked.

“Why do you think that?” Steve asked, letting the boy crawl onto his lap.

“Cause she’s hiding like you guys did when you were sad,” he replied simply.

“Let’s just give her a little space, yeah?” Steve replied, exchanging a look with Bucky.

“What movie are we going to watch?” Pepper asked, effectively ending that conversation.

 

0-0-0-0-0

 

“Skye?” Steven asked softly, tapping out a message in morse code on the van door. It was still cloaked, but it had been parked in the same spot.

“Hey, honey,” Skye smiled, opening the door. She looked him over and scooted closer. “Ready for bed?”

“Yeah,” Steven nodded. “But I wanted to make sure you were okay before I go to sleep.”

“Of course I’m okay,” Skye replied instantly. She scooped the boy up and gave him a tight hug. He had just gotten out of the bath and smelled like the shampoo he had picked out.

“I don’t think you are,” Steven admitted, wrapping his arms around her neck. “Can I help?”

“Oh, honey,” Skye murmured, still hugging him, “Sometimes I just need to be alone for a little while.”

“It’s okay to have your feelings,” he replied. She just nodded.

“Yeah. Feelings are normal.”

“Even if they’re  _ sappy _ ,” Steven grinned, making  _ sappy _ sound as disgusting as he could. He grinned when she chuckled, then buried his face into her neck. “Do I still get a good night kiss, even if you need to be alone?”

“You better believe it,” Skye smiled. “Wanna go read a chapter out of Harry Potter?”

“With you?”

“Duh,” she teased.

“It’s not going to interrupt your alone time?” Steven asked, pulling back to gauge her expression.

“I can have some more alone time after you’re asleep,” She smiled. She bopped his nose lightly and informed him in a serious tone, “bedtime rituals are more important than alone time.”

“Promise?”

“I’m never going to lie to you, honey.”

“Okay,” Steven smiled. “I like our bedtime ritual.”

“So do I,” she replied, carrying him to the elevator.

“Before you have more alone time, you might want to check on Pepper.”

“Yeah? Why do you say that?”

“She was sitting really close to Bucky for our movie. I think she’s still scared about today but doesn’t want to tell anyone.”

“I’ll check on her,” Skye promised. “All you need to worry about tonight is getting a good night’s rest.”

“Okay,” Steven agreed sleepily.

 

0-0-0-0-0

 

“You okay?” Skye asked softly, startling Pepper when she came out of her bathroom. She had changed into pajamas and her face was scrubbed clean of makeup.

“Jesus,” Pepper gasped, clutching her chest. “You scared me.”

“Sorry,” Skye winced. “I thought you heard me come in.”

“Nope, definitely missed that,” Pepper smiled. “What are you doing up here?”

“Just wanted to see you one more time before heading to bed,” she shrugged.

“You never joined us for dinner,” Pepper replied. “Or the movie.”

“Bucky brought me a plate,” Skye answered. 

“That you didn’t eat,” Pepper shot right back.

“I’ll eat,” Skye reassured her. She just wasn’t hungry at that particular time.

“Clint and Tasha will get over being mad,” Pepper remarked, patting the space next to her on the bed. “For one, I’m glad only you and Bucky saw me break down. It wasn’t very CEO of me.”

“You only have to be CEO when you’re at work,” Skye retorted. “You’re allowed to just be Pepper.”

“Yeah, well...today wasn’t me at my finest.”

“Pepper, you had a really fucking bad day. No one expected you to be at your finest.”

“Still embarrassing,” she shrugged. “I mean it though, Clint and Tasha will get over being mad...but avoiding them isn’t going to make anything better. You’re going to have to talk to them.”

“I know,” she sighed, ducking her head. “I’m falling back on bad habits. I don’t want to talk to them until I know I can have the conversation without resorting to snark. I think that would only make things worse.”

“You’re probably right,” Pepper smiled. She flipped back the bed sheets and waved Skye under. “Wanna sleep here tonight?”

“Would that be weird?” Skye asked, glancing up hopefully anyway.

“I don’t think I’m going to sleep if you’re not with me,” Pepper admitted with a self-deprecating chuckle. “You make me feel safe. Stay, please?”

“Twist my arm,” Skye grinned, scrambling to climb the too tall bed.

 

It took less than twenty minutes for the pair to fall asleep. Bucky sneaked into the room and smiled at the duo. They were tucked up right next to each other. They might need each other to sleep, but he needed to know Skye was okay. Her defensive walls hadn’t been this high for a while. He could practically feel them towering over him and he was allowed access past them. 

Most of the time.

He sighed silently and slipped into bed beside Skye. There was plenty of room for all three of them and he was sure Pepper wasn’t going to mind.

0-0-0-0-0

 

“Breathe,” Skye murmured, running her hand over Pepper’s sweaty hair. She was twisting under her hand, her face twisted in panic. “You’re okay. Breathe.”

“We gotta wake her,” Bucky murmured from Skye’s other side. They had managed about two hours of sleep before the nightmares hit. “She’s not calming down.”

“I don’t know how to make this better,” Skye replied. 

Her own panic was disguised better. They had all been asleep when Pepper started thrashing. Skye’s nightmare had started off calm and peaceful - she was floating in space, surrounded by stars and distant galaxies. She felt...whole. Complete - in a way that she had never felt before. 

Then Bucky was shouting in her ear, begging her to come back and she couldn’t come back. She was stuck in space - floating among the same stars that had just moments ago made her feel so calm. She started panicking, unable to get to Bucky. 

Steven started crying and she couldn’t find him. She couldn’t find him, but he was hurting and she needed to make it better. 

Steve was yelling, the words lost in the vacuum of space, but the tone penetrated the icy stillness. Panic. Fear. Loss. 

Tony was there too, clutching his chest. Blood was seeping from the hole in his sternum. His face was turning white with blood loss and fear - he knew what was happening. 

Pepper was yelling at her to save him, but she just couldn’t get there. She was just stuck.

Clint was there too, his arms crossed angrily over his chest. He had turned to Tasha and muttered that it was just like her to ignore what everyone else needed.

Skye choked on a sob and tried to force the memory away. She needed to take care of Pepper. Her own nightmare could wait.

“Солнышко, are you okay?” Bucky asked, sitting up behind her. Skye nodded, a little breathlessly.

Pepper gasped and sat up, “Tony.”

“Shh, he’s okay,” Skye whispered, sitting up next to her friend.

“He’s hurt, he’s hurt, he’s hurt,” Pepper repeated, falling into breathless sobs.

“Let’s take her to him,” Bucky suggested quietly. Skye nodded, easily agreeing with his suggestion. Bucky smiled slightly, worrying about her. He would take care of Pepper first, though. Skye wouldn’t let him put her before Pepper. He scooped Pepper up and followed Skye into the elevator. Skye grabbed up Tony’s file and looked it over quickly.

“You can put her in bed with him,” Skye said after a minute. “He’s still healing internally, but the hole is mostly closed up. She won’t hurt him. Here, let me make some room.”

“Can we stay, just for a little bit?” Skye asked softly. Pepper was sleeping next to Tony, the panic erased from her features. Tony had mumbled drowsily while she was settling; she slid into his side and they had both settled immediately.

“Course we can, Солнышко,” Bucky nodded. Skye was smiling at her brother. Being difficult definitely ran in the family - they were both lucky to have people that cared about them. He pulled a comfy armchair from the hall and settled on it. Skye grabbed an extra blanket from the closet and joined him. “You gonna tell me about it?”

“I’m okay,” Skye shrugged.

“Солнышко, don’t lie to me.” Bucky replied, easily calling her out.

“Just a weird dream that’s all.” Skye replied softly. “It wasn’t real.”

“Wanna tell me about it anyway?”

“Don’t know how,” Skye replied shyly. “It was one of those dreams that make sense while you’re having it...but I couldn’t tell you what it was anymore. People were yelling. I was stuck. I think I was in space. I don’t know. Like I said, it wasn’t real.”

“But it threw you,” Bucky nodded.

“You never told me what happened with that grenade, Bucky.” Skye said after a minute of silence.

“What about the grenade?” Bucky stalled.

“What happened?”

“It went off,” Bucky said slowly. “But it wasn’t an explosion. There was this gray cloud and I lost you in it. I panicked. That’s why I didn’t have time to shoot the two that had Pepper.”

“What happened with the cloud?” Skye pressed.

“You disappeared in it,” Bucky replied. “I caught a glimpse of Pepper as they ran off with her and focused long enough to tag her.”

“I was in the decontamination shower. You were crying. What happened, Bucky?”

“They just hauled her over their shoulder and ran off.”

“Bucky,” Skye winced. “You’re worrying me. Just tell me.”

“It took me a minute to get down to you,” Bucky sighed. “The gray cloud had settled by then.”

“And?”

“You were...stuck? I don’t know. You looked like a statue. It was hard, like rock. Just a very thin sheet of rock. It formed over the skin that was exposed. I busted you out, but you just...you weren’t there. That’s when I got you to the shower. I wanted to make sure that all of it was off you. But...I went to go get Tony, cause I couldn’t just leave him there...and you still weren’t back. You were turnin’ blue, from the cold, but your eyes were unfocused. You weren’t blinkin’. You weren’t talkin’. It scared the shit out of me.”

“We can check Jarvis,” Skye frowned. She didn’t like the sound of that.

“I already did. I hoped I was just hallucinatin’, but...there’s no footage. The grenade shorted out the electronics. There’s only static on the video feed.” Bucky replied. He pulled Skye onto his lap and wrapped his arms around her. “I thought I lost you, Солнышко.”

“It’s going to take more than a rock grenade to take me from you,” Skye said softly, resting her head on Bucky’s collar. When she didn’t move for a while, Bucky assumed she had fallen asleep.

“I don’t know what I’d do if I lost you,” Bucky murmured quietly, pressing a kiss to the top of her head. She frowned at the confession and let the tears escape. They ran down her face in a silent stream. The retrieval team had something that could turn her into a statue. She needed to work on reinforcing Bucky’s relationship with Steve. Something could happen to her any day and she couldn’t leave him in a vulnerable position.

Steven found them early that morning. Bucky was still awake, running his hand down Skye’s back over and over. He was lost in thought and didn’t notice the boy right away.

“Skye had a hard night,” Steven observed softly. Bucky blinked away his thoughts and focused his attention on the boy.

“Sorry, what?”

“Skye had a hard night,” the boy repeated.

“Little bit,” Bucky agreed. He took in the boy’s rumpled appearance and frowned. “Are you okay?”

“I’m okay,” Steven replied softly. He rubbed his eyes though, emphasizing the bags under them. Bucky frowned a little harder. “It’s cold in here.”

“You don’t have to ask for cuddles,” Bucky replied, smiling.

“Okay,” Steven grinned sleepily. He slipped under the blanket and squeezed himself into the space between Bucky and the arm of the chair. Bucky expected him to fall asleep again, but he didn’t. He reached out for Skye’s hand and pulled it closer to him. “I had a hard night, too.”

“Couldn’t sleep?” Bucky asked softly, trying not to wake the other occupants of the room.

“I don’t like it when people are mad at each other.”

“They’ll work it out,” Bucky replied honestly.

“They shouldn’t be mad at Skye. It’s normal for her to do things for herself. She’s not good at asking for help.”

“I know,” Bucky smiled. “But that’s something she needs to work on.”

“We all have stuff we’re working on,” Steven commented, parroting what Skye had told him ages ago.

“We’re all a work in progress,” Bucky agreed.

“Steve’s worried, too.”

“Yeah?”

“Yeah. I heard him pacing. I think he was waiting for Skye to come to bed.”

“Why don’t you try to get some rest?” Bucky smiled. “I’ll keep an eye on things for both of us.”

 


	66. Good. Great. Awesome.

 

When Steve came searching for them after his run, he paused at the doorway and took a mental picture. Skye was still on Bucky, tucked under his chin, but Steven and Bucky were playing a game on the boy’s tablet. Steven was giggling quietly because Bucky was playing with his metal hand and the tablet was having trouble reading it. Judging by their hushed conversation, Steve guessed they assumed Skye was sleeping but she was smiling at their interaction. Her eyes shot over to him when he stepped into the room and her smile grew.

“Are you ever going to get enough cuddles?” Steve teased lightly. The more he thought about it, the less angry he was. For thirty plus years, she had done things alone. It was unfair for them to expect her to change so quickly. She needed to know they disagreed with her choice, but they were only pushing her away with their anger. Hopefully she would remember their disappointment and utilize their help next time something came up.

“Never,” Skye replied, her voice rough with exhaustion.

“Shh, Steve!” Steven hushed sternly. “She’s resting.”

“Oh, you’re finally learning your pronouns?” Steve teased.

“I don’t know what that means,” Steven replied. “But Skye is resting, shush it.”

“Yeah, Steve,” Skye chuckled. “Shush it.”

“Now you’ve done it,” Steven huffed, throwing up his hands. Skye giggled and pulled the boy onto her lap. Steve took advantage of the space the boy left and crammed himself into Bucky’s side.

“Ugh, Steve, you’re killin’ us here,” Bucky groaned, shifting a little bit, trying to make room where there was none. Skye pulled her feet up, giving Steve a little bit more room. He grinned and draped his arm around his chairful of family.

“Yuck, Steeeeeve!” Steven groaned, “You’re all wet.”

“Shh,” Skye giggled. “Don’t wake up Pepper.”

“But he’s all wet!” Steven complained half-heartedly.

“Does that bother you?” Steve asked, shaking his wet hair at the boy.

“It better be from a shower,” he muttered, giving Steve the stink eye.

“Whatcha gonna do if it’s not?” Steve teased, shaking more droplets at him.

“You just wait,” Steven threatened.

“You’re sassy today,” Steve laughed.

“It’s morning, Steve,” the boy informed him loftily.

“Shh,” Skye giggled. “We’re gonna wake Pepper.”

“There are worse ways to wake up,” Pepper said softly. She was still tucked into Tony’s side where she had spent the second half of her night. She twisted her back to Tony, but kept his hand in hers. She was rumpled from sleep, but looked considerably better than she had the day before.

“How are you doing?” Skye asked, smiling.

“Better,” Pepper smiled back. “Coffee would make me happier though.”

“Oh, coffee.” Skye moaned.

“You know what goes good with coffee?” Steven asked innocently.

“Doughnuts?” Steve answered dryly.

“You’re so smart,” Steven crooned, bopping his nose.

“We’ve got all day to burn his energy,” Bucky shrugged. “Jarvis…”

“I’ve already placed the standard order,” Jarvis interrupted.

“Yes!” Steven giggled. “It’s gonna be the best day ever.”

 

0-0-0-0-0

 

“You okay?” Steve asked later that morning. Skye blinked slowly, coming out of her haze.

“Yeah,” She replied, smiling. “Just a little out of it.”

“Anything I can do to help?” Steve offered, pulling her into his chest. She grinned and shrugged.

“You can try,” She teased.

“Well, Bucky and Steven have disappeared so you’ve got my full attention, doll.” Steve teased right back. He ran his nose down hers with a small smile. She smiled back, but Steve hesitated. He swallowed and licked his dry lips, “Doll, what’s wrong? Is it because Clint and Tasha are mad? They’ll get over it, I promise. They’re just disappointed; they don’t like being left out.”

“It’s okay,” She denied, shaking her head a little. She smiled a little more sincerely and leaned up on her tiptoes to kiss him.

“That’s not what I asked,” Steve clarified lightly, tightening his hold on her. She suddenly felt...fragile.

“It’s okay,” Skye repeated.

“Doll…” Steve frowned, feeling helpless. She was trying so hard to put on a brave face, but her smile didn’t reach her eyes. All he saw there was sadness and he absolutely hated that.

“Mr. Rogers,” Jarvis chimed in, “The Avengers are receiving an urgent call. Mr. Barton will have to pilot. He says you have two minutes. You’re meeting on the roof.”

“Shit,” Steve muttered.

“Go,” Skye smiled, pushing him away. She hesitated, then pulled his face back down to hers. “I’m okay, okay? Just focus on your mission. I’m okay.”

“Fucking stubborn woman,” Steve groaned, pulling her tightly to him for a proper kiss.

“One minute, thirty seconds,” Jarvis chimed in helpfully. Skye giggled and pushed Steve away.

“Go,” She whispered. “Be safe.”

“Yes, ma’am.”

 

0-0-0-0-0

 

“Steve called,” Steven informed Skye glumly. He handed her the phone, then plopped down on the couch. Skye frowned and looked at the phone. The call had already disconnected.

“What’d he say?” She asked.

“It’s going bad,” he replied. “No one is hurt...but it’s gonna take a few days.  _ Days _ , Skye.”

“Hey, that gives us time to do…”

“Is it okay if I go to bed?” Steven asked.

“Yeah, of course.” Skye replied softly.

“Do I still get a goodnight kiss?” He asked at his doorway. 

“Whether you want one or not,” Skye smiled.

“Okay, good,” Steven said softly, hiding a smile.

 

“I’m sorry I’m grouchy,” Steven apologized when Skye came in to tuck him in.

“It’s okay,” Skye smiled. “I think we’re both a little out of sorts today.”

“I have lots of shorts,” Steven replied, mid-yawn.

“Oh, good,” Skye grinned. She pressed a kiss to his forehead, then smoothed his hair back from his face, repeating the motion over and over until his breathing even out. 

“Wanna watch a movie?” Bucky asked, sitting with Jack and Fitz on the couch.

“Sure,” Skye smiled. “You guys start without me, though. I’m going to go check on Pepper.”

“Sure you don’t want us to wait?” Jack asked, frowning slightly.

“Nah,” Skye smiled. “Don’t know how long it’ll take. It’s okay. Start without me.”

“Is she okay?” Fitz asked softly, after Skye had disappeared into the elevator.

“No, but she won’t admit it,” Bucky replied, frowning at the elevator.

“Cause of Tony?”

“No, that was just bad timing,” Jack laughed bitterly. “This is just a hard time of year for her. Always has been.”

“Oh. Is there anything I can do?” Fitz asked, wringing his fingers.

“Honestly?” Jack snorted. “Pretend like you can’t see right through her brittle little smiles. She hates drawing attention to it.”

“To what?”

“I have no idea,” Jack shrugged. “She’s never told us.” 

Bucky pinched his lips together and became very busy with the movie choices in front of them.

“Okay guys, action, comedy, or somethin’ stupid?” Bucky asked, waving three choices at the pair. 

 

0-0-0-0-0

 

“You’re lucky your brother fell asleep, or he may have noticed you never joined us,” Bucky said conversationally, leaning against the open door of the van.

“Sorry,” Skye replied. She wrapped her blanket around her shoulders and tried for a casual shrug.

“It’s okay to admit you’re not okay, you know,” Bucky informed her, crawling into the van and closing the door. He squeezed into the space next to her and pulled her to his side. She resisted for about half a second, then burrowed into his reassuring bulk.

“I’m waiting for Steve to comment on our touchy-ness,” Skye informed him.

“Steve knows we’re not like that,” Bucky replied. He gasped a little and pulled back, “You don’t want to be like that, do you?”

“Yuck, Bucky,” Skye giggled.

“Hmm, just checkin’,” Bucky grinned.

“Weirdo,” Skye grumbled.

“Your weirdo,” Bucky chuckled.

“Alert the sappy police,” Skye moaned. They both chuckled, then let the heavy silence fill the van again.

“You know, you could go-”

“-don’t,” Skye interrupted.

“It would help,” Bucky muttered.

“No, it wouldn’t.” Skye muttered back.

“Go visit him, Солнышко.”

“Drop it, James.”

“What were you doin’ down here?” Bucky asked. Skye rarely called him James, but when she did, she meant it. He dropped it and changed the topic. He knew not to push too hard.

“Looking at the files we recovered from that building,” Skye muttered.

“From the buildin’ with the missing kids?” Bucky asked softly.

“Yeah,” Skye nodded.

“Find anythin’?”

“They’ve been clearing the rooms,” Skye replied. “That’s why there were so many empty ones.”

“What was in there?”

“Bedding, mostly.” Skye replied. “Someone was living there. Lots of someones.”

“Think this is the best time to be doin’ this?” Bucky asked, wincing.

“It’s not going to hurt anything,” Skye replied bitterly. She shook her head lightly and showed Bucky some of the footage. “It’s all small stuff. Either adults were living in really crappy quarters or kids lived here.”

“They needed someplace to keep the kids while they were kidnappin’ them,” Bucky reasoned. “Steven’s mentioned that a few times now.”

“Yeah, but he also said it was the building Steve found me in,” Skye argued lightly. “That’s how he knew the landmarks.”

“Maybe this wasn’t his buildin’, They could have had more than one,” Bucky replied. “Let’s save this for later. Come to bed.”

“You go on up,” Skye replied, patting his chest.

“Солнышко, I know what that means,” Bucky informed her.

“I’m not ready yet,” Skye admitted.

“Then I’ll stay,” Bucky shrugged, settling back.

“Go to sleep, Bucky,” Skye smiled. “I know you’re tired. You were up all of last night.”

“Hmm, and I thought you were asleep,” Bucky replied, narrowing his eyes at her. “I’ll sleep when you sleep.”

“Fucking stubbornness is catching,” Skye grumbled. “Let’s go, then, stubborn.”

 

0-0-0-0-0

 

“How are you feeling?” Skye asked, plopping down next to Tony on his recovery bed. 

It had taken Tony a full two days to wake up, which had everyone except Skye and Jack worried. Skye hadn’t slept since that strange dream in Pepper’s bed, but it wasn’t because of Tony. She knew he would be fine; he had never used the blood before so she was expecting it to take longer to heal Tony. When Steve and Trip had gotten hurt, they had small, specific injuries that the blood had needed to repair. They were significant, but a small area. Tony’s entire chest had had surgery, between the damage from the reactor, the removal of the metal shards that the reactor was protecting him against, and the poisoning of his blood, Tony had a lot more area to repair.

The team hadn’t returned from their mission yet, which had Steven all out of sorts. He was used to having lots of people around - but the only people in the Tower were Pepper, Tony, Bucky, Skye, and himself. Jack and Fitz had gotten called on a mission for Coulson, so they had left the morning after the movie night that never happened with Skye. She was just getting worse. She was distant, but trying to hide it. Every second Steven was working with Bucky on training Zeus, Skye was holed up in her van. Eventually, Bucky would get worried enough to seek her out and pull her out of her head for a little while. There wasn’t anything that could make it better...but sometimes it just hurt to dwell on things.

Bruce had declared Tony healed and had just removed all of his wires and IV lines. It had been a long day and a half, mostly on Pepper, waiting for him to wake. Bruce had explained the complexity of the surgery he had performed though and it didn’t seem odd that Tony would sleep so much following open heart surgery. The fact that he was being discharged only two days after such an injury  _ was _ a little odd though - for those not familiar with the magic blood.

“Good. Great. Awesome.” Tony smiled, draping his arm around her shoulders. “I’ve been told that it’s thanks to you that I feel so great. I haven’t felt like this since...well, since I’ve had the reactor.”

“Well, duh. It was poisoning you, after all.” Skye said dryly. Tony winced and scratched at his temple.

“You caught on to that, huh?”

“Yeah,” Skye replied with a stern look. “You could have been feeling like this weeks ago. You’re as stubborn as a mule.”

“Eh, never been good about asking for help.”

“That must run in the family,” Skye grinned. “I’ve been accused of the same thing.”

“I’m not good at this,” Tony admitted, picking at his blanket, “But I’m going to try...because you deserve it.”

“Good at what?” Skye frowned.

“Thanking people.” Tony smiled. “So...thank you. For having my back. For saving my life. For kicking ass and getting Pepper back. All of it. From the bottom of my tiny Grinch heart, thank you.”

“I know how you can repay me,” Skye teased.

“Anything,” Tony agreed immediately.

“Training sessions,” Skye replied.

“Done,” Tony smiled.

“Without your suit.” 

“Nope, I take it back.” Tony said quickly, shaking his head to emphasize his point.

“You can’t. It’s mandatory.”

“Fuck...Skye! No!”

“Yes, Tony. Mandatory.”

“I just had heart surgery!”

“And you feel good. Great. Awesome!” Skye mocked, throwing his words back in his face.

“Can I have a few days at least?” Tony sighed.

“Sure,” Skye compromised. “Two days.”

“Aw…”

“One day?”

“Nope! Two is good.”

“That’s what I thought.”

 


	67. You’re coming back, right?

 

Bucky startled from troubled sleep, jerking to awareness with a cold jolt to his stomach. Something was wrong. Then he heard the sound that had woken him initially and struggled from the bed. His feet got tangled in the sheets and he fell in an ungraceful heap over the side of his bed. “Fuck,” Bucky hissed, catching himself just seconds before his face impacted the floor. He wrenched free and stumbled to his door. It had gotten closed, which explained why the sobbing was so loud when he opened it.

“Get her, Bucky,” Steven cried. He was standing in his doorway, looking as panicked as Bucky felt. He was wringing his hands, trying to decide if he should let Bucky handle it alone or if he should follow him into the dark room.

“Go back to bed,” Bucky murmured before closing the door.

 

Steven hurried to obey, but the distance the door created was too much for him to bear and he threw himself at the floor, trying desperately to push his way under the door. He could hear the struggle in Steve’s room when Skye reacted defensively to Bucky’s invasion of her space. He winced and bit the neck of his night shirt, trying to muffle his own crying. He was okay; Skye was the one that needed help. The slow, icy tendril that had been working its way around his stomach the last week had crawled into his chest cavity and he felt like he would shake apart with the sharp chill of it. Either that, or it was an intense burn of a burning heart. Both sensations were so immense that he couldn’t tell the difference between them.

It just hurt.

It hurt more than anything had ever hurt before.

He pulled his knees up into his chest and clenched himself tight, trying to keep his ribcage from exploding with the force of it.

 

“Shh,” Bucky murmured, pulling Skye under his covers. She was cold and clammy but let him guide her down onto the mattress and cover her. “I’ve got you, it’s okay.”

Skye wasn’t capable of words. Her hands were shaking and her entire body was trembling with the effort of trying to keep breathing in.

“What happened?” Bucky asked softly.

“H-h-h-...uh th-t-t,” Skye gasped, trying to make words through her sobbing. He winced and pulled her closer. She gave up trying to keep the tears in and sobbed into his chest.

“It’s okay,” Bucky murmured, running his hand over her hair. He let her cry herself out because he wasn’t sure what else he was supposed to do. When her sobbing turned into sniffles, he kicked the sheets off them. Between their shared body heat and her hysterics, they were both sweating. Her sniffle turned into a watery giggle when his foot got stuck in the sheets and he had to kick his leg in the air to free it. “Hmm, there’s my girl.”

“Sorry,” Skye sniffled. “I cried all over your shirt.”

“Meh, I didn’t like this one anyway,” Bucky shrugged. “Wanna tell me what happened? Or should I just assume it’s because of what today is?”

“It’s today,” Skye whispered. “I dreamed of it. Replayed that whole day with perfect recall.”

“You should go see him,” Bucky whispered.

“I can’t,” Skye whispered back.

“Why not?”

“Cause I have responsibi-”

“I am perfectly capable of taking care of Steven and Zeus. Hell, I’m perfectly capable of taking care of those two and Jack. Jack is harder than both of them put together.”

“I don’t know when they’ll be back from their mission and what if they get hurt-”

“There is a store of magic blood. Steven and I both know where it is.”

“They’ll think I left.”

“I can talk to them,” Bucky retorted, shooting down each of her half-hearted excuses with ease.

“I’m scared,” Skye admitted finally. There was a long breath of quiet, then Skye pulled away from his chest and repeated herself. “Bucky, I’m scared.”

“You haven’t always gotten to go,” Bucky whispered back. “This year, there is no reason you can’t. Take a few days, go visit.”

“The team won’t understand,” Skye admitted. “They’re already so mad at me. I can’t take much more of that.”

“I will take care of it,” Bucky reinforced. “Let’s sleep for a few hours, then I’ll help you pack. You don’t have to stay long. But don’t come back because you think we’re angry. Come back because you’re ready to leave him again.”

“I never want to leave him,” Skye cried. She wiped her face angrily and sighed. “It gets harder to leave him every time. Isn’t it supposed to get easier?”

“He can move closer to you,” Bucky offered. “You know I’d help find a good location.”

“I can’t do that,” Skye denied. “He loves it there.”

“So go visit,” Bucky repeated.

“Okay,” Skye agreed finally. “But I’m gonna finish cuddling first.”

“You’re not leavin’ here without a few hours of sleep under your belt,” Bucky grumbled warningly. “You haven’t slept in like three days.”

“Whatever you say,” Skye yawned, reaching down for the sheets again. His room was cool; at first it had felt good, but then the sweat dried and she was just cold. There was quiet calm around them for about a minute, then Skye was scrambling away from him, “Shit.”

“Steven,” Bucky cursed. The sheets tangled around him again, leaving him in an angry heap on the floor. Skye beat him out the door with ease. By the time Bucky ripped himself free of his sheets, his night stand was knocked over and his lamp was broken. That wasn’t the only damage to Steve’s floor though; Skye couldn’t get the door open with Steven in front of it, so she had kicked the drywall in and slipped through the hole. Bucky waited on the other side of the wall, waiting for Skye to open the door because he had regained enough common sense to know he would only be making the damage worse.

His sense was tested though, when the door didn’t immediately open in his face. He could hear Skye murmuring, then the scrape of a body across carpet. The door jingled but didn’t open, so he pushed it open slowly. Skye moved Steven out of the way as the door opened, struggling to pull his limp body into her chest. Bucky scooped the boy and Skye up and brought them up to Steven’s bed. He quickly discovered the sheets were sweat soaked, as was the boy, and moved the pair to Steve’s bed. Skye had been out of bed the longest and her sheets were the driest. They settled on Steve’s side of the bed, Bucky propped up against Steve’s headboard with Skye and Steven on his lap.

Skye hadn’t stopped murmuring to the boy, saying everything and nothing at all. Her own tears were pushed away and she presented an entirely calm facade to the boy. The boy just cried against Skye’s chest for the better part of an hour - literally until he couldn’t cry any more and coughed when the sharp inhales tickled his dry throat. Bucky reached in the dark, then handed a lukewarm water bottle to Skye. They adjusted and handed Steven the water. He gulped quickly, then gasped loudly. It took a moment for him to settle, but then he looked over at Skye and Bucky with an overly chipper smile.

“Steve’s gonna be so mad you broke a wall,” he whispered.

“Ugh,” Skye moaned dramatically, burying her face in Bucky’s neck.

“You sure Barton isn’t the father?” Bucky muttered, giving them both the chance to break the heaviness of the room. He wanted to ask if they were sure Steven wasn’t a Stark - but that was muddy water right now. A long history of danger awaiting in murky water reinforced his natural instinct to leave that one the hell alone.

“He promised Tasha he hadn’t been with any Asian ladies,” Steven whispered. He paused then giggled, “Tasha smacked him until he would give a definite period of time for that statement.”

“When was it okay?” Skye asked, peeling the wet pajamas off the boy. He shivered and whined a little as the cool air hit his skin. Bucky slipped out from under them, desperate to regain blood flow to his feet, and returned to the bed with two of Steve’s shirts. He slipped one over Steven’s thin shoulders as Skye shimmied free of her drenched shirt (of Steve’s) and plunged into the dry one. She ran back to bed and launched herself at the two men in Steve’s bed, giggling as she did.

“Cuddles!” Steven giggled, pulling Skye and Bucky close.

“Steven sandwich?” Bucky smiled, forcing Skye to switch sides with him so he could rest his weight on his metal arm.

“It’s my favorite kind of sandwich,” Steven mumbled, nuzzling into Skye’s neck.

“Top ten for sure,” Skye agreed softly. The trio settled and some of the heaviness came surging back. “What happened, honey? Was it a bad dream?”

“Sure,” Steven agreed hastily. Bucky exchanged a look with Skye and frowned.

“What happened?” Bucky asked. “You were up before I was up.”

“I was just closer, is all,” Steven muttered.

“What aren’t you telling us?” Skye whispered, running her fingers through his sweaty hair to help it dry.

“I don’t know,” Steven admitted truthfully. “I just felt...I just felt...I don’t know. Like I swallowed a giant ice cube and it was freezing me from the inside out. - You don’t need to worry about me. I’m more worried that you’re okay, Skye. You were crying really hard.”

“Oh, baby, you weren’t supposed to hear that,” Skye murmured, ducking her head. “I’m okay. You don’t need to worry about me. Just, sometimes I remember bad things.”

“Me, too,” Steven yawned. “You said cuddles make everything better. Can cuddles make this better?”

“Absolutely,” Skye agreed, kissing his forehead.

“After cuddles, Skye’s goin’ to leave the Tower for a little while,” Bucky warned the boy. “She’s not runnin’ away and you didn’t do anything wrong, okay?”

“You’re coming back?” Steven asked, pulling out of her neck to make eye contact.

“Like I’m going to leave you alone with this bunch of weirdos,” Skye scoffed. Steven giggled at her expression and kissed her cheek.

“Okay, so long as you promise to come back.”

“I promise,” Skye murmured. “Just need a little break.”

“You’re going to visit 47, huh?”

“Why would you say that?”

“Cause Jack said this time of year is hard for you, but you hadn’t broken Delta out yet. So that means it’s because of something from before. You knew 47 before, cause he told you about Delta.”

“You’re too smart for your own good,” Skye grumbled lightly. Steven giggled and burrowed down into the blankets.

“Are you going to tell him about us? About me?”

“Oh, he’s going to hear all about you,” Skye teased. “About flour bombs and eaten flash drives and broken noses and-”

“Make sure you tell him some good things too!” Steven moaned.

“Oh, honey, those are the good things.”

 

0-0-0-0-0

 

“We made you a sandwich while you were showering,” Steven said shyly, holding out a brown baggie towards Skye. She dropped a bag by her feet and scooped the boy up.

“Thanks,” Skye grinned. “You didn’t have to do that.”

“It’s not ham,” Steven giggled.

“It’s official. You’re my favorite.”

“Ha. Bucky, Skye loves me more,” Steven teased, twisting in Skye’s arms to look back at him.

“That’s not at all what she said,” Bucky teased back. “Favorites can change. She definitely loves me more.”

“Hey!” Steven gasped, clutching his chest. “That hurts Bucky.”

“Can’t believe you’ve only been here for a few weeks,” Skye sighed, shaking her head. “I can see the Tower’s influence all over you.”

“That’s not a bad thing, right?”

“Depends on the day,” Bucky chuckled. “Now let Skye go. She needs to head out.”

“You’re coming back, right?” Steven confirmed.

“I promise,” Skye nodded. “We’ve got a bedtime ritual to maintain.”

“I’ll fill in while she’s gone,” Bucky offered quickly.

“I’m going to miss you,” Steven confessed softly. “So please come back. But when you’re ready, okay? I don’t want you to be sad like that anymore.”

“47 will take good care of her,” Bucky smiled. “Now give her a squeeze so she can go. She’s got a long drive ahead of her.”

“If you need to, you can text me, okay?” Skye whispered, giving the boy a long squeeze. “Bucky knows how to get a hold of me.”

“Okay,” Steven whispered back.

“Come here, kiddo.” Bucky smiled, plucking Steven from Skye’s arms. “We’ve got a puppy to check on.”

“Can we tell Steve about him soon?”

“Hmm, let’s see how the trainin’s goin’. Why don’t you get a head start?”

“Okay,” Steven nodded, glancing between them. “Bye, Skye. Love you.”

“Love you,” Skye smiled, kissing his forehead. “I’ll be back in a few days.”

“Have fun,” Steven smiled, then squirmed free from Bucky and ran off.

“He’s a good kid,” Bucky smirked.

“Yeah he is,” She agreed easily. “I kind of want to take him with me.”

“We both know that would be a bad idea,” Bucky murmured.

“I know; that’s why I’m not taking him.”

“You can have some bondin’ outside of the Tower when you get back,” Bucky offered. “He’s mentioned that date you two had like...every day.”

“Really? I didn’t think it was that big of a deal…”

“That’s a lie and you know it,” Bucky laughed. “I don’t think he’s mentioned it around you, though, so I’ll go with it. I think he liked…”

“Liked…” Skye prompted.

“Nevermind,” Bucky hurried to say. Her face fell as she guessed what he was trying not to say.

“He liked when that woman thought he was my son?”

“Yeah,” Bucky agreed softly. “Sorry.”

“Your job, if Steve beats me back, is to get him to finish that adoption paperwork. Okay?”

“You got it,” Bucky hurried to agree. “You should get goin’. I have a puppy to go train.”

“You’re going to make sure they know I’m not running off, right?” Skye asked Bucky softly.

“I’ll talk to them.” Bucky nodded.

“Nicely?” Skye winced. “I don’t want them more angry at me…”

“I’ll handle them,” Bucky replied firmly. He pulled her into a hug then shoved her towards the elevator. “Now, go. Don’t worry about us.”

 

0-0-0-0-0

 

“I want a word,” Bucky growled, his hands clenched into fists at his sides. “Now.”

“Dude, we just got back,” Clint replied, rolling his eyes.

“Now,” Bucky repeated.

“What’s wrong?” Steve asked. Bucky wasn’t a little angry - his anger was rolling off him in waves.

“You should go to your kid,” Bucky replied, waving him off. “I’m havin’ words with these two.”

“Dude, we _just_ got back.” Clint repeated. “At least let me shower.”

“No,” Bucky replied simply.

“Fine,” Clint sighed sullenly. “Give it to me.”

“You’re goin’ to ease up on Skye,” Bucky informed the pair, glaring at them.

“Dude, you have zero right to-” Clint argued.

“-no.” Bucky interrupted right back. “You’re not goin’ to talk. You’re goin’ to fuckin’ shut your mouth and listen to me.”

“We have every right to be mad,” Tasha pointed out. “You would be mad too.”

“Shut. Up.” Bucky ground out. The pair exchanged a look then waved Bucky on. “You gonna listen now?”

“Just hurry up,” Clint sighed.

“Yes, you’re allowed to be mad at her,” Bucky said carefully, trying to keep his anger in check. “Yes, you’re allowed to feel like she deceived you. I can’t really argue with you there. But have you stopped to think about why she didn’t take you?”

“Oh, are we allowed to talk now?” Tasha asked sarcastically when Bucky paused.

“ _Did you think about why she didn’t take you_?” Bucky asked again. He was met with silence. He clenched his jaw and let out a slow breath. “Tell me what you know about Skye. Tell me what you know about the retrieval team and her.”

“They’re mad at her. Been chasing her and Delta for years. Finally caught her. Tortured her - to what extent we don’t know,” Clint summarized succulently.

“What do you know about Delta?”

“She broke them out.”

“And when the retrieval team caught up to them?” Bucky pressed. “Do you know what happened when the team caught up to them?”

“Skye took them out.” Clint replied, crossing his arms.

“No,” Bucky growled. “Skye didn’t take them out. She fought them off as best she could, but Delta hated fightin’. Jack’s attitude towards fightin’ is exactly what Delta was like. They could be defensive, if they wanted to, but they weren’t good at protectin’ themselves. They weren’t good at protectin’ each other.”

“It’s easy for you to-”

“Shut. Up.” Bucky snarled. “She obviously hasn’t told you, but I’m goin’ to fill you in because if you keep givin’ her the cold shoulder…” Bucky trailed off, rolling his neck. The Asset wanted to come out. He wanted to slam some common sense into the pair of assassins. He couldn’t let that happen. He couldn’t let the Asset out with Skye gone. He didn’t trust himself to keep The Asset in check. He exhaled slowly and tried again. “The retrieval team kept takin’ Delta. A little bit at a time.”

“We knew that,” Tasha said softly.

“Did you know that Skye went after them every time? Did you know that Delta would volunteer to help? Did you know that every fuckin’ time Delta helped, more of them ended up being taken? Do you know about the elaborate traps set up for them? Do you know about her findin’ _her fuckin’ kids_ in bits and pieces because she couldn’t keep them safe? Do you know about the kids that were sent back to her as a message - the ones that were still conscious enough to tell her exactly what had happened to them? Do you know how fuckin’ _scared_ she is of the retrieval team? Of what they can do? Of what they have done? Skye’s fucking brilliant...but they manage to out wit her over and over. She can’t protect you from them.”

“We aren’t Delta,” Tasha pointed out. “We’re assassins. We’re Avengers. We’re dangerous.”

“You’re her fuckin’ family!” Bucky yelled, pulling at his hair angrily. “She would rather risk having herself taken by those fuckin’ assholes than expose you to that danger.”

“That’s not her choice to make!” Clint yelled right back. “She can’t protect us from everything, but we can have her back. We can protect ourselves. We deserved the chance to help her. To prove to her how important she is to us. To get _our_ family back. Yeah, Pepper is family to us too, so don’t fucking pull that card.”

“Walk with me,” Bucky told them, grabbing them both by their elbows. He dragged them inside and to a computer. “You’re not goin’ to tell her you saw this.”

“Bucky, you don’t need to-” Tasha sighed.

“Yes, I do need to.” Bucky sighed right back.

He pressed a few buttons and then there was a video playing on the screen. There was a surveillance feed inside the warehouse. It showed the team showing up with Pepper. They immediately tied her up, but she had come in blind folded. Bucky fast forwarded until he saw himself come into frame, sneaking in through an uppermost window. It was slow going, because he had had to stop and dismantle booby traps the entire way.

“Oh, no,” Tasha whispered, seeing where this was going. On screen, Bucky was slowly completing his round of the building. He had removed traps from every corner.

“I was the most confident with this side,” Bucky said softly. He dismantled seven items from around the door and windows on the side of the building that Skye had come in.

“Booby traps?” Clint winced.

“They don’t just go after them,” Bucky whispered, his anger fading when he saw the contrite expressions on their faces. “They humiliate them. They trick them. They get someone important to Skye - they trap them and make her watch, helpless. That’s why she didn’t call for help. Not because she doesn’t trust you. Not because she doesn’t love you. Not because she didn’t think you could handle yourselves...but, rather, because she _does_ trust you. She _does_ love you. She’s always had so much to lose...so much that they can take from her. She lost all of Delta, but she can’t lose you.”

“She doesn’t seem to need us,” Clint muttered stubbornly.

“She didn’t always see the retrieval team watchin’ them,” Bucky replied. “The team learned her weaknesses and used that against her. They wanted to take you. To hurt her. They were talkin’ about it as I made my rounds checkin’ for booby traps. That’s why they lured Tony to SI. That’s why Tony was hurt.”

“Shit, Bucky.”

“Look, she doesn’t know...and frankly, I’d like to keep it that way. Don’t tell her about this. She thinks she was careful enough to avoid any booby traps. Pepper has promised not to mention that part to anybody.”

“Bucky, it’s not fair to ask us not to be mad,” Tasha said softly. She already felt a lot less anger towards her though; her frustration level was a little higher, though.

“I’m not askin’ you to not be mad,” Bucky sighed. “I’m just askin’ you to not give Skye the silent treatment. Talk to her. Tell her what you feel, but then move on.”

“Skye doesn’t need our approval,” Clint replied. “She’s strong, all on her own.”

“She doesn’t think she’s stronger than the retrieval team. That’s why she couldn’t invite you. They always win, one way or another. She pretends like she’s strong all of the time, but she’s not.”

“We already knew that about her,” Tasha admitted. “That’s why we’re so mad. As much as she wants to be, she’s not strong enough to carry the burden alone. She needs to let us help.”

“What you’re doin’ is just pushin’ her away,” Bucky replied. “I get that you were mad. You’re right - I would have been mad if I had been left behind. But you need to tell her that you’re disappointed and then get over it. You can’t keep givin’ her the silent treatment. She’ll never tell you, but she hates havin’ you mad at her. She didn’t sleep while you were gone...well, a few hours. But that ended badly. Just...forgive her, okay?”

“Where is she?” Tasha asked, slipping an arm around Clint.

“She’s not here,” Bucky offered over his shoulder as he left the room.

“What do you mean she’s not here?” Clint yelled after him. Bucky didn’t respond, just kept walking. “What the fuck does that mean?”

“It means she’s not here,” Steven informed him from the vent above their heads. “She’s not in the Tower.”

“Where is she?” Clint asked.

“Not in the Tower,” Steven replied, smirking a little at his sass.

“Kid, where is she?”

“Don’t worry, she said she would come back. She promised. We have a bedtime ritual to keep,” Steven smiled.

“How long has she been gone?” Tasha asked.

“34 hours and 27 minutes,” Steven replied instantly, like it wasn’t a big deal that he knew exactly how long she had been gone.

“Why’d she leave?”

“Jack says this time of year is hard for Skye,” Steven replied. “She’s sad. Not just because you’re mad at her, though. It’s not _all_ your fault.”

“But some of it is,” Clint sighed, rubbing his forehead. Shit. They had fucked up. “Why is this time of year hard for Skye?”

“I don’t know,” Steven replied. “She doesn’t want to talk about it. Jack doesn’t know. Bucky won’t tell me.”

“It’s bad though?”

“Skye’s been locked in her van for most of the time you guys were gone. She didn’t sleep...well, she did a little...but that was bad,” Steven shrugged. “I’m going to go see if Bucky is done being mad at you two.”

“Heads up,” Steve warned them, popping his head around the corner. “Tony’s incoming.”

“Hey! You’re better!” Clint smiled, throwing his arms open to Tony as he rounded the corner. His smile fell though when he saw the expression on Tony’s face.

“I have been informed that my sister is _unwilling to share location_ ,” Tony yelled angrily, making Jarvis’ chime a little _too_ British and sarcastic as fuck. The angry jazz hands gesture that he was making made Steve bust into silent laughter behind Tony. Clint couldn’t see the humor in the situation yet and defended himself quickly.

“-It’s a hard time of year for her, Iron Tits,” Clint interrupted angrily. Steve slapped his hand over his mouth and ducked around the corner. He stood, shoulders heaving, five feet from the angry confrontation.

“You don’t know shit about her year, Merida McFuckFace,” Tony shot back.

“Oh, yeah, cause you know all about her year…”

Steve caught sight of Bucky and headed his way. He needed to get away from that conversation before he got himself into trouble.

“Stupid question, I know, but...she’s coming back right?”

“You’re right, that is a stupid question.” Bucky smirked, tossing an arm around Steve’s shoulders.

“Incoming!” Steven giggled, falling from the vent overhead. Steve caught him easily and shook his head.

“We have got to get you away from Clint.”

“Don’t worry, he’s not my dad,” Steven replied, grinning at Bucky.

“Tasha made him promise,” Bucky nodded, grinning back.

“What have you guys been up to?” Steve groaned.

“You really don’t want to know,” Steven replied seriously. Bucky started laughing at his serious expression and pried him free from Steve.

“Go save Clint. Steve and I have to talk, remember?”

“Yes, sir!” Steven barked back, saluting Bucky.

“How long has Skye been gone?” Steve asked, following Bucky onto the elevator.

“Hmm, day and a half? Ish?”

“Ish?” Steve grinned.

“Ish.”

“So you’ve been corrupting my kid for a day and a half?” Steve laughed.

“He’s not your kid until you finish these,” Bucky replied, pushing the mostly finished adoption papers into Steve’s chest. Steve blinked up at Bucky slowly.

“I don’t know how,” Steve admitted softly.

“You don’t know how to fill out paperwork?” Bucky frowned.

“I don’t know what it all means. I don’t want to guess and get it wrong and mess up my chances of…”

“Punk, stop. Breathe.” Bucky sighed, taking the folder back. “Walk with me.”

“You’re right, I need to finish the papers, Buck, but I don’t know how,” Steve confessed, following Bucky back onto the elevator.

“I love you,” Bucky told Steve, smiling kindly, “But sometimes you’re the stupidest person I’ve ever met.”

“You’ve just gotten used to being around Skye and her genius brain.”

“You complain about Skye and her stubbornness,” Bucky smirked, “But you’re just as bad about asking for help.”

“Buck! Who am I supposed to ask for help!?” Steve shot back.

“Pepper, Steve needs help with some legal forms,” Bucky sighed, pulling Steve into her office space in the Tower.

“Oh.” Steve muttered softly.

“Legal forms?” Pepper asked, glancing up.

“Adoption papers,” Bucky clarified. Pepper smiled and put her paperwork aside.

“Wondered if you were going to be stopping by,” she admitted. “Pull up a seat, Steve.”

 


	68. Take care of it

 

“Skye’s sad,” Steven whispered from Steve’s doorway. Bucky was up with Clint and Natasha, but he really needed Steve...even if he was asleep. Steve’s bed moved in the darkness, then he sat up and rubbed his face.

“Steven?” He asked, his voice rough. “What’s wrong?”

“Skye’s sad,” Steven repeated, shifting his weight from one foot to the other.

“Come here, buddy.” Steve murmured sleepily. Steven hesitated, but Steve waved him forward so he hurried into the darkness and crawled up the end of the bed. “What was that about Skye?”

“She’s sad, Steve.” Steven whimpered. He had been doing a stellar job of holding his tears back, but his chin quivered and his voice cracked.

“I’m sure Skye is fi-”

“She’s _sad_ ,” Steven insisted. “She’s sad and I feel it. I feel…” Steven fluttered his hand near his chest and exhaled shakily. “...I feel...I don’t know what I feel but I don’t like it and what if Skye always feels like this and what if we can’t make it better and what if her going away means she’s not going to come back and what if she changes her mind and what if…”

“Whoa, whoa, whoa,” Steve interrupted. He pulled the boy onto his lap and under the covers. He was shaking, but not just from cold. “Take a breath.”

“She promised she would come back but she didn’t say _when_ and she wouldn’t lie...but what if she comes back in 10 years or 20 years or when I’m _old_?”

“You really think Skye wouldn’t come back?” Steve asked kindly, brushing his hair out of his face. “You think she’d do that to you?”

“I don’t think she can help it, sometimes.” Steven admitted, brushing away a tear from his cheek. “She always says it’s okay to have feelings and to ask for help and that it’s okay to not be perfect...but she’s not good at _any_ of that.”

“That’s what she’s working on,” Steve agreed.

“And Bucky won’t stay if Skye doesn’t stay. He told Skye that you don’t need him, not like you used to. He said you would be okay without him...but he doesn’t think Skye would be okay. You used to be weak, but now you’re strong. You have a family and a team and me… Skye pretends like she’s strong, but she’s not. She has Jack - but now Jack is spending all his time with Fitz and Coulson’s team. She has you, but you’ve got work and other people. She has Tony, but I think that freaks her out. She wasn’t happy when he got hurt. She said it was her fault...and I think she was right. Bucky told Clint and Tasha about booby traps. The retrieval team is trying to catch us so they can hurt her. They got Tony. They had Pepper… Skye’s smart. She’s going to run before she lets the team hurt her any more. I think she’s only held together by her stubbornness.”

“She can’t help what the retrieval team does.”

“Exactly,” Steven sniffled. “I think if they get to one more of us, she’s gonna run. She’ll say it’s to keep us safe, and that’s probably true, but it’s also because I think she would break into a million tiny little pieces. Everyone around her has someone, Steve. Everyone but Bucky. He’s her person. They’re a good team. They help each other.”

“Steven…” Steve gaped silently, flailing for words that wouldn’t form. What the _hell_ do you say to something like that?

“Steve, she needs a reason to stay. You need to give her a reason to stay. Something good enough to outweigh anything bad the retrieval team might do.”

“You are the oldest seven year old I’ve ever met,” Steve laughed weakly.

“Steve…”

“I don’t know how to make you feel better,” Steve admitted. “I don’t know how to make Skye not feel sad. I don’t know if she’s going to come back...but if she said she’s going to come back, then I believe her. You should too.”

“I’m trying.”

“And if she doesn’t come back for a while? Well, we’ll be okay. I’m not going anywhere. You’re stuck with me, kid.”

“I like being stuck with you,” Steven smiled.

“Good,” Steve smiled back. He pressed a kiss to his forehead and whispered, “Cause I just turned in some paperwork that’s going to start the ball rolling on you being mine...forever.”

“Yeah?” Steven asked, looking a little more chipper.

“Yeah.” He confirmed. “Do you know why?”

“Cause you promised?”

“Cause I love you.”

Steven grinned and threw his arms around Steve’s neck, “I love you, too, D-Steve.”

“I think I’m awake now,” Steve said after an extended hug. The boy’s body had finally quit shaking.

“Me, too.” Steven giggled softly.

“Sounds like it’s raining out,” Steve grinned, pulling away from the boy’s embrace. “Bucky never let me out in rain storms. I would have gotten sick...but I can’t get sick now. What do you say we go play in the rain?”

“Play in the rain?” Steven asked dubiously.

“Oh, yes,” Steve nodded. “Go put some clothes on. We’re gonna get wet.”

“Okay!” Steven grinned, scrambling from the bed. He ran out of the room and into his own. Steve’s smile fell when the boy was out of sight; he had a damn good insight into Skye. But what the hell was he supposed to offer Skye that was better than anything bad that could happen? He shook that thought away. He could worry about that later; right now he had a little boy to take care of.

 

0-0-0-0-0

 

“Where have you been?” Bucky asked, watching the dripping pair come off the elevator. They were both giggling and shaking water off themselves and onto the floor.

“Hey, Buck,” Steve smiled, kicking his wet shoes off to contain some of the mess. He did a double take, pausing when he saw the clear liquid in Bucky’s glass. His eyes flicked up and past where he was sitting, wincing a little when  he saw the Russian vodka bottles on the counter. He kicked Steven lightly and nodded to his bedroom, “Go take a shower, get warmed up.”

“Okay,” Steven grinned. He half-waddled to his room, his wet clothes hanging heavily on his body.

“Where were you?” Bucky asked again.

“Puddle jumping,” Steve shrugged. He wasn’t sure what was going on, but he refused to feel like an errant school boy.

“I can’t leave,” Bucky admitted, frowning into his glass. He looked up at Steve and past the heavy hand of alcohol and surly attitude, he saw bone deep sorrow.

“Buck?” Steve said softly.

“Skye needs you,” Bucky admitted.

“She called?”

“No,” Bucky retorted, laughing bitterly.

“I need you to focus here, Bucky. What are you trying to tell me because I honestly don’t have a clue.”

“Jack showed me how to hack into the security feeds of Gertrude.” Bucky winced. “Skye needs you.”

“Skye’s in Gertrude?”

“Yes,” Bucky sighed tiredly. He sat forward and rested his weight on his knees. “Steve, she’s in Gertrude, alone...and she needs you.”

“Steven said she’s visiting 47,” Steve replied, stripping off his wet clothing as he strode to his room for dry ones.

“She _was_. He’s gone.”

“Where is she?”

“I’m not positive,” Bucky sighed. “I can get you close.”

“I’ll take it,” Steve nodded, reaching out to take the slip of paper Bucky offered him. “Shit, Steven.”

“I’ve got him, go.”

“I need to say…”

“Dude, _bye_!” Steven called urgently from his doorway. “Go get Skye!”

“I like your kid,” Bucky whispered, grinning up at Steve from between his hair.

“You gonna be all right?” Steve asked, nodding towards the glass in his hand.

“Gimme twenty minutes and something greasy and I’ll be sober as the Christmas goose,” Bucky nodded. “Honest, mostly this is just bad attitude.”

“If I got Tony to release you, would you rather go? You two are-”

“Steve, go. She needs _you_.” Bucky said softly, shoving him towards the elevator.

“You said you hacked her van…” Steve winced. “How bad?”

“Skye’s sad, Steve,” Bucky murmured. “No one should have to be sad on their own.” When he still hesitated, Bucky added, “Go get your girl, Stevie.”

 

0-0-0-0-0

 

“What the fuck is this?” Fury asked, peering at the agent over the top of the paper. The young man peeked up nervously and winced.

“Adoption paperwork,” he said softly.

“Speak up, boy.”

“Adoption paperwork,” he repeated, a little more firmly.

“For one of our kids?” Fury clarified.

“Technically, he hasn’t been here for a while…”

“Rogers.” Fury muttered.

“Yes, sir.”

“Which child?”

“1027.”

“Take care of it,” Fury muttered, tossing the paper down in disgust.

“Sir?”

“Erase it. Destroy it. Take _care_ of it.”

 

0-0-0-0-0

 

“Doll? It’s Steve, let me in,” Steve called out, banging the side of Gertrude lightly. When nothing happened, he tapped out the question in Morse code. “Please, doll…” She still didn’t open the door, so he tried the handle. The door swung open easily and he realized, with considerable shock, that she hadn’t locked the door. He blinked in the darkness until he saw her in the bottom bunk. He ducked into the van, taking care to lock the door behind himself. They really didn’t need anyone sneaking up on them.

“Steve?” Skye asked from the darkness.

“Oh, doll,” Steve murmured, crawling towards her on his hands and knees.

“Why are you here?” Skye asked between tears, gasping for breath.

“Someone smart told me you shouldn’t be alone right now. I think he was right. Scoot. Let me in.”

“Bucky?” Skye asked, sliding forward to give Steve space to slip in behind her.

“Yeah, doll.” Steve replied, sliding his arm around her waist. She turned into his bulk and inched closer.

“I’m glad he sent you,” Skye whispered, pulling up for a kiss. There was something desperate behind her kisses, but Steve didn’t hesitate to return them.

“If you can make it about twenty minutes to a real bed, you can have as many cuddles as you want,” Steve offered.

“Are you uncomfortable?” Skye giggled.

“Doll, I’m twice your size and there are two of us in this space,” Steve replied dryly.

“As many as I want?” She asked.

“As many as you want,” Steve promised, pressing a kiss to her lips.

“You drive a hard bargain, sir.”

 

0-0-0-0-0

 

“We’ve got to work on your disguise,” Skye giggled as they strolled down the carpeted hallway of the hotel. Steve smirked at her and bumped his hips into hers.

“There’s nothing wrong with my disguise,” he said smugly.

“She totally knew who you were,” Skye insisted.

“Shush it, ma’am.” Steve laughed, tossing her over his shoulder. “Stop squirming.”

“Steve,” Skye giggled, hissing the words at the floor.

“Shh!” He laughed, unlocking the room and ducking into it.

“Steve!”

“Shh!”

“Steve,” She said softly, warmly. He pulled her down from his shoulder and pulled her close. “Thank you. For getting me.”

“You’re very welcome, doll.”

“So...I waited my twenty minutes,” Skye informed him innocently.

“Cuddles it is,” Steve laughed.

“Hmm, yes!” Skye moaned. She pulled away from Steve with a giggle. “Can I work some skin to skin into our deal?”

“You can work in anything you want,” Steve grinned. “Let’s get you your snuggles.”

“They’re cuddles. It’s different than snuggling,” Skye informed Steve, mock seriously.

“Explain that to me sometime.”

“Anything you want,” Skye grinned, running her finger down his sternum.

“I have a confession to make,” Steve groaned, pulling Skye over to their bed.

“Oh, yeah?” Skye murmured, letting Steve unbutton the top few buttons on her flannel. He immediately wrapped his arms around her, pulling her onto his lap.

“Yeah.” Steve nodded, pulling her close so he could press warm kisses across her collar bone.

“What's that?” Skye whimpered lightly. He was slowly unbuttoning her flannel, trailing warm fingertips in the wake.

“I really, really enjoy this...” Steve whispered, pulling his face from her breasts where he was pressing kisses along the exposed skin. “But I'm much more of an ass man.”

“I love it when you cuss,” Skye moaned softly.

“I save it for you.” Steve replied, grinning. Skye returned his grin easily, shrugging her flannel off her shoulders.

“So you like my butt more than my...” Skye asked, rubbing her hands over her chest.

“There is nothing about you that I don't like...but your ass is fantastic.” Steve nodded. “It's a marvel. A masterpiece. Should be a national treasure.”

He dropped his arms from around Skye's back to her thighs, following the curve of her legs up to her butt. Skye smirked and pulled away. Steve reached for her, but she skipped away.

“You mean this little thing is the best part of me?” Skye asked, wiggling her butt at him.

“You say that like there is only one thing that I like about you,” Steve laughed, getting up off the bed. He needed to touch her.

“But...the butt.” Skye smirked, easing away from Steve's advancing.

“You playing hard to get?” Steve grinned. Playful Skye was his favorite.

“Nope.” Skye replied, wiggling out of her jeans. She kicked them at Steve's head and used his distraction to jump on the bed. “If you can catch me...”

“You know what they say about pay back.” Steve smirked, crouching down. Skye braced herself, preparing to run.

“No, I don't.” Skye laughed. “Why don't you fill me in?”

“It's a bitch.” Steve growled, launching himself at Skye. She was laughing too hard at his growled cursing to properly run. Pinned to Steve's side against the bed, Skye couldn't do anything but laugh. Steve rolled her against him, twisting her backside into the air. He ran a finger up her thigh, making Skye giggle and squirm against him. He smacked her butt lightly, trying to look serious. “Learned your lesson yet?”

“No, sir.” Skye replied, smirking defiantly. “You gonna keep at this until it sinks in?”

“Would you like it to sink in?” Steve replied, matching her smirk. Skye grinned and twisted to face him properly.

“I may need several lessons.” Skye murmured, leaning in for a kiss.

“I'm a patient teacher,” Steve replied, closing the distance between them.

“Good, cause I'm a terrible student.” Skye laughed against his mouth. Steve chuckled back before lifting himself onto his forearms and moving to cover Skye's body with his own. Skye moaned her appreciation of his actions, wrapping her arms around his shoulders. She shifted slightly under his body, opening her legs to get more comfortable. Steve settled between her legs, marveling at how well they fit together. “You're a little over dressed.” Skye muttered, pulling her mouth away from his just long enough to utter the words.

“Not my fault you can't keep your pants on around me.” Steve breathed back, running his hand up her bare thigh again. He didn't stop this time though, he kept going until he had one hand firmly on her ass.

“Yeah, cause that's _my_ fault.” Skye huffed.

“It is.” Steve chuckled against her neck. “I didn't take any of this off you.”

“Hmm, but you encouraged me.” Skye whimpered. Steve had used his grip to pull their hips closer together. So close, in fact, that Skye could feel his erection pressing into her soft flesh. Skye rolled her hips with difficulty, grinding herself against him.

“Skye...” Steve groaned, pulling away enough to relieve the pressure.

“Steve,” Skye replied, biting her lip.

“Why do you always have to make this so hard?” Steve muttered, leaning down to kiss her. Skye giggled breathlessly against his mouth.

“Make _this_ so hard?” Skye questioned, bumping her hips against his, “Or saying no?”

“Both!” Steve replied quickly.

“Do you want to say no?” Skye asked, working hard to keep any flirty tone from her voice. She wasn't going to push him, but she wanted to know where he stood. Steve's head dropped to her sternum and he shook his head rapidly.

“I never want to say no when it comes to you.” Steve muttered against her skin.

“You tell me no all the time!” Skye retorted. Steve peeked up at Skye with a wry smile.

“Not what I mean,” He said softly. Skye felt her eyebrows pinch together in confusion.

“Then what?”

“You're special. I don't want you to think I only want you for your body. Before we have sex, I want to know that you know how important you are to me. It needs to mean something; it needs to be special. So, I'm saying no, not yet. ...even though I really don't want to.” Steve muttered, dropping his head to her chest again. She shifted slightly underneath him, moving his forehead from her collar bone.

“For the record, you put up with way too much of my shit for me to think that you only want me for my body.” Skye whispered, caressing the back of Steve's head. “But I completely understand not wanting to rush into it. Please, don't feel bad for stopping us. If anything, I'm sorry for being so...”

“If you finish that sentence with anything other than perfect, endearing, or...”

“I was going to say flirty.” Skye giggled lightly. “I don't want to pressure you into this. Into anything. And I'm sorry if you feel like that's what I want.”

“You don't want to have sex?” Steve asked, his face heating. The unspoken _with me_ at the end of his sentence made Skye freeze. Steve picked his head up, trying to interpret her reaction. “Skye?”

“Um.” Skye squeaked. She cleared her throat and tried again. Steve shifted awkwardly on her, pressing the buttons of her flannel into her navel. She winced slightly and pushed Steve back far enough that she could pull the flannel over her head. “I want a lot of things. But that doesn't mean I'm going to get them.”

“What do you want?” Steve whispered. Skye blushed and tried to look away. Steve shifted off of her and pulled them both under the blankets. He could think straight easier with her beautiful body out of sight. Not that all of the exposed flesh under his hand didn't scramble his brain a little bit. “Skye? What do you want?”

“You.” Skye whispered. There was barely enough air behind her words, so Steve wasn't sure he heard her correctly. His heart was pounding against his chest with excitement, nervousness, and dread that he had misheard her.

“Me?” Steve asked, pushing her hair away when she hid behind it. He needed to see her. This conversation was too important for misunderstandings.

“More than anything.” Skye nodded. She finally seemed to grasp the importance of the conversation as well; she stopped trying to hide her face. Steve froze, trying to decide what she meant by that. She correctly interpreted his indecision and clarified, “I don't want sex...or some super soldier...or Captain America... I want Steve. I...I want Steve...for me.”

Skye looked scared. No, Skye looked terrified at her confession. All of her cards were on the table and she wasn't sure how Steve was going to react to her confession. She didn't bother with a mask; she couldn't have managed one anyways. Steve was just staring at her, not saying anything. Just wordlessly staring. Her walls were crumbling into a pile at his feet and he couldn't make his mouth work. Skye pulled her trembling lip into her mouth, unwilling to let Steve see how much his silence was affecting her. Steve's eyes followed the movement and he blinked slowly. A smile worked its way onto his face, slowly morphing into a full on grin.

“Me?” Steve grinned, pulling her closer. He could see the fear on her face. He had done that. But it wasn't entirely his fault. He was pretty sure he had forgotten how to breathe there for a second. His brain broke at her words. But it was working now. Skye nodded slightly, relaxing a little bit as she assessed how genuine the grin on his face was. He couldn't think of any words to reassure her, so he pressed closer and captured her lips with his own. He wrapped his arms around her, trying to show her how important she was. “I want you, too.”

“Me?” Skye squeaked.

“You. All of you.” Steve nodded, leaning into the hand that was caressing his face.

“Even when I'm at my worst?” Skye whispered.

“If I can't handle you at your worst, I don't deserve you at your best.” Steve quoted, smirking slightly.

“I'm afraid I don't deserve _you_.” Skye admitted, curling into his chest.

“Well, I'm afraid I don't deserve you, so we're even.” Steve chuckled. “Let's just agree that if we're both happy, we can forget about the whole deserving thing.”

“Okay,” Skye agreed, ducking her head shyly.

“If I take my shirt off for a little skin to skin, are you going to try and jump my bones?” Steve teased, deliberately and effectively breaking the mood in the room.

“No promises,” Skye laughed, helping him pull the shirt over his head.

“I used to think you were joking about all of the benefits of skin to skin contact,” Steve whispered, pulling her flush against his chest. “But when you're here...I feel calm, collected, relaxed.”

“Boobie Benefits?” Skye joked.

“Skye benefits.” Steve corrected. “You're good for my health.”

“You're good for me too.” Skye agreed, tucking herself against Steve. She could feel the inevitable pull of sleep dragging on her, but she wasn't willing to surrender to it. Not yet. “You balance me out.”

“We balance each other.”

“Since you made a confession, can I make one?” Skye yawned. She was cursing her drooping eyelids, but after being awake for over 48 hours it only made sense that she was crashing now. That was Steve's goal, after all. She was the one that had gotten them sidetracked.

“Uh huh,” Steve nodded, fighting his own battle with his eyelids. Her soft flesh was a perfect counterpoint to the rough men he had had to take care of during his mission. He loved that he could be Captain America _and_ Steve Rogers. He loved that he had someone that understood the difference between the two men.

“It's never been special for me,” Skye whispered, crashing hard.

“Never?” Steve asked, startled back into wakefulness for a split second.

“I mean, I’ve had sex...it’s just never been-”

“But...you're...you're beautiful and charming and...”

“Busy.” Skye finished, giggling through a yawn.

“Jack is a full time job.”

“With over time.”

“And required weekends.”

“And holidays.”

“No time and a half.”

“Exhausting.” Skye muttered, twisting in Steve's grip. Steve let her turn her back on him, then adjusted himself against her.

“I’m not innocent either,” Steve admitted mid-yawn. “Everyone expects me to be. Expects Captain America to be.”

He tucked one arm under her pillow and wrapped the other around her waist, pulling her close. She hummed her contentment, but was too far gone to vocalize it. Not that she needed to.

Steve understood what that noise meant.

 


	69. Bad boy Steven Rogers, everyone

 

*Beep*

“What’s that sound?” Steve groaned, blocking the sunshine in his eyes with Skye’s hair.

“Phone,” Skye groaned back, twisting into Steve’s chest. They hadn’t thought to close the blinds last night, and now the sun was blaring in on them.

*Beep*

“Any bets it’s your brother?” Steve mumbled, pulling her close. He wasn’t ready to share her with the world. Not yet.

“Either that or your kid,” Skye groused.

“He can text you?”

“Bucky can text me. We offered it up to him when I left, so he didn’t worry.”

“He worried,” Steve informed her. “He knows you too well. _Skye promised she would come back but she didn’t say when! What if she comes back in 10 years? Or 20 years? Or when I’m old?_ ” Steve mimicked badly.

“He didn’t.”

“He did.”

“Ugh, lemme go. I’ll bring the phone back.”

“I’m not done with you yet,” Steve nodded, releasing her from his grip. His fingers trailed down her sides as she pulled away though, still unwilling to let her go.

“Phone, phone, phone. Where’d you go?” Skye grumbled, tiptoeing around the room in her underwear and bra.

“Your pants are on the chair,” Steve smiled, watching her stumble sleepily around the room.

“Stop with your chipper-ness in the mornings,” Skye grumbled, finding her phone in her pants and rushing back to bed. Goosebumps had erupted on her exposed flesh.

“You’re not usually this grumpy,” Steve replied, trying to smother the smile in his voice.

“I’m not usually just waking up either,” Skye retorted, shivering. She pressed herself into Steve, wrapping her arms and legs around him. The phone lay abandoned on Steve’s chest. “What do they want?”

**Are you coming home soon?**

**Steve was looking for you. Did he find you?**

“It’s from Bucky’s number,” Steve replied.

“Doesn’t sound like him,” Skye replied. “Probably Steven, on his phone.”

“Can I text him back?” Steve grinned.

“Why are you grinning?” Skye smiled. He didn’t reply, just waggled his eyebrows at her, so she grinned back and nodded.

**dude i’ve still got 9 years and 364 days to bring her back**

“Dude?” Skye laughed.

“Bucky told me you shouldn’t be alone, but I didn’t want to leave without telling Steven that I was leaving. He must have been listening from his room, though. He just popped his head around the corner and waved me out, _‘Dude, bye! Go get Skye!_ ’”

*Beep*

**That’s not funny, Steven Grant Rogers.**

“Hmm, that sounds more like Bucky,” Skye giggled. She took the phone from Steve and shot off her own reply before chucking the phone at the opposite end of the room.

“What’d you tell him?”

“That I was trying to destroy your _good guy_ image and would he please leave me to it?”

“Oh, no,” Steve groaned, his face and chest flaming over. Skye giggled and pressed a kiss to his cheek.

“If you leave this for a few more days, we can see if your beard grows in red,” Skye teased, running her fingertips over the stubble on his face.

“I’m not sure I want to know,” Steve winced, rubbing at his chin.

“You don’t have to do it now,” Skye grinned. “But you know what we do have to do now?”

“If you say ruin my good guy image…”

“Oh, not ruin. _Destroy_.” Skye laughed.

“Can I be...crude?”

“Oh, please,” Skye nodded, quirking an eyebrow at him.

“Um…” The red flush was back, making Skye press her lips together at the adorable image in front of her. “So...my bed is custom made…”

“It is rather large,” Skye agreed.

“It was a joke...from Tony,” Steve admitted, hiding behind his hand. Skye’s mouth fell open when she pieced together was Steve was trying to say. An incredulous laugh bubbled up and she slapped her hand over her mouth. “Don’t make me say it.”

“Say it,” Skye prompted immediately.

“Doll,” Steve begged, sliding his hand down his face. He saw her amused expression and realized she had already figured it out. “Fuck, Skye. This bed isn’t reinforced. Mine is.”

“Do we need a reinforced bed?” Skye asked, her mouth pulling at the corners as she fought her grin.

“I’vebrokennormalbeds,” Steve groaned, mumbling the words into her neck. He felt her laughter reverberate through the places their skin shared and couldn’t help his own laughter. “It’s not funny.”

“I think you’ve just destroyed your good guy image better than I could have,” Skye replied, biting her lip.

“Aw, I was looking forward to your method,” Steve teased, suddenly unembarrassed. He ran his open palm down her spine, spanning his fingers over her lower back.

“So, for clarity’s sake, you’re saying the only thing stopping us from seeing if my method is better is a reinforced bed?”

“And two certain men in our lives that can’t stay in their own beds,” Steve grumbled lightly.

“They aren’t here now,” Skye said softly, hooking her leg over Steve’s hip so she could pull herself closer.

“Wrong bed,” Steve reminded her.

“So let’s just destroy that image just a little bit then?” Skye asked, her lips grazing his as she spoke to him. “I never get to touch you.”

“I’m going to want to touch you all the time, if we cross this line,” Steve whispered warningly.

“What makes you think I’m going to have a problem with that?” Skye replied, sliding her arm around Steve’s side. She tucked her fingers into the waistband of his boxers and waited. His eyes raked over her face, taking in her teasing but serious expression. His lip quirked up and he pressed his lips against hers.

“Stupid of me,” Steve exhaled, twisting against her.

“Uh huh,” Skye giggled, sliding her hand down to squeeze his butt. Her other arm wrapped around his neck, holding him close.

“You’re a dangerous, dangerous woman,” Steve muttered.

 

0-0-0-0-0

 

“I think you owe her more than training sessions,” Pepper rebutted, surveying the construction in front of them. The building was coming along nicely. A few more weeks and it would be ready to move into. Staff was already being interviewed; furniture was ordered. All it needed was a group of rambunctious children to fill it...and some landscaping. What? Starks didn’t do things halfway. It was going to be the prettiest home for acres and acres. “Hell. You owe _me_ training sessions. Give her something better.”

“Something better?” Tony asked, raising his eyebrow.

“Yes.” Pepper replied simply.

“Fine,” Tony agreed. “I’ll think of something.”

 

0-0-0-0-0

 

“Can I steal you for the day?” Steve asked, pulling his shirt on over his bare torso. He was wearing his towel around his waist as he searched for his clothes. Skye was still wearing just a towel and was sprawled on top of the bed. She turned over and the slit between the edges of the towel exposed her bare leg and waist. She didn’t make any effort to fix the slip. Everything essential was covered. Steve swallowed hard and walked over to her slowly. He knelt over her exposed leg and pressed a kiss to her knee.

“Stealing implies it’s involuntary on my part,” Skye replied, watching Steve kiss his way up her thigh.

“Can I keep you?”

“Why would you want to do that?” Skye asked, frowning. Steve huffed out a surprised breath against her hip and crawled over her to cup her face between his hands.

“In case you didn’t know this about me, I kind of have a thing for strong brunettes.” Steve informed her, trying for a teasing tone despite his serious words.

“Bucky was your first love, huh?” Skye replied with a lopsided grin.

“You know it,” Steve laughed. “Can I? Can I keep you?”

“I don’t think you know what you’re asking,” Skye replied, shrugging. “I wouldn’t bind you to me like that.”

“I think I know exactly what I’m asking,” Steve replied firmly.

“I have secrets, Steve.” Skye admitted. “I’m still keeping a lot of secrets.”

“I may be blonde, but I’m not as dumb as I look,” Steve replied. She couldn’t help the smile clawing its way onto her face. “When you’re ready, you can share some of those secrets, if you want. And if you’re never ready, then that would be okay too.”

“I’m not ready,” Skye whispered.

“I know,” Steve teased, whispering back. “Are you listening to the words that are coming out of my mouth?”

“Hmm, more than you know,” Skye giggled. “That was a passable Chris Tucker.”

“Bucky informed me that you introduced him to _Rush Hour_ and it became his duty to pass it along to me.”

“Oh, wait til you get to Will Smith,” Skye laughed. “He’s got some great one liners.”

“Okay, Little Miss Let’s Change the Subject,” Steve laughed, “Today. You and me. Thoughts?”

“Shouldn’t you check in?”

“Heck no,” Steve replied, shuttering. “They might need me! Then where would we be?”

“The Tower?”

“Noooooo,” Steve moaned. “Not alone. We would be _not alone_.”

“I like being alone with you,” Skye smiled.

“That sounds like a yes, to me.”

“Ding, ding, ding.” Skye giggled. “Let me get dressed and we can check out.”

“Breakfast?”

“Eh, more like lunch,” Skye replied, glancing at the clock on the bedside table. “But yes, to food. Yes, please.”

“Can we take my bike?” Steve asked, smirking.

“Is that how you got here?” Skye asked. Steve nodded so she frowned and cocked her head at him. “Where did you leave it?”

“Tony adapted it to ride on top of Gertrude,” Steve smirked. Skye’s mouth fell open and she looked indignant.

“You parked your bike on my baby?” Skye gasped.

“Yep,” Steve nodded, completely unabashed.

“My baby?” Skye repeated.

“I parked _my_ baby on your baby,” Steve nodded.

“Psh, your baby,” Skye snorted derisively.

“Hey, don’t knock her until you’ve given her a go,” Steve sassed back.

“Oh, it’s a her now?” Skye laughed.

“Your van is a her,” Steve replied.

“Isn’t a bike supposed to be big and bad and...manly?”

“I would feel a little weird riding with a... _Peter_ or an _Alfred_ between my legs,” Steve grinned.

“Those are the best names you could come up with?” Skye giggled.

“Shh,” Steve shushed teasingly. “Ride with me?”

“I think I’d be okay riding with a _Rogers_ between my legs,” Skye agreed easily.

“You’re going to make my life very interesting, aren’t you doll?”

“Normal’s boring,” Skye shrugged.

“If I know anything about you,” Steve told Skye sincerely, “it’s that you’re anything but normal, and I sure love that about you.”

 

0-0-0-0-0

 

“Shh,” Skye giggled, catching Steve as he tripped over a pair of shoes as they tiptoed off the elevator. It was late, very late, and the Tower was dark. Skye had engaged privacy mode so they didn’t wake anyone with needless alerts. Steve shushed her back and hauled her over his shoulder.

“Yuck,” Bucky called out lightly from his room. His door was open, like it always was.  Steve and Skye just laughed and continued for their room. Bucky waited until he heard their door click shut, then smiled into the darkness. That wasn’t her fake laugh. Steve was good for her.

“Bucky’s been here,” Steve noted immediately.

“Why do you say that?” Skye asked, clinging to his shoulders.

“He left something,” Steve smirked, shaking his head. He lowered Skye to his waist, letting her wrap her legs around his middle. At her curious look, he shifted and nodded to his bedside table with his chin. A tie was knotted around the knob of the drawer. He could guess pretty accurately what Bucky had left behind. Skye must have figured it out too, because she smirked and leaned down to kiss him.

“What was that mode called?” Steve asked, dropping Skye lightly onto the bed.

“Mode?”

“Privacy protocol?”

“Hmm, Jarvis, engage privacy protocol sexy times,” Skye called out quietly.

“What does it do?” Steve asked, following her as she pushed back further on the bed. He spread her legs with one of his knees and leaned down to press a deep kiss to her lips.

“Reinforces the sound proofing, locks the doors and vents, and gives us a heads up if anyone needs us urgently.”

“Only urgently?” Steve smiled.

“Psh, it better be life and death if they’re interrupting,” Skye giggled, draping her arms around his head.

“I think I like this sexy times protocol,” Steve smirked. “Commencing Operation Sexy Times,” he murmured in a deep rasp.

“Thank God for reinforced beds,” Skye muttered, trailing her hands down Steve’s sides. She slipped her fingers inside and grinned when Steve shifted his weight so she could pull his shirt up farther. “I think riding your bike was a very brazen way to show me your evil side,” Skye muttered against his neck. He chuckled and sucked lightly on her earlobe. “You’re not denying it.”

“I can’t argue with that assessment,” Steve admitted. “I liked having you pressed to my back all day. I liked feeling your legs on either side of me.”

“Oh _god_ , Steve. You’re destroying your image without any help from me,” Skye muttered, rubbing her core against his thigh, where it was resting between her legs.

“I liked feeling your wandering fingers whenever we stopped,” Steve continued. “I liked wondering if the rumbling between your legs was turning you on.”

“I think it was a combination of the rumbling and fact that I could grind on your ass without you knowing,” Skye admitted softly. Steve’s fingers paused at the first button of her flannel. He looked up at her and quirked his eyebrow at her.

“You think I didn’t know?” Steve asked. He redirected his attention to her buttons when he saw the blush on her cheekbones. He let her stew for a moment, content to unbutton her shirt and pull it from her body. He grinned when he saw the flush on her chest. “You think I didn’t feel you, scooting forward slowly until there was no space between us? You think I didn’t feel your hips rolling circles against me?” Steve asked huskily, his body mimicking his words. He shifted so he had both legs between hers, sliding a hand under her thigh to help her adjust against him. His hips rolled slow, deliberate circles against her, watching as her pupils dilated and her breath came faster. “You think I didn’t want to pull that bike over and ruin my _good guy_ image more thoroughly than you could have hoped?”

“I think I like the bad boy side of Steve Rogers,” Skye admitted. She pulled him down to her and shut him up with her mouth. He returned her kiss with the same reckless abandon, pulling her up to him so his fingers could slide around her and unfasten the bit of material that was preventing his hands from aiding the destruction of his image. He pulled back and tossed her bra on the floor, taking a second to take in the angel spread on his bed. She sat up and pulled his shirt up and over his head, then leaned in and licked a broad stripe across his nipple.

“Fuck,” Steve muttered. His word trailed off into a deep moan when Skye wrapped her mouth around his other nipple and flicked it with the tip of her tongue. While he was distracted by her mouth, she trailed her free hand down his abs and dipped her fingers inside the elastic at his waist. “Fuuuck, Skye,” Steve groaned softly.

“I really like it when you curse,” Skye muttered. He took advantage of her distracted state and ducked his head to cover her mouth with his own. She grinned and inched backwards, slowly leading him back on top of her. She felt him jump against her core when she sucked his lip into her mouth and found she didn’t want to put this off any longer.

The entire day had been a torturous wave of sexual tension. The thrill of trying to be secretive while in public had had her heart racing all day. The damn bike rumbling between her thighs and Steve’s ass pressed against her core had almost had her coming apart. She widened her legs and wrapped them around his waist, trying to relay her desire. Steve certainly got the message when she pushed his pants down as far as she could get them without moving her body.

He shifted away, giving her eager fingers enough space to slip between their bodies. The button on his jeans gave, and then her fingers were pushing the material down and her feet were helping push from the back. He pulled away to kick the material off the ends of his feet realizing, when Skye’s fingers caressed his bare waist, that his boxers had gone with the jeans. Skye smirked up at him from where she was sprawled on the bed. He grinned at her teasing expression.

“You’re a little overdressed, ma’am,” Steve informed her, looming over her and hooking his fingers inside her waistband. He paused, glancing up to gauge her reaction.

“Oh, no.” Skye teased. “Would you help me correct my oversight, sir?”

“With pleasure,” Steve replied, unbuttoning her pants and sliding them down her long legs, taking in every inch of flesh as it became exposed. He pulled the material from her feet, then let it fall onto the floor in a pile next to his own pants. He traced the path his fingers took with his lips, trailing slowly back up her leg. He felt her breath catch as he approached her core and grinned against her leg.

“Fuck, Steve,” Skye gasped, reaching down to thread her fingers through his hair. “Don’t tease.” He bypassed her core in favor of getting _her_ nipples in _his_ mouth. She groaned softly and tilted his face up to hers. He glanced up with a wicked smirk and caressed the globes beneath his hands. “It’s official. You’re going to be the death of me,” Skye muttered.

“Hmm, what was that?” Steve teased.

“Payback is a bitch, Steve.”

“Eh,” Steve shrugged.

“Wrong answer,” Skye informed him, quickly flipping their positions. Steve realized what was happening fast enough to recover some...but not entirely. Instead of being pinned to the bed, like Skye intended, he was sitting with her straddling his lap. He realized immediately that this was the wrong position to be in. Skye was directly above him, looking at him like he was something to eat.

(He realized just as quickly that he really liked that expression on her face.)

The smug grin on his face wasn’t hidden quickly enough and she narrowed her eyes at him. “Steve, what was it you were saying earlier?” Skye asked coyly, batting her eyelashes at him. “You liked having my legs on their side of you?” She scooted forward a tiny bit, until she could just feel the tip of his penis against her core. “You liked feeling me get closer and closer, until there was no space between us? You liked feeling my wandering fingers?” She trailed her fingers down the separation in his abs until she could stroke the base of his penis with one teasing fingertip. Steve’s hands found their way to her ass and pulled her close. She pulled her fingers back and closed the remaining gap, “You liked feeling me roll circles on you?” She rolled her hips deliberately, using the movement to position his length against her core. “You’ve been teasing me all day, Mr. Rogers.”

“You’ve been giving it right back,” Steve retorted breathlessly. He rocked his hips against her, coating his penis in her warm slick.

“Hmm hmm,” Skye agreed, closing her eyes and resting her forehead on his. “Steve, today has been a roller coaster of sexual tension and if you keep teasing me, I may just snap from the strain.”

“Can’t have that,” Steve replied softly, all the teasing gone from his voice. He wrapped his arms around her and held her closely. He brought one hand up and caressed her cheek. She leaned into his touch, pressing a kiss to his thumb when it trailed over her lips. “You sure you want to do this? I don’t want to pressure you…”

“You pressure me?” Skye asked incredulously, “I feel like a cradle robber, making moves on you all day.”

“Cradle robber? Really?”

“Steve, I’m like, twice your age.”

“Skye, I’m twice _your_ age.” Steve corrected softly.

“We’re both right,” Skye denied, shrugging her shoulders. “Which is really, really weird...even for us.”

“All I’m saying is that if you’re not ready, we don’t have to…”

“I think I’ve made it embarrassingly clear that I want to,” Skye interrupted, erupting into a full blush.

“Good, cause I think it’s embarrassingly clear that I want to, too,” Steve murmured, sliding himself towards her entrance. “Just let me grab a…”

“I’m not at all against birth control,” Skye said quickly, grabbing hold of Steve so he couldn’t move her off him, “but would you be opposed to letting me feel you first? All of you?” She clarified, pushing down slightly so his tip was just barely inside her. Steve looked up, surprised. “It’s okay to say no, Steve.”

“Like I have the strength to tell you no,” Steve muttered, adjusting his hold on her. He widen his legs, spreading her open to him.

“Oh, thank fuck,” Skye muttered back, rocking her hips against his, settling herself further on him with each gentle thrust. He pulled her down the last time, holding her in place once his base touched her warm heat.

“Oh, thank fuck is right,” Steve agreed, holding her as close as he could. If she moved now, he was in danger of losing control into her unprotected warmth. “Shit, Skye. Don't move, please don't move,” Steve moaned, squirming beneath her.

“Move?” Skye asked innocently, squeezing him with her innermost muscles. He made a desperate sound, deep in his throat, and flipped her back onto the bed.

“I said, don't move,” Steve informed her darkly. She circled her hips then promptly threw back her head with a soft moan. “Hmm, you liked that,” Steve noted, rolling his hips the opposite direction as hers to ensure they got the best friction.

Skye muttered something incoherent and scrambled in the dimmed light for a condom. Steve waited patiently, grinning into her neck. Every few seconds he would roll his hips or pull back just an inch before sliding right back in. She was a beautiful disaster below him. Her hair was sprawled over his pillows, her lips were puffy and soft, and she was looking up at him with this _smile_.

“You are so beautiful,” Steve told her softly, holding her face in his hands. “I don't know how I ever got so lucky.”

“I'm the lucky one,” Skye argued instantly.  He pulled out completely and took the condom from Skye.

“'llowed to move now?” Skye asked softly, pulling his warm chest down to hers.

“Try to stop me,” Steve challenged teasingly. He slid right back into her heat, his tongue following a similar path into her mouth. His hips found hers again and she pushed against him, rubbing herself along the smooth planes of his lower abs.

“Really don't want you to stop,” Skye confessed breathlessly.

“Oh, doll. I have zero intention of stopping,” Steve murmured into her neck, hiding a hickey far enough back that her hair would hide it.

“Bad boy Steven Rogers, everyone,” Skye gasped.

 


	70. ‘Get Out of Jail Free’ Card

 

Steve had woken at his normal time, but decided to forego his daily run in favor of cuddling with his girl. He couldn't get over the sounds she had made the night before. Her gasps when he did something to surprise her; her breathless moan when they finally found their rhythm; the way she whispered his name so reverently - like he was the best thing that ever happened to her. Every sound was soft; exhaled with just enough force that he could hear it. He liked that intimacy - he liked that this was something just between them. He liked that she was offering up a piece of herself to him.

He had felt himself waking up against her backside and desperately tried to rein himself in, but failed. Skye woke with a sleepy chuckle and had pressed back against him, circling his growing erection. He had pulled her hair away from her neck and added a hickey next to the one from last night..the one that had healed over night.

“Sorry,” he muttered into her neck, using his free hand to slip under her nightshirt. “Didn’t mean to wake you.”

“Don't apologize,” she giggled, rolling her hips a little more deliberately. He felt himself growing with each pass and slid his hand to her nipple.  She reached back and grabbed his shaft then deliberately tweaked his tip.

“You okay with this?” Steve asked.

“So okay it's not even funny,” Skye moaned softly.

“Would it be uncouth of me to request a repeat performance - sleepy morning style?” Steve asked.

Skye didn't answer, just pulled him free through the slit in the front of his boxers. He reached back for a condom, then found himself too impatient to undress her completely. He pushed her underwear to the side and entered her slowly, biting her shoulder lightly to muffle his moan.

They had gotten redressed and removed the room from the privacy protocol before curling back up around each other, knowing Steven would probably be joining them shortly. Skye had managed to drift back off to sleep, but Steve couldn’t manage it. He was mentally sketching the image of her sleeping in his arms when his door opened slowly.

“Skye?” A sleepy voice asked.

“Yeah, baby?” She murmured back, not bothering to open her eyes.

“You’re back?” He asked, closing the door behind him.

“No,” Skye smirked, her eyes still closed. “This is a lifelike decoy model of Skye. Please leave a message after the beep. BEEP.”

“Ooh, sassy pants,” Steven giggled, tugging at the covers until they came free and he could slip underneath. He scooted over until he found the warm pocket of air from Skye and Steve, then hummed happily. “I’m glad you’re back.”

“Me too,” Skye smiled, wrapping her arm around the boy. She pressed back into Steve so she could share her pillow. “It’s hard to get cuddles when you’re on the road by yourself.”

“Did you have a good visit?” Steven asked, yawning. He hadn’t had a full night of sleep since Skye left. He was glad for the quiet morning.

“Yeah, baby. I did.”

“Good.”

“Good morning to you too,” Steve grumbled into the silence that fell upon the room. He twirled his fingertips along her stomach, smiling against her neck. He hadn’t been this happy in a very, very long time.

“Hi Steve,” the boy giggled, not moving from his position against Skye’s front. “I’m glad it didn’t take you nine years and 363 days to bring Skye back.”

“I feel very second string,” Steve muttered into Skye’s neck. He teasingly poked her side, “I wonder why.”

“I don’t love Skye more than you Steve,” Steven hurried to correct. “I promise. I just love her different.”

“He means better,” Skye giggled.

“It’s a good thing normal is boring because you two are so weird,” Steven sighed. “Oh, Steve someone at Shield called for you.”

“Okay,” Steve smiled. “Ten more minutes of cuddles then I can see what they wanted.”

“Pepper said she took care of it,” Steven yawned. “You can stay for more than ten minutes.”

“Perfect.”

“Hmm, this ‘s perfec-” Steven trailed off sleepily. He adjusted against Skye, then dropped off into a content sleep; his mouth graced with the tiniest of smiles.

“He hasn’t been sleeping well,” Skye observed guiltily. She shifted onto her back, trying to get more comfortable. Steven shifted with her, pulling himself on top of her. As deeper sleep conquered him, his limbs went limp and he was sprawled across her chest at all angles.

“That’s not your fault,” Steve whispered, moving the boy’s arm and leg so he could slip in closer to Skye.

“He’s more aware of me than he should be,” Skye sighed. “I’m going to have to work on that.”

“He loves you,” Steve whispered, pressing a kiss against her temple. “It’s not a bad thing. Just relax, doll. Cuddles make everything better.”

 

0-0-0-0-0

 

“You should give your kid a middle name,” Skye commented casually, flipping through Steve’s sketchbook. Steve was glad his more private book was hidden away - he wasn’t sure how Skye would react to knowing she was such a major character in his life.

He was desperate to tell her how he felt about her. He wanted to profess his love and respect for her; he wanted to explain how wonderful she was; he wanted her to know just how beautiful she was. He was terrified of her reaction though. He had sneaked the word _love_ into their conversation the day before and he saw the way she froze, for the tiniest of moments. He saw the flicker of fear and uncertainty and panicked. He wasn’t sure his heart would recover if she ran now - not after all they had been through. So, while he was dissatisfied with the knowledge that she didn’t have a clue how important she was to him, he was willing to wait and take baby steps. They would get there. They had all the time in the world.

“A middle name?” Steve asked, shaking his head to dislodge his other thought.

“Well, you want to make him a Rogers,” Skye teased, still not looking up. He frowned at her lack of eye contact.

“What am I missing?” He asked softly, bumping her feet from the coffee table so he could sit in front of her. Skye shrugged and turned another page.

“Just think he would like a full name, that’s all.” Skye commented.

“How about Grant?” Steve teased, hoping to draw her out.

“You already named him after you once,” Skye retorted. She was smirking but still wasn’t looking at him.

“Skye?” Steve asked, pulling the book from her hands. He set it on the table behind him and tilted her chin up so she had no choice but to look at him. “This seems like a big deal,” he commented, searching her face for a clue. A slight blush colored her cheeks and he got even more curious. “Skye? Is it a big deal for you, or a big deal for him?”

“It’s what I would have wanted, at his age.” Skye replied softly - so softly that Steve wasn’t sure he would have heard her without his improved hearing.

“Skye…”

“Don’t,” Skye whispered, pushing him away. “Don’t look at me like that. Don’t look at me like I’m some chari-”

“I’m looking at my girlfriend who looks like she needs a little extra body heat,” Steve interrupted. There was no way he was going to let her think she was a charity case. He didn’t pity her.

“Nothing sappy?”

“Nothing sappy,” Steve agreed, sliding over next to her. She pulled the hood of her hoodie up and over her head, then buried her face in Steve’s chest. “I’m going to go out on a limb here and say Skye isn’t what the orphanage named you,” Steve teased lightly after a minute.

“I told you I picked it,” Skye muttered back, trying to infuse her own joking tone.

“Will you tell me what they called you? And don’t say _a shit name_ , because I already know that part.”

“No, because it _is_ a shit name. I left it behind years ago.”

“How old were you?”

“When I started going by Skye? I don’t know, exactly. I just knew I wasn’t a M-”

“-Aw, just say it,” Steve chuckled, squeezing her. “You almost did. Now I know it starts with an M. Is it...Magdalene? Marcia? M...Miriam? Muriel? Oh, Mary!”

“Muriel?” Skye giggled, pulling her face from Steve’s chest. “Muriel? Even the nuns weren’t _that_ mean.”

“Nuns?” He winced. “Nuns?”

“It explains a lot, huh?” Skye asked, pulling a face.

“So it’s Mary, huh?” Steve grinned, kissing her nose. “Nuns _love_ Marys.”

“Yuck, Steve. Just give your boy a name. His eyes light up every time I yell at Jack.”

“It’s probably cause you’re yelling at Jack…”

“Steve!”

“Middle name, got it.”

“Now give me your sketchbook back, please. I’m not done looking at that yet.”

“Yes, ma’am.” Steve grinned. “Let me up? I’m being called into Shield. You haven’t been up to anything...devious...have you?”

“Not that I recall,” Skye shrugged. She giggled and kissed Steve. “I haven’t done anything since Bucky and I visited the scientists.”

“Since you did what?” Steve frowned, freezing midway to his sketchbook. Skye winced.

“Um...visited the scientists?”

“With Bucky? At Shield?” Steve asked, fighting a frown. “Why? When?”

“They have answers that I need,” She murmured.

“Need or want?”

“Does it matter?” Skye shrugged.

“Did you get them?”

“Some of them. I know the name of the drug they gave me after Mr. White stabbed me. I was dead, Steve. They said I was dead...they gave me the drug to bring me back to life. Whatever they gave me is better than the magic blood.”

“You were dead?” Steve asked softly, caressing her jaw. Over and over he was reminded just how close he had come to losing her -to losing this chance at a happy life. She just nodded, not trusting herself to speak just then. She cleared her throat and blinked quickly.

“They’re getting orders from someone,” She admitted. “The scientist that Bucky stole said that…”

“What?” Steve interrupted with a frown. “Bucky stole a…? _Bucky_ is 47?”

“How’d you come to that conclusion?” Skye frowned right back.

“ _Bucky_ is the one that brought you magic blood? _Bucky_ was the one that barricaded you into that room? _Bucky_ is the one that took a scientist into the floor?”

“Yeah,” Skye nodded. “Why do you think he’s 47?”

“Jack said only 47 has the blood…”

“Hmm,” Skye nodded. Now she understood. “I’ve known Bucky longer than I’ve known you. He’s told you that. He told you the blood fixes programming, well, to some extent. He had a stash of blood for himself - for breaking down the programming.”

“So he’s not 47?”

“No, Steve, he’s not 47.” Skye denied, shaking her head lightly. She pressed a chaste kiss onto his unresponsive lips. He was still processing. “Bucky’s been through some serious shit, but his facility was nothing like the Centipede facilities. Similar...but very, very different.”

“So...how long have you known Bucky then?”

“Continuous?”

“Just, how long?”

“We met a few times, over the years. I didn’t know he was Bucky at first. Not for a long time. He was still The Asset. The Winter Soldier. He tried to take some of my kids,” Skye replied.

“Tried?”

“And failed,” Skye smirked. Her smile fell though and she winced, “He was punished. He remembers that. He remembers being surprised when I took him on, even though he was prepped about my fighting skills.”

“He worked with the retrieval team?” Steve questioned. “How do you feel about that?”

“He didn’t work with the retrieval team. The Russians sent him. We had caused a scene the week before, when one of my kids ended up on a news clip. I couldn’t pull the video fast enough; they saw enough of our abilities that they wanted them for themselves. I was mad, at first...but I followed him back once. I saw them discipline him. I saw that he had no control. That’s when I started looking into who he was, besides a Russian assassin.”

“When did he become Bucky?”

“It was a process,” Skye sighed. “He didn’t trust me at first, not that I blame him. It took a few _tough love_ sessions for him to realize if I wanted to hurt him I could.”

“What does that mean?” He smiled.

“Knocked him out a few times,” Skye admitted. “Hooked him up to some magic blood. That cleared some of the more immediate programming, but they had him on so many different drugs that his system started to detox. He spent a few days with his head in the toilet, shaking with withdrawal. But I couldn’t stay for more than a few days; couldn’t abandon the kids I had left. The Russians found him...two times? They took him back and then the Soldier was back again.

His last mission was you. I made sure they couldn’t get him back a third time. Well, until they found him in the alley. They got dangerously close to getting him back. We went through the whole process again, after I stopped him from shooting you - gaining his trust, detox, withdrawal, and then...finally, a smile. He remembered me. Remembered me taking care of him when I should have killed him like I did to everyone else who tried to take my kids.”

“That explains some things,” Steve murmured, kissing her temple. “What else did you learn? I interrupted before - sorry.”

“Um, I don’t remember what I was saying…”

“They had orders?”

“Oh, yeah. The scientist Bucky took said that they were standing orders, from back before his time. He doesn’t know whose orders they are...he just knows they’re not supposed to kill me. That’s why they brought me back.”

“Another mystery to solve,” Steve sighed. “How frustrated are you?”

“You have no idea,” Skye muttered darkly. She swallowed loudly, then admitted, “Between the scientist Bucky stole and the hit man Clint and Tasha are keeping in holding, we found another building. There wasn’t anyone there...but I pulled a lot of stuff off their computers. And,” Skye buried her head under Steve’s chin and said softly, “We found the three missing kids from Psi.”

“Dead?” Steve asked softly. She just nodded slowly. “What’d you do with them? We can bury them, Skye. I know how important it is to you that they’re taken care of.”

“Bucky and I took them to 47,” Skye whispered, her voice cracking on his name. “They’re safe with him.”

“Bucky has met 47?” Steve asked, surprised.

“Don’t be mad,” Skye begged, rubbing the runaway tear into his shirt. “I’ll introduce you to him too, but...not yet.”

“You’ll introduce me to 47?” Steve asked, flushing with unexpected pleasure. She trusted him with 47.

“Yeah,” she nodded. “But, not yet, okay?”

“You got it, doll.”

 

0-0-0-0-0

 

“This is getting old,” Clint sighed, crossing his arms. He slouched down in the chair outside Fury’s office, waiting for their turn. Tasha smirked at him; he was the exact image of a sulky child. “I almost had Skye cornered.”

“Cornered?” Steve asked, quirking an eyebrow at him.

“We need to talk, Steve. But she’s avoiding us.”

“Wonder why…” Steve muttered. “I’ll help you when we get back.”

“Yeah?” Clint asked, looking a little more chipper.

“Yeah,” Steve nodded. “So...no one has any idea what this is about?”

“No idea,” Clint shrugged.

“Didn’t see anything online,” Tasha agreed. Steve rolled his eyes at her; she was going to get them busted with all her hacking. She grinned like she could read his mind.

“The director will see you now,” The secretary informed the trio.

“Wipe that grin off your face,” Tasha informed Steve as they stood. He hadn’t stopped smiling since they left the Tower. It was out of character for him to be _so_ smiley. Bucky had mentioned that he had gone after Skye though. She smirked when she realized what must have happened when they had time alone. She leaned forward and whispered suggestively, “Don’t want the director to know what you’ve been doing with your girlfriend.”

She masked her own grin when Steve’s face and neck flamed over. He didn’t have to say a single thing to confirm her suspicions.

“Agents,” Fury sighed, pushing back in his chair.

“Sir,” they replied.

“Have a seat.”

“What is this about?” Clint asked, plopping into a chair.

“We’ve gained a scientist,” Fury admitted. “One of the Centipede scientists.”

“You _gained_ one?” Tasha asked, frowning.

“We found him this morning. He was tied up in the middle of the room with the other scientists. They’re refusing to tell me who brought him. There is no footage.”

“I’m all for rounding up all the scientists,” Steve replied. He knew it wasn’t Skye - she hadn’t left his arms for more than five minutes all night - but he suspected Bucky was responsible for this.

“This is after a handful of other men showed up on our doorstep,” Fury continued. “Someone was nice enough to leave dead bodies by the side entrance. How kind of them,” he growled sarcastically.

“Hmm, retrieval team,” Steve nodded.

“Yes, that’s what the scientists told us,” Fury replied, narrowing his eyes at Steve. “How do you know that?”

“Sir, I’m a spy,” Steve replied innocently. “I have eyes everywhere.”

“You’ve got a friend that likes to interfere with Shield priorities…”

“Sir, Centipede was on your priority list nearly a year ago,” Steve interrupted. The director frowned at his agent; Captain Rogers was usually a lot better behaved than this. What had gotten into him? Oh, yeah. Fatherhood. Fury mentally rolled his lone eye at that one. “There’s no reason that it should have fallen so low on your list that you’re annoyed at help.”

“I don’t need help!” Fury shouted.

“We couldn’t even get past their outermost security systems,” Tasha pointed out.

“Until you got an informant,” Fury pointed out. “Yes, I know about the man that Mr. Rogers here is so afraid of us finding out about.”

“Yeah, Steve, why didn’t you tell us about your boyfriend?” Clint smirked. His brain had automatically jumped to Bucky, but he quickly realized who the director had heard about.

“My private life stays private,” Steve told the director. “It’s none of Shield’s business what I do in my down time.”

“It’s my business when one of my best agents lets his private life into a secure building.” Fury growled. “Your _boyfriend_ has no business being in my base. None.”

“I’ll be sure to pass that along,” Steve offered. His eyes were twinkling with humor even as his face remained serious.

“Agent Barton,” Fury said suddenly, deciding Steve was a lost cause for the moment, “Coulson’s plane will be back in about an hour. Agent Simmons has requested your ten hours of service. You will be there.”

“Yes, sir.” Clint muttered, slouching in his chair again.

“All at once?” Tasha asked, raising an eyebrow. Fury actually smirked at that one, but didn’t respond. He just waved them from his office.

“Awww, no…” Clint groaned the second they were out the door. “It’s going to be bad. Fuck. All at once? Can we see what they did on their last mission? Please, someone tell me what I need to prepare myself for.”

Steve’s modem went off in his pocket, drawing smirks from passing agents. He glared at the agents in silent reprimand, then grinned when they scurried off. He pulled his phone out and laughed. He just handed his phone to Clint. Skye had hacked Coulson’s plane feed and sent a picture of the lab. It was absolutely covered in some sort of green goo - including Fitz and Jack.

“Why do I have to clean up after your boyfriend?” Clint moaned. “It’s so much.”

“Guess you shouldn’t have stolen them, then.” Steve laughed.

“Nat was involved. I don’t know why only I got punished. This is bullshit.”

 

0-0-0-0-0

 

“Hi,” Steve smiled shyly, draping himself around his girlfriend. After being gone for most of the day, he felt like the tiny bubble they had shared the last day and a half was gone. He wasn’t sure where he stood with her. He felt like Tiny Steve again - trying to summon the required self-confidence to approach a woman.

“Hi, handsome,” Skye smiled, tilting her chin up for a kiss. Steve couldn’t help his responding grin. He didn’t know why he expected anything to change, but relief still flooded his system with her easy affection. She had had time to think about last night and freak out about it, if she was going to. “How’s your day gone?”

“Pretty good,” Steve smiled, dropping his arm around her shoulders. He reached over and secured his hand in his other one, trapping Skye at his side. “Got yelled at for some extra scientists...watched Clint clean up your brother’s mess.”

“It was a big mess, wasn’t it?” She laughed. She glanced down at his odd grip and asked, “What’s this?”

“Clint and Tasha want to talk to you and you keep running away from them,” Steve said pointedly. Her smile fell and her face went pale.

“Now?”

“Now,” Steve nodded. “I can stay, if you like.”

“I don’t want them to yell at me…” Skye exhaled. Steve was struck by how frightened she was.

“No yelling, lil ninja,” Clint promised, tugging Tasha into the room by her hand. She looked almost as uncomfortable as Skye did.

“I’m sorry,” Skye blurted out, gripping her blanket in her damp fists. “You’re right, I should have taken you but they’re dangerous and it would be all my fault if you got hurt and I’m sorry…”

“Whoa, breathe, Skye,” Tasha said soothingly. “We’re not mad...anymore. We were scared, because Tony was having heart surgery and Pepper came out of that jet looking like death and then you walked up with blood on your face and…” She stopped and shook her head. She offered Skye a small smile and tried to summarize, “We’re spies. We’re used to being in the loop. We’re used to being helpful. It was disconcerting to realize we had no idea where you were.”

“I’m sorry,” Skye murmured again.

“Stop apologizing,” Clint sighed. “Look, we may have over reacted, but you’re important to us. We know you’re worried about us getting hurt by them - but Skye, how do you think _we_ would feel if you got hurt and we weren’t there to do anything?”

“I wasn’t thinking about you,” Skye replied bluntly. She winced when she realized how much of an asshole that made her sound like. “Fuck. Just,” she exhaled sharply and tried again, “Clint...I can’t promise not to keep you guys out of the loop. I have secrets that I’m not ready to share yet. I won’t lie to you, so I can’t promise...”

“We know you have secrets,” Tasha interrupted. “We’re not talking about secrets. We’re talking about taking us with you when there is ass kicking to be done.”

“There’s that smile,” Clint teased, seeing Skye’s mouth twitch up at the corners. She ducked her head to hide her shy smile. “Do we have a deal, Skye? You include us on ass kicking missions and we don’t yell at you for acting like a Stark.”

“I can’t promise,” Skye admitted honestly. “There may be a situation where I won’t want you involved. You’re going to have to trust my judgement on those.”

“See, it’s your judgement that is flawed though,” Tasha sighed. “You’ve been in charge for so long, you don’t look to see other people’s opinions. Jack trusted you to make decisions for him, but we’re not your brother. We’re your friends-”

“-we’re your _family_ ,” Clint interrupted smoothly. Skye peeked up at Steve, sporting a small, hesitant smile. Steve returned her smile with one of his own and kissed her forehead.

“That ruins my point,” Tasha hissed, elbowing Clint gently. “Look, all I’m saying is that we’re used to being in control too. You can’t take our choices from us.”

“I’ll work on it,” Skye agreed. “I promise, I’ll get better.”

“Good,” Tasha said with finality. “Then let’s be done with this...seriousness. Let’s talk about how red Steve’s face got when I asked him what you two got up to yesterday.”

“He parked his motorcycle _on my baby_ ,” Skye informed them loudly, mocking anger at him. He just smiled and shook his head; he appreciated her trying to change the subject, but it wasn’t going to work with the two in front of them.

“He parked his motorcycle in your baby maker?” Clint asked suggestively, waggling his eyebrows. Skye fell back into Steve’s side and giggled helplessly. He was bright red again.

“Steve, should we tell Clint about that guy we ran into?” Skye asked, winking at Steve from Clint’s blind side.

“The one that said Hawkeye is the worst Avenger on the team?” Steve grinned, catching on and upping the ante.

“Didn’t he say something about anyone with at least one eye can shoot a bow?”

“Oh, ouch, doll. I was going to leave that bit out,” Steve winced. “I guess we should tell him about that woman that wanted to have his baby, though.”

“The lady that turned out to be a man?” Skye questioned, looking puzzled.

“Yeah, that one.” Steve grinned. He broke eye contact with Skye to see Clint’s reaction and laughed when Clint was just shaking his head at them.

“I don’t know what’s worse,” Clint sighed dramatically, “The idea that you two might have planned that in advance or that you just came up with that stuff off the top of your heads.”

“But look at their adorable little smirks,” Tasha cooed. “They match!”

“Did I ever tell you Tasha’s nickname?” Steve asked Skye, turning deliberately away from Tasha.

“Hey, you _promised_ …”

“Yeah, and you told Clint so fuck off,” Steve laughed.

“Language Cap!” Tasha laughed. “Your girlfriend has been a terrible influence on you.”

“Or, you know, a really great one,” Skye offered quickly, grinning broadly. “She’s trying to distract you. What’s her nickname? I need to know.”

“It was when the director gave us that file you pick pocketed from me,” Steve started. Tasha launched off the coffee table and tried to cover his mouth. Steve easily held her off and was laughing while he told the story. “She wanted to carry the file but she didn’t have room in her jacket for it. Thus, she was dubbed _Tubby Tasha_.”

“Steven Grant Rogers, you’re a dead man.” Tasha growled playfully, doubling her attempts to smack him.

“Hey, give Skye her present,” Clint yelled over the noise.

“I don’t need a present for apologizing,” Skye laughed.

“It’s not for apologizing,” Tasha laughed back. “It’s for you to stop stealing my suits.”

“You made me a suit?” Skye asked, pulling away from Steve. She accepted a bundle from Clint and squirmed with excitement. “It’s almost like I’m an agent now!”

“Or...you know...an Avenger,” Clint said softly.

“I can be Tasha’s body double!” Skye giggled. “Oh, this is fantastic, thank you!”

“I don’t think you heard him right,” Steve murmured into her ear. Tony and Pepper stepped off the elevator with Steven and Bruce. They were all smiling. Jack and Coulson joined the group a minute later.

“What’s going on?” Skye asked, her fingers tightening up on her new suit. Everyone was smiling, but this felt serious. Skye turned and saw Bucky leaning against the kitchen counter and frowned. He offered up a small smile and spun his finger, telling her to turn back around.

“You didn’t hear Clint, the first time,” Steve repeated.

“But I heard him? _Or...you know...an Avenger_ …” There was a beat of silence and then it clicked. “ _What?_ ”

“Tony’s going to be out for a little while,” Bruce told her. “He’s healed, basically, but his muscles have to relearn how to work. He’s got no stamina. I’m not clearing him for the field until he can pass a physical.”

“Oh,” Skye laughed, sagging with relief. “Yes, I will totally fill in for my baby brother while he recovers. Whoa...I thought you guys were gonna…”

“We are,” Steve interrupted. “You’re a part of this crazy team, like it or not. We just want to make it official. Give you the title.”

“Guys, the Avengers is for good guys,” Skye said softly, her suit falling from her lifeless fingers. Bucky sighed loudly behind her.

“I blame the Stark in her system,” Bucky called out from the kitchen. “Stupidest geniuses I’ve ever met.”

“Hey!” Tony grumbled.

“I can’t be an Avenger, guys,” Skye frowned. “I’ll fill in while Tony is recovering - if I had gotten there sooner he wouldn’t need to heal. I will fill the void I made...but when he’s better-”

“Doll, are you saying that you’re going to be okay not hacking into missions to get us more information, or take over a building’s electricity, or...or…”

“You think you’re going to be okay being completely out of the loop on our missions?” Tasha asked.

“That means no listening in. No knowing if we’re safe or not…” Clint added. Skye rolled her eyes at him and laughed a little.

“Yeah, that guilt trip was about as subtle as a brick to the face.”

“We want you. We _need_ you,” Tony stepped in finally. Steven hurried through the adults and pushed Skye down next to Steve. He waved her in closer to Steve, so he could wrap an arm around her shoulders, then climbed onto her lap.

“Heck, you don’t even have to be in the field,” Bruce added. “So much of your ability can be put to use remotely.”

“We want you to watch our backs,” Steve smiled. “We trust you to watch our backs better than anyone else.”

“But an _Avenger_?” She asked softly, her voice incredulous.

“You know that sometimes I just need some time with Bucky, right?” Steven added. “You’re around all the time and it’s so terrible!” He teased, giggling into her neck. The couch dipped on her other side and she glanced up at Bucky.

“Here’s the thing, girlie,” Bucky smiled, “You don’t see your own value...but we do.”

“I’ll think about it,” Skye offered after a long second of deliberation.

“Say yes,” Steven whispered.

“Say yes,” Bucky added.

“Please,” Steve smiled.

“I’ll think about it,” She repeated. This time though, there was a small smile on her lips.

“Great,” Tony smiled, clapping his hands. “My turn.”

“Your turn for what?” Steven asked.

“Talking.”

“Oh.”

“It has come to my attention that I owe you,” Tony said grandly, sweeping his animal pattern robe out behind him. Skye frowned and started to shake her head.

“You don’t owe-”

“So, I’m prepared to offer you one - _one, Skye_ \- one ‘get out of jail free’ card.”

“Why am I in jail?” Skye asked, smothering a smile.

“Tony jail.” He clarified. “I’ve had my stupid moment and you weren’t terribly upset with me...so I’m offering you the same. When you do something stupid - cause let’s face it, you’re a Stark, you’re going to do something stupid-”

“Can’t argue with that,” Bucky snorted.

“I can’t speak for the others, but I’ll take your side. No matter what. _Once_.” Tony emphasized.

“I don’t need anything,” Skye shrugged. Her eyes wandered the room, then settled on Steven. A smirk grew on her face.

“Oh, you’re gonna regret this,” Steve chuckled, watching the glee grow on her face.

“You’re taking my side, no matter what?” Skye clarified.

“No matter what.” Tony agreed.

“You can’t say no?”

“Now I’m worried.”

“Tony, you _can’t_ say no?”

“Can I take it back?” Tony winced. Skye hurried from the room. “Skye! I want to take it back!”

“Too late!” Skye hollered back.

“{Any bets on what she’s doing?}” Bucky asked Clint, smirking.

“{I’m a little scared.}” Clint winced.

“Okay,” Skye grinned, running back into the room. She jumped on the couch between Steven and Steve, grinning at the horror written on Tony’s face.

“You don’t have to use it now,” Tony tried halfheartedly.

“It’s important, brother.”

“Oh, now we’re playing the brother card?” Tony moaned. “Fuuuuck. Fine, what is it?”

“Jarvis, release the kraken,” Skye giggled. There was the soft pitter-patter of feet, accompanied by jingling. Steven sat straight up and looked at Skye with wide eyes.

“Really?”

“Really,” Skye grinned. “He can’t say no.”

“Zeus!” Steven called, whistling for the puppy. The pitter-pattering got faster and then there was a small brown and black missile launching itself at the boy.

“Is that what I think it is?” Tony asked, though it was muffled because he was asking through his hand.

“He’s all trained up and everything!” Steven replied quickly. “Here, I can show you his tricks. He’s really very good! I promise!”

“Please tell me this is the secret Bucky and Steven have,” Steve whispered to Skye. She pinched her lips together and nodded slightly. She had been so focused on making Tony agree that she had forgotten Steve didn’t know either. He grinned at her stricken expression and pressed a kiss to her nose, “Doll, they’ve both been smelling like dog for weeks now. It wasn’t hard to guess.”

“So you’re not mad?” She whispered.

“No, I’m  not mad,” Steve laughed. “Besides, Steven’s put a lot of time into training that puppy. How could I say no?”

 

 


	71. I’ll find him for you

 

Skye stretched her shoulders as she got off the elevator; the deeper she got into the material from the building Bucky had helped her raid, the less she felt like sitting alone in the dark. She needed to stop looking at bad things while the sun was unable to banish her dark thoughts. She kept researching further and further back until she finally knew who was being kept in the rooms with child sized objects.

She wasn’t sure why she was surprised to find the children. One child every four years. One infant that grew into a far-too-capable four year old before being led from the barren room and never returning. Within a month or two, there was another infant in the child’s place. The cycle repeated itself over and over. Sometimes there would be some overlap and another infant would be introduced while the first child was a toddler. They were in separate rooms for their entire stay. They never saw each other and they never interacted. These poor children were starved of human contact and interaction besides the aggressive training modules each child completed.

Dates started to connect in her mind and she pulled up the files from the groups. Tears slipped down her cheeks as she compared the children raised from infancy to children from the facility groups. Skye found each child in different groups; their placements locating them with children of their own age range. They were still the youngest though - the children were the youngest of their groups. Suddenly it made sense why the scientists were always harder on the youngest; they had had a head start in their training, they were expected to demonstrate their skills.

Were the youngest children _all_ raised like that? What did that mean about Steven? He wasn’t anywhere on the data she had, but it stood to reason that the youngest children were all pre-trained. Steven’s absence only nagged on her. There could be another facility. He could have been raised just like this, but in a separate location. Centipede wasn’t the type of business that put all of its eggs in one basket. They would have had backup locations.

Steven had repeatedly mentioned not remembering _before_ , but he had a damn good mask. He could remember where. Or he could remember, if prompted correctly. At least, it worked with Bucky. She winced and shook her head. She would find the building on her own. If Steven didn’t remember being raised like that, then she certainly wasn’t going to make him remember. His first four years had zero memories that Skye would be happy with him having. Some stuff was better left forgotten…

There was a muffled sound on Steve’s floor. It was out of place, considering everyone was asleep. Jack and Fitz were on a short mission with Ward and Trip; some sort of technical retrieval or something. Their empty room was open, showcasing the empty bed. All of the other doors were shut. Skye winced and ran for Bucky’s room. He never slept with the door closed. She threw the door open and immediately hit the floor, ducking under a metal fist coming at her face.

“Relax,” Skye said softly, standing with her hands out.

“{ _Give it back_ ,}” The Asset snarled. Except it wasn’t entirely the Asset. There was some Bucky, too. She could see the panic in his eyes and knew the Asset didn’t have full control. He never panicked. He never lost control.

“{What do you need?}” Skye asked, keeping her voice soft and low.

“{I _t was here. Give it back,_ }” he demanded angrily. She shook her head with confusion.

“{Give what?}”

“{ _Give it back!_ }” Bucky yelled, flipping his mattress towards her. “{ _My mission is to train it. Protect it. Do not interfere with my mission, soldier._ }” His lamp bounced off the wall and shattered against the floor. She tugged his sheet into her hands, spinning it deftly.

“{Bucky, orders,}” Skye sighed, straightening up and slipping into a commanding voice.

“{ _Train it. Protect it._ }” The Asset replied immediately, straightening from his crouch.

“{Where has it gone?}”

“{ _You have it_ ,}” The Asset snarled. “{ _I can’t train it if you keep taking it away from me._ }”

“{Are you talking about your little boy?}” Skye gasped. He didn’t reply, just turned to look at her - cocking his head slightly in confusion. She hesitated, then asked, “{Shiny?}”

“{ _Don’t call me that_ ,}” Bucky snarled, launching himself at Skye. “{ _Only_ **_he_ ** _gets to call me that._ }”

  
0-0-0-0-0

 

Steve rolled over with an annoyed sigh. Skye hadn't come to bed yet and he was finding it difficult to doze off without her. He was tired from the day, but the stress of the mission he had the next day left him unsettled to the point that he couldn’t sleep. The sad part was that he knew exactly would help him settle...but she was all the way down in the garage, doing whatever nighttime things she got up to.

It was a nasty habit he was building.

He kicked himself free from his tangled sheets and tugged pajama pants on. He groaned and stretched lightly before stumbling out of his room. The lights were still on in his tiny common area – someone had to be up. He wandered the floor before giving up and asking Jarvis. Jack and Steven's doors were closed, so she probably wouldn't be in there. Bucky's door was just barely ajar, but he did that so he could hear better.

“Ms. Skye is with Mr. Barnes,” Jarvis replied softly.

“In his room?” Steve asked, heading that way. Jarvis didn't reply because Steve was already inching the door open. It took his eyes a second to adjust to the darkness, but he winced when they did.

Skye was asleep on top of Bucky, her hands wrapped tightly around his wrists; his hands were tied in, what looked like, his sheet and Skye had him pinned spread eagle to the mattress. The room itself was trashed – the heavy furniture knocked over, but not broken. He couldn’t say the same thing about his lamp; the shards were all over the floor. They were on his mattress, on the floor. The sheets looked like they had been torn off and lay haphazardly around the room. Skye adjusted slowly, her eyes swiveling to Steve's. He winced as an apology; he should have known she would wake.

He held up one finger, then hurried from the room. She was in one of his shirts and her sleep shorts, and Steve could see the goosebumps on her exposed flesh. Steve grabbed the comforter from his bed and a few extra pillows from a small hall closet. Skye's eyes were tired and sad, but her lips twitched up when she saw what he brought. He smiled back and draped the blanket over their sleeping bodies. Skye pulled away from Bucky slowly, carefully lifting her hands from his wrists. Bucky whimpered in his sleep and pulled his arms down to surround Skye.  

“{Don't go. Please. Don't want to be alone.}” Bucky cried. His eyes still weren't open, but a tear slipped from one and raced into his hairline.

“{You don't have to be alone anymore,}” Skye reassured.

“{I can’t keep them from taking you,}” Bucky whispered, his voice breaking mid sentence. “{Stay? Let me keep you safe tonight.}”

“{Of course, Shiny,}” Skye replied back, cupping his face in her palm. He turned to his side, tucking Skye against his chest. When his feet emerged from the blanket and started shifting his body slowly, Steve realized he was trying to put himself between Skye and the door. She shot an anxious look at Steve and asked softly, “Will you stay too?”

“Course, doll.” Steve whispered. He left the door half open, knowing silence would wake Bucky. She smiled and shifted closer to Bucky's side, curling up against his chest. Bucky's tight grip wouldn't let her get any further away. Steve climbed in behind Skye, tucking up against her back. She was chilled through and would need both of their body heat for a little while. He pressed a soft kiss into the exposed flesh near her neck and whispered, “Everything okay?”

“It is now,” Skye whispered back, twisting back for a kiss. Steve smiled and obliged, then settled in to sleep. Steve kind of wanted to laugh at their sleeping arrangement, but he was far too concerned to laugh. He needed to sleep. He had a mission that he would have to be at headquarters for in five hours. Besides, Skye would fill him in later.

With her in his arms, he had no problem falling asleep.

 

Skye settled as well, tucking her arms into her chest to allow Bucky’s arm the space to hold her close. She felt safe with Bucky - safe in the way that Steve wasn’t.

Steve banished her darkness. Steve gave her the courage to slay her dragons. Steve made her forget her past.

Bucky was different. Bucky didn’t banish her darkness, he embraced it. He gave her the courage to start facing her past because she knew that no matter what they found, he would have her back. He _had_ had her back, even as they revealed more and more darkness that threatened to drown her. He held her afloat.

Steve was reckless and stupidly irrational at the worst times. He would plunge head first over the waterfall to save someone, not realizing there were rocks at the bottom. He didn’t have a selfish bone in his body, and that made calculating his actions very difficult.

Bucky was calculated. Thorough. He would lose a battle intentionally, if that meant winning the war. Bucky was finally getting to be selfish. He would keep her safe so she could help him get back to the man he was - or the man he should have been. He was easy to analyze.

Steve had a heart of gold and a head full of big ideas.

Bucky had a heart of gold but a head of reason.

Steve was a risk. He held all the power. She was completely vulnerable when it came to him. He could hurt her.

He was going to find out about her darkness and leave.

He would _shatter_ her.

  
0-0-0-0-0  


“Guys, what's the rule about slumber parties?” Steven asked, crawling up the mattress to join his three favorite people.

“There's no rule about slumber parties,” Skye mumbled, shifting her position against Bucky. He still had a death grip on her – the nightmare must have really thrown him for a loop.

“Yes, there is.” Steven contradicted, trying to squeeze under the blankets between Skye and Steve.

“We have to invite you?” Bucky asked with a low chuckle.

“I knew there was a reason I love you,” Steven informed Bucky seriously. He giggled when Bucky's arms shot out to pull him away from Steve. He pulled the boy under the blankets, finally releasing Skye to cuddle with the boy. Skye moaned her appreciation when she could shift her position. She stretched slowly, loosening each muscle group separately.

“Stevie, I'm stealin’ your kid,” Bucky informed his friend, leaning up on one elbow to peek at him. Steve smiled back sleepily.

“Okay,” He agreed easily. “Now shut up, I have to be up for a mission in...Jarvis, what time is it?”

“It is five o'clock,” Jarvis chimed in helpfully.

“Ugh,” Steve moaned, tucking in closer to Skye. “I have to be up now.”

“Jarvis, set an alarm for ten minutes?” Skye asked, pulling Steve into her arms. She smiled and pressed a kiss to his forehead, “Ten minutes of cuddling just might turn your day around.”

“What trouble are you three going to get into today?” Steve asked into her shirt. He was taking her cuddling advice seriously; his eyes weren't even open as he spoke to her. Skye and Bucky both laughed at the question, which made Steve wince. “That scares me guys.”

“We won't get caught,” Bucky shrugged.

“You can't be in trouble if you don't get caught,” Steven agreed, nodding along solemnly.

“See, Stevie?” Skye giggled, running her hand through his short hair.

“Yeah, you're not doing anything to reassure me.”

“We won't get arrested or physically injured,” Skye offered.

“Bucky, your room is a mess,” Steven observed. “Steve is going to give you extra chores if you don't take care of your stuff.”

“Oh no, extra chores!” Bucky groaned, though he was laughing. Steve chuckled against Skye's chest and pulled himself closer. He could get used to ten minute snoozes.

“Did you have a nightmare?” Steven asked, taking in all three sets of tired eyes.

“Yeah, kiddo.” Bucky said softly. Steven pushed himself onto Bucky's chest and looked at him seriously.

“Don't look ashamed,” Steven told him, jabbing a finger at his chest. “Everyone has nightmares. Even Steve. Even Skye. Even 47. It's normal.”

“You know 47?” Bucky asked, one eyebrow raised in question.

“Skye told me all about him,” Steven smiled. “Well, not _all_ about. He’s super old, it would probably take forever to tell me _all_ about him.”

“Mr. Rogers, your ten minute snooze is complete.” Jarvis chimed in.

“Steve, get going or you’re going to be late,” Skye yawned, pushing him off her chest.

“But I don’t wanna go,” Steve whined. She giggled and kissed his forehead.

“The sooner you go, the sooner you can get back,” She whispered.

“Mmmf,” Steve whined again. Bucky giggled and poked his side.

“Get goin’, punk. We don’t want people comin’ lookin’ for you. They might find your secret family.”

“I hate that you have to be secret,” Steve grumbled, lifting his head from Skye’s chest.

“You would hate it more if they tried to take us,” Bucky smirked humorlessly.

“Psh, they could _try_ ,” Steven snorted.

“Steve, go,” Skye giggled. He had put his head back down.

“Jarvis, gimme five more minutes, okay?” Steve asked, stretching his arm out to surround all three bodies sharing the mattress with him.

“You’re already going to be overdue,” Jarvis replied. “I don’t see the harm in adding an additional five minutes.”

“Jarvis is my favorite today,” Steve grinned.

“Thank you, Mr. Rogers,” Jarvis replied. Steven giggled and twisted against Bucky.

“I think my puppy is trying to find us,” Steven whispered. There was a sniffing noise coming from the crack in the door. Steven hadn’t shut it all the way when he joined them. All four sets of eyes shifted to the door, grinning when a tiny black nose pushed its way into the room. Steven giggled and the puppy yipped excitedly. He pushed against the door a little harder, then squirmed into the room. He yipped again, trying to jump up onto the mattress. It took him a few tries to get high enough, but then he was navigating the legs and blankets to lick aggressively at his boy’s face. He giggled and tried to push the puppy away, “Yuck, Zeus!”

 

0-0-0-0-0

 

“Skye? What are you doing?” Steve asked, cocking his head at her. Bucky was on the couch, watching her as well. He dropped his dirty mission gear by his feet and waited for a response.

“Practicing,” Skye replied matter of factly, looking to Bucky over her shoulder. Steve fought to keep his eyes from straying to her ass. She was standing in the field suit Tasha had given her and it was tight.

“Hmm, jaw up a little bit.” Bucky offered, standing to adjust her just right.

“Do I even want to know what you're practicing for?” Steve asked.

“My super hero pose.” Skye retorted, letting Bucky tilt her face. “Good?”

“Good.” Bucky nodded decisively.

“Can I see?” Steve asked, trying to hide his grin. These two never failed to amuse him. Skye nodded eagerly and looked to Bucky.

“Come have a seat, punk.” Bucky grinned, patting the spot next to him on the couch. He looked at Skye, clutching a pillow in his hand, “Ready?”

“I was born ready,” Skye declared. Bucky snorted and chucked the pillow at her. Skye deflected the missile with a fancy flip-kick, straightening dramatically -  her arms tense at her sides, her face serious, her eyes focused on something in the distance.

“Spoiler alert: We googled you first,” Bucky whispered loudly to Steve. Skye giggled at that and nodded. Steve groaned and buried his face in his hands.

“Hey, Jarvis? Wanna play that clip for me?” Skye asked, tossing the pillow back to Bucky. Jarvis didn't bother replying, just projected the image onto the screen behind her. Someone had added music to the clip of Steve, stolen from a traffic camera during the battle of New York. Bucky waited for some cue that Steve didn't catch, then chucked the pillow at Skye again. Steve could tell they had practiced this. Skye had synchronized the move to near perfection – her body mirroring his projected image. The clip ended and Skye broke form, launching herself onto Steve's lap.

“Did you like it?” She asked, grinning.

“It was amazing,” Steve chuckled, trying and failing to keep his tone deadpan.

“Can I tell you something?” Skye asked, smirking at him.

“Skye...” Bucky said warningly.

“I never promised!” Skye giggled, ducking her head behind Steve's shoulder when Bucky tried to grab her.

“It was implied!” Bucky growled playfully, reaching over Steve, who was watching them fight on his lap.

“Maybe you shouldn't tell me,” Steve offered after a minute of Bucky trying to pull Skye over Steve's lap, and Skye squirming away and laughing.

“We picked that clip because your ass looks fantastic in it!” Skye shouted at the top of her lungs, then dissolved into giggles over Steve's expression. She laughed herself breathless, holding onto Steve to keep from toppling over.

“Fuckin’ Starks,” Bucky growled teasingly.

 

0-0-0-0-0

 

“What the hell?” Tony muttered out loud, staring at the screen in front of him. He was watching the video of the grenade blast at SI, well...what little footage there was before the screen shorted out. He rubbed gently at his chest, trying to ease the discomfort of the constant itching of healing skin. Skye assured him it was normal, so he wasn’t worried - but it was annoying as fuck. “Need to clear the drain on the quinjet and see if there’s any residue.”

“Am I interruptin’?” Bucky asked, shifting nervously in the doorway.

“No, you’re fine,” Tony sighed, waving him into the lab.

“You sounded busy.”

“Just talking myself through some things,” Tony shrugged. “What can I do for you?”

“Skye mentioned you were interested in my file...in my past.”

“Oh, don’t worry, she told me off. I won’t go digging,” Tony laughed, waving his hands in defeat. Bucky smirked and sat opposite Tony.

“I’ll save you a little effort,” Bucky smiled, shoving a file across the table. It was thick - several files rubber banded together to make one stack. “I don’t think it’s everything, but it’s what we have. You have my permission.”

“Your permission?”

“To look. To fill in gaps. I don’t know what most of it means; Skye’s looked at it until she was blue in the face...I don’t think another set of eyes would hurt. You want to know about me...and I would love to have some gaps filled. It’s a win-win.”

“Do you want to tell me what you know?” Tony asked.

“Just what’s in the file,” Bucky shrugged. “Memories are coming back - but it’s slow and usually it’s just fragments; little pieces of conversation or a small interaction...nothin’ substantial.”

“Good fragments?”

“Some of them,” Bucky nodded. “I know I trained a boy. He was...well, I don’t know...but he was important to me. If you could find out anythin’ about that, I would be indebted to you.”

“You said _some_ good.” Tony commented.

“I’ve killed a lot of people,” Bucky admitted softly. It was the first time he had said it out loud. The first time admitting it in so many words. He didn’t have to tell Skye. He didn’t want to tell Steve.

“It wasn’t your fault,” Tony said sincerely. “You mentioned the magic blood taking away programming, but Skye’s also looked into the medications that they had you on.”

“Say that again?”

“It got brought up that she took care of you while you were hurling over the toilet,” Tony smiled. “That got Bruce interested, so they looked into the cocktail your scientists had you on. It at least partially explains the memory loss...the vomiting...the shaking...”

“Great. Now I can add drug addict to my list of proud moments,” Bucky grumbled darkly, hanging his head.

“It wasn’t just a drug,” Tony offered, rushing his words. “It really was a cocktail. Basic hydration packages, that’s to be expected; you needed to heal and you do that better hydrated. But, there were also drugs to help with anxiety - probably because you remembered things that didn’t agree with what they told you. Anti-seizure medication, for when they were wiping you. Is it okay that we’re talking about this?”

“Give it to me straight,” Bucky nodded. His face was dark, but he waved Tony on. “It’s not my favorite but I’d rather understand. Go on.”

“Muscle relaxers, for the chair,” Tony whispered, pointing to the chair in the file Bucky had handed him five minutes ago. “Sedatives, to make you compliant. All in a strong enough dose to leave you thoroughly jumbled. This cocktail _is_ The Asset. It’s the reason you complied, it’s the reason you were so aggressive. Bucky, it’s the reason you were _him_. Without it, you’re just you.”

“He’s still here, though,” Bucky grimaced, tapping his skull with his metal index finger. “He still wants control. Sometimes, he gets it.”

“You know it’s coming,” Tony countered. “You isolate yourself. You call for Skye. You work it out. You’re not without problems, but you’re working on it. That’s more than I could say a week ago,” Tony smirked, scratching lightly where his reactor used to be. It still felt strange that it was gone. It was even more strange that the scars had started fading immediately. Now, days after his surgery, the scarred skin was barely visible. Given a week, Tony was willing to bet those would be gone too.

“I’m goin’ to go take a walk. Let me know if you find anythin’, yeah?”

“That boy sounds important to you,” Tony replied. “Why?”

“I don’t know,” Bucky shrugged. He smirked up at Tony through his hair and added, “Kinda why it’s drivin’ me crazy.”

“I’ll see what I can find,” Tony nodded. “You gonna give me anything to work with? What do you remember of him?”

“Um, he’s a boy. Little. Maybe Steven’s age?” Bucky shrugged. “I trained him. The Asset trained him, I mean. I remember meetin’ him. I remember thinkin’ he was too little to train. No muscle.” Bucky smiled a little and rubbed the toe of his boot on the floor, “The first thing he said to me was ‘ _Are you here to keep me company?_ ’ He was locked in this tiny, cold little room and all he wanted was some company…”

Bucky swallowed and glanced up at Tony. Tony waited, sensing he wasn’t finished talking yet.

“He called me _shiny_. Said it was because I was good. He said I was the only good there…” Bucky scratched his nose and exhaled slowly. “I think I knew him for a while. I think he was talkin’ about Bucky. He certainly wouldn’t have been talkin’ about the Asset like that...but, he died. I remember meetin’ him and I know he died. That’s all I _know_.”

“I’ll find him for you,” Tony promised softly. Bucky nodded and slunk from the room. Tony winced, “Jarvis, make sure Skye checks on him in a little bit, okay?”

 


	72. 1027 is not up for adoption

 

“What do you mean, they’re gone?” Pepper asked, frowning into her phone.

“Ma’am, I mean I can’t find them. I filed them, I promise.” The assistant replied, forcing her tone to be firm and confident, even if she felt anything but.

“It’s not your fault,” Pepper sighed; she suspected this was going to happen. That’s why she had had three different assistants file the adoption paperwork with multiple agencies. She rolled her neck with annoyance and glanced at her schedule. Well, there was nothing that wouldn’t keep. “Cancel my appointments for the afternoon and call me the car, will you?” Pepper asked.

“Yes, ma’am.”

“Jenny, relax, I’m not mad at you,” Pepper added at the last minute. She could still hear the fear in her assistant’s tone. Surely she wasn’t that scary...was she?

“I know, ma’am,” Jenny replied. “I just feel sorry for whoever you’re going to go visit. The car will be around in fifteen minutes.”

“Thank you,” Pepper smiled, then hung up the phone. What? She couldn’t help liking the respect. She pushed a small button and waited for the corresponding tone that told her Jarvis was ready for her. “Jarvis, hack into Director Fury’s calendar. Clear it. He’s got an appointment with me this afternoon.”

“Should I alert Sir to my…”

“Tony is resting, Jarvis. Leave him.”

“Yes, ma’am.” Jarvis replied.

  
0-0-0-0-0

 

“Why am I not surprised,” Fury sighed, putting his sidearm away when he got far enough into his office that he could see who was in his space. His assistant wasn’t at her desk when he’d arrived, which immediately set him on the defensive.

“Director Fury,” Pepper smiled coyly, trailing her fingers along the edge of his chair. “You’ve angered the wrong person this time.”

“Get the hell out of my chair,” Fury growled, narrowing his eye at her. He wouldn’t show it, because she would never let him live it down, but the sweat glands in his palms were working overtime. He almost wished it was someone trying to assassinate him. He would take a spy over this woman any day.

“Have a seat,” Pepper replied cooly, waving to the chairs in front of his desk. She shifted slightly, letting him know she was staying right where she was.

“What the hell is this about?” Fury asked, forcing his panic back. He thought Steve had done this. Steve and maybe his boyfriend - who was dangerously good at staying out of camera view. Several agents had reported seeing a woman with Rogers, but the children always referred to a _he_. Rogers’ boyfriend must be into costume play. He almost grinned at that thought - what would America say if they knew their golden boy had a boyfriend? He suppressed his smirk, only because Pepper had narrowed her eyes at him and looked ready to claw his remaining orbital socket to bits.

“I think you know what this is about,” Pepper said calmly. She ran her fingers over a plain envelope, then shoved it towards him. “Wanna tell me why this keeps getting deleted?”

“1027 is not up for adoption,” Fury remarked. He swallowed and braced himself, then added, “Period.”

“1027 doesn’t exist,” Pepper replied. “Those children, don’t exist. They’re nameless innocents and you’re going to deny giving them a life?”

“Life doesn’t do you much good if you’re dead,” Fury snarled. “Do you realize how many people are after those children? Do you realize the amount of danger they’re in?”

“Do you realize that they’re not normal children?” Pepper asked, leaning in closer. “Do you realize that, if left alone, they would protect themselves and each other until the threat was eliminated? You do know that though, don’t you? You know what they’re made of, what they’re capable of. You want to take advantage. Make them indebted to you before they learn to think for themselves. Well, I’m here to tell you that’s not going to happen. Those children will be in my care within the week. Here’s the paperwork. _You delete this and we’re going to have a serious problem_.”

“You can’t have them.” Fury snarled. “I need to keep them safe. I promised they would be safe.”

“Then think of this as help,” Pepper offered, pushing back from the desk, “Because I very much doubt that whoever you promised intended for you to forget about their happiness while you were looking after their bodies.”

“You have no idea what I promised,” Fury retorted, his anger pushing away his fear of her. “You have no idea what that promise has cost me, so get the hell out of my office.”

“Director,” Pepper said, pausing by the door, “think about the spirit of that promise, not the words in it. You’re right, I have no idea what you promised, but I can tell it’s important to you. Think about whoever you promised. Would they really be happy with the way those children are being treated?”

“I think about her every day,” he admitted softly, but then the anger came surging back and he pointed to the door. “Get the hell out of my office.”

“You have a week, Director,” Pepper reminded him, her voice trailing back into the room after she had left from it.

“Fuck,” Fury muttered, rubbing his palms over his bald scalp. “What’s the spirit of my promise?” He asked himself softly.

She had been smart, infuriatingly smart, and had the attitude of someone twice her size. But she was broken, in spirit at least. They had done that. They were responsible for her brokenness, not that they had intended to be. They intended to give her the best chance at a normal life. That’s why these children weren’t going to be out of his sight. Normal would never be possible for these children, but _safe_? He could manage safe.

Besides, she wasn’t thinking about happiness when she had made him promise. He was cradling her body with his, trying to shield her from the bullets flying all around them, while he ran from the house with her. Agents were falling around them left and right - but she knew how this would end. She kneed him hard enough that he dropped her. “ _Keep them safe_ ,” she had begged, looking back at the agents on the ground as she walked backwards away from him. “ _You need to promise no one else will die._ ” He hadn’t even gotten to respond to her. He saw a pair of hands grab her right as intense pain on the left side of his head caused him to black out. When she said _keep them safe_ , she had meant it very literally.

He had failed, of course. Everyone from that day died - himself excluded, though that was a near thing. He could only imagine her fate. Knowing what he did about the men that took her, she was dead. It probably hadn’t been a quick, painless death either. He ran his hands over his smooth scalp, marred only by the scars and strap from his eye patch. What he wouldn’t give to do that day over again. Out of all of his days as an agent, that was the day that stuck with him. That was the one that haunted him. He knew why, too.

It was all his fault.

That whole day was his fault.

“Sir? Is everything okay?” His assistant asked, peeking timidly around his door frame. “I didn’t realize she was going to break into your office. She looked faint and asked for some tea and I didn’t even think…”

“It’s not your fault,” Fury muttered. His assistant looked shocked; his dismissal was very out of character for him. She had gotten yelled at for far lesser misdoings than this. “She’s a force to be reckoned with on the best of days.”

“Um, you calendar is clear for the afternoon, if you wanted to leave early?” She replied softly, raising one shoulder in a slight shrug, like she wasn’t sure he would like her advice.

“Actually, that sounds great,” Fury nodded. “I’m going to head out. Got some errands to run that I’ve been putting off.”

“Oh, okay.” She spluttered. She hadn’t expected for him to agree.

“See you in the morning,” he muttered, stalking out past her.

 

0-0-0-0-0

 

“What are they doing?” Fury muttered, tapping a button on his glasses to zoom in closer. Agents Barton and, who he assumed was, Romanoff were walking along the sidewalk, swinging a small boy between them. Barton had a mustache plastered to his upper lip, but Romanoff was harder to identify through the wig and makeup. The boy was laughing as his feet left the pavement. It took him another moment to realize this was 1027. With the new clothes and haircut, the kid looked entirely different. His tattoo was covered and he couldn’t see the spine through the dark shirt. He blinked and Barton was gone. “Shit,” Fury muttered, scanning the road quickly for his rogue agent.

“Hello sir!” Barton chirped happily, resting his arm along the open window of his SUV. “Little birdie pointed out to me that a _scawy man in the van_ was being quite...stalkerish?”

“Am I the _scawy_...I mean, scary, man?” Fury asked, stumbling over his words at being found out. Usually he was a much better spy than this. He really needed to lock that memory away and get back on his game.

“You said it, sir,” Barton replied, grinning. “What do you want? Cause I guarantee that if Steven goes and tells Steve you’ve been spying on us…”

“I’m not spying,” Fury retorted quickly. “I’m assessing.”

“Assessing, huh?” Barton smirked.

“Yes, assessing.” Fury replied. Barton looked like Christmas came early.

“I can’t wait to see what Steve has to say about you letting those adoption papers go through,” Barton laughed. “Cause that’s the only reason that I can think of you getting out of this cleanly,” he finished, his smile dropping and his features becoming deathly serious in a heartbeat.

“1027 isn’t up for-”

“Ah, yet another blunder, Director,” Clint interrupted. “See, 1027 was a scrawny little boy with exactly one set of Shield standard issue garb. 1027 was a frightened little boy with no one in the world. _Steven_ is the little boy that Steve is going to adopt. _Steven_ is the little boy with a bright future because he’s got a whole _family_ of very dangerous people looking out for him.”

“He doesn’t exist,” Fury argued.

“See, that’s where you’re wrong,” Tony chirped, sidling into the conversation through the screen inside the SUV’s dashboard. “Steven Chang does indeed exist.”

“Chang?” Barton laughed, smirking at Tony.

“What? It works,” Tony smirked right back. They turned to Fury, dropping their pretend smiles. “You have exactly one minute to get off my property before we make you.”

“You’re in the wrong on this one, sir,” Barton added. “Just go.”

  


“Siri, take a note.” Fury told his phone angrily as he drove away from the Tower.

“Ready,” A female voice chimed.

“Call the Avengers into my office. Tomorrow. First thing.”

“Note taken.”

“Gotta get that boy away from those crazies,” Fury muttered.

 

0-0-0-0-0

 

“Guys, go,” Tony grinned. “I’m still healing, but you can go. I haven’t gotten much time with Steven. Let me watch him. Please?”

“I think we broke him,” Skye said apologetically to Pepper. “I’m so sorry.”

“You can always break him like this,” Pepper grinned, kicking off her heels so she could kiss Tony’s cheek without bending over.

“Yuuuuck,” Steven and Skye groaned, then giggled at their timing.

“They’re so weird,” Bucky whispered loudly to Steve.

“I know,” Steve whispered back, just as loudly.

“Go, I need some time with Tony without people telling us we’re making bad choiiii…” Steven trailed off when he caught Steve’s face. “Not that anyone has ever said that about our choices,” he corrected hastily. “Honest, we’ll be good. Go have fun.”

“I’ll keep them alive,” Pepper grinned. “Go.”

“Boom, done!” Skye grinned. “Let’s go break George out.”

“Alive isn’t the same as safe, Pepper,” Steve muttered, pulling her in for a hug. She hugged him back for a fraction too long, making him pull back slightly. “Everything okay?”

“Yeah,” Pepper smiled, waving his concern away with a flick of her wrist. “Go, have fun.”

“Jarvis knows how to get a hold of me,” Skye inserted, bumping Steve out of the way with her hip. She pulled Pepper into a tight hug and pressed a sticker to the inside of her wrist. “Now I can track you wherever you go, so please, keep it PG tonight, yeah?”

“Yeah,” Pepper agreed, smiling a little more sincerely.

“Sure you’re okay?” Steve asked again, sliding back into the conversation. He pulled Skye to his side, knowing he would have to be way less tactile outside of these walls. She smirked and wrapped her arm around his waist, pressing a chaste kiss to the fabric covering his broad shoulders.

“I promise,” Pepper nodded. “I’ll stick close to their side.”

“The suits won’t work until I retrofit miniature reactors in them,” Tony muttered, guessing the reason behind her closeness.

“You’re not going to need them,” Skye dismissed easily. “Everything is quiet tonight. Let’s all take advantage, yeah?”

“Go, have fun,” Tony smiled, stretching a foot out to kick at his sister playfully.

“George?” Tasha asked, frowning. “Who’s George and why are we breaking him out?”

“One of her old guys from the bar,” Clint explained. “He thinks Skye is his wife.”

“He got a health aide, and she won’t let him out at night,” Bucky added. “I mean, he’s got Alzheimer's, so there’s a good reason behind it but we would make sure he’s not wanderin’ around the city.”

“Aw, Skye, let’s go rescue your husband,” Tasha smirked.

 

0-0-0-0-0

 

“Why is security so tight?” Clint muttered, looking at the high fence that was preventing them from getting to George. Two large dogs sat on the opposite side of the fence, waiting silently for someone to be stupid enough to cross it.

“Alright, plan B.” Skye announced.

“What?” Tasha asked, spinning abruptly. “You’re saying there’s no way to cross…”

“-not that they would like…”

“-No.” Skye interrupted Bucky when he interrupted Tasha. She smacked Bucky lightly and he sighed and corrected himself.

“No, there’s no good way in.”

“So what’s plan B?” Steve asked, smirking at the scared look on Skye’s face and the amused expression on Bucky’s.

“Every significant other’s worst nightmare,” Bucky chortled.

“James Buchanan-”

“Oh, damn.” Steve interrupted. “I haven’t heard that tone used on you since your mother caught you raiding her freshly baked cookies…”

“Caught _me_?” Bucky snorted. “I seem to recall a _us_ in there.”

“But I didn’t get in trouble,” Steve smirked proudly. Bucky rolled his eyes at his friend’s inflated ego and shook his head at Skye.

“Look what a pompous ass Mr. Rogers has grown into,” Bucky sighed loudly.

“Then maybe you shouldn’t have encouraged him so much!” Skye shot right back, giggling.

“He pulls those damn innocent eyes out and boom - I’m done for.” He sighed dramatically and winked at Clint, “Do you know how much shit I got in trouble for instead of him?”

“Hey!” Steve laughed, trying to interject on the conversation.

“He stole soot from church, so he could draw but doofus here didn’t think about his black hands when he refused to answer the headmaster. Somehow it became _my fault_ that he figured out his stupid eyes will get him whatever he wants.”

“I never lied!” Steve yelled.

“Or how about that time where you showed down the bully from school for pickin’ on Susie Marcenella?”

“No!” Steve laughed, jumping to cover Bucky’s mouth. Bucky laughed and squirmed to keep his mouth free.

“And you just so happened…”

“-it didn’t happen like that!”

“...to pick a fight outside of where I worked.”

“Stop it!” Steve laughed, licking Bucky when his mouth got covered.

“You knew damn well I would come out and save your ass,” Bucky snorted, smiling fondly at Steve. “Steve ‘Can Do This _All_ Day’ Rogers, everyone.”

“I had just gotten out of the hospital with pneumonia!” Steve defended half-heartedly.

“Oh, oh, my favorite,” Bucky laughed, struggling to keep a hold on Steve.

“Bucky, no. Please. Bucky!”

“ _Bucky_ ,” Bucky bit out, pushing his lip out just a little. He blinked and ducked his chin, fluttering his eyelashes at Steve, “ _Bucky, it’s so cold and if I could just get warm I think I could sleep a little.”_

“I didn’t flutter my eyelashes,” Steve huffed.

“Good thing you are breaking your husband out,” Tasha smirked. “Looks like Steve already found his better half.”

“Damn straight-”

“-hey!” Bucky and Steve answered over the top of each other, making Skye grin affectionately. Finally.

  
0-0-0-0-0  


“Plan B, remember?” Clint smiled, pushing Skye up to the front door. He rang the doorbell then hurried back behind the group. After a minute, a portly woman opened the door and frowned at them.

“Can I help you?” She asked, her lack of sincerity was apparent.

“Hi, we were going to...nope, nope, nope. Start over.” Skye muttered to herself, then wiped her palm on her jeans before thrusting her hand out at her. “Hi, I’m Skye. I’m a friend of George’s. I was wondering if we could check him out for a few hours. Please.” Skye rambled, twisting her hands together nervously.

“Never heard of a Skye,” The woman in front of Skye retorted, crossing her arms.

“Yeah, that’s cause he knows me as-” Skye winced and started to explain, but George came around the corner at filled his aide in quickly.

“-Louise!” George grinned, throwing up his hands as he shuffled lightly in place. Bucky smirked affectionately at the old man, then grinned when Steve elbowed him.

“Hi, Georgie,” Skye smiled back, side stepping the aide so she could return his hug.

“Have you come to break me out, Louise!?” George shouted. Clint giggled a little at his hushed tone but loud projection.

“Eh, I don’t know Georgie,” Skye hesitated, glancing back at the aide. “Please. Just a few hours? I promise we’ll bring him home safely.”

“It just feels wrong,” The aide admitted. “No one your age goes around spending time with old men…”

“We’re not all as young as we look,” Steve interjected, raising his bill for a moment so the woman could get a good look at who was underneath.

“Captain America?” The woman gasped.

“George is an old war buddy of mine,” Steve informed her, like the story hadn’t been told a million times before.

“Always thought he was a little nutty,” The aide admitted.

“Well, yeah. But nice nutty,” Steve agreed, smiling. “So, think we can check him out for a few hours?”

“As long as his kids don’t find out,” The aide confessed.

“You keep our secret, we’ll keep yours,” Steve smirked. The woman preened a little and Skye’s eyes shot wide from behind them at the sound she made. She had helped George change into _appropriate evening wear_ while Steve buttered the nurse up. The aide turned to look at George and Steve hissed a wordless sound at Skye when she looked like she was about to start laughing.

“How am I supposed to turn that face down?” The aide sighed. “I think it’s the first time I’ve seen him smile.”

“She said yes!” George grinned toothily at Skye.

“Jacket, quick, before she changes her mind!” Skye grinned back, holding his jacket out for him.

 


	73. Is that what having a mom is like?

 

“You jealous?” Clint smirked, nodding at George. He was practically sitting on Skye’s lap; his head was resting on her shoulder. Skye’s arms were around him, holding him to her. Their breathing was exactly the same pace, so the car was hushed so they could sleep. Their night of drinking, karaoke, and dancing at the Old Guy Bar had exhausted both of them.

“Of an old man?” Steve asked softly. He smiled back at Clint, knowing he was just trying to rile him up.

“She seems to have a thing for older guys,” Tasha added with a casual shrug. Bucky ducked his head, hiding his grin from Steve. He liked listening to his friend splutter.

“Steve, then Bucky, then George…” Clint smirked.

“Eh, Bucky, then George, _then_ Steve,” Bucky corrected lightly.

“You’ve known Skye for that long?” Tasha asked, smiling.

“It’s complicated,” Bucky winced.

“You weren’t always as free as you are now?” Clint asked knowingly.

“They got me back a few times,” Bucky nodded.

“When did you meet Skye for the first time?” Steve asked, leaning against Skye and George when they started slipping sideways in the seat. Skye’s icy fingers reached out for his arm and he barely bit back his hiss at the unexpected cold.

“Cover her,” Tasha giggled, a little drunkenly. She tossed a blanket to Steve, then helped him open it.

“Yeah, Steven, it’s cold,” Skye agreed, clinging tightly to Steve and George. Her voice was lower than it usually was and Bucky grinned.

“She done this before?” He asked, nodding to her.

“Done what?” Clint asked.

“Sleep talk,” Bucky smirked, reaching over to help Steve cover them.

“She’s asleep?” Tasha asked.

“Watch,” Bucky grinned, holding up a finger to silence the car. “Hey, Skye. Skye? What’s my name?”

“Which one?” Skye asked, her voice still low.

“My name. What’s my real name?”

“James Buchanan Barnes,” Skye told him shyly, poking her head over the top of George’s. She blinked slowly and smiled tentatively.

“What’s your name?” Steve asked, laughing when Bucky immediately smacked his thigh.

“Skye, don’t answer that,” Bucky told her quickly, shooting Steve a mock glare. “She will tell you that one when she’s awake, punk.”

“But I can tell him,” Skye offered, finger combing George’s hair.

“What are you goin’ to tell him?” Bucky asked.

“What my name is.”

“Looks like it’s your lucky day,” Bucky shrugged, looking over to Steve.

“Steven, my name is Skylar Elizabeth Stark,” she informed him seriously.

“So...full names when she’s sleep talking?” Clint grinned.

“This is the second...no, third time I’ve seen her sleepwalk.” Bucky smiled. “I guess it’s more an observation than fact at this point.”

“He’s been hanging out around the Science babies,” Clint sighed.

“Hey, you better be nice,” Bucky threatened playfully.

“You’re the one that better be nice,” Tasha scoffed. “We’ve got way more on you than you do on us.”

“ _I_ have more on him,” Clint argued easily.

“But do they remember pre-teen Natalia showing off her balle-”

“Shut your trap,” Tasha hissed, launching herself across the car at him. Steve laughed and pulled Skye and George into his side so they were safe from any fallout.

“What are you guys doing?” Skye giggled, her voice sleepy.

“Telling stories about Nat’s childhood,” Clint smirked. “Bucky was just telling us about some ballet-?”

“Want me to hurt them for you?” Skye offered, rolling her eyes slowly over to Tasha.

“Nah, wifey, we’re good.”

“You say the word,” Skye nodded with a yawn. She nuzzled into Steve’s side and promptly fell back asleep.

 

0-0-0-0-0

 

Skye woke slowly, though she still pretended to sleep until she could figure out what woke her. She wasn’t sure where she was for a second, then she remembered Steve carrying her into the Tower. Steve’s room was silent, which wasn't unusual. Steve was pressed against her side – or was she pressed into his? - which also wasn't unusual. Their door was cracked open, so she could hear the silence in the shared space. She listened hard – Bucky was in his room, snoring lightly. She couldn't hear Jack, though he had been working in his lab. She took several minutes to ease away from Steve, trying not to wake him. Finally she was free and slipped from the room. Their floor was bare – Jack and Steven were both gone.

“Hey, Jarvis?” Skye asked softly.

“They're both in Jack's lab,” Jarvis replied without her asking. She smiled and took the stairs. “I'm not sure if Steven is feeling completely well.”

“What's wrong?” Skye frowned. Jarvis didn't reply, probably because she was already at the lab. She pushed the doors open, seeing Steven sobbing on the floor. Jack was standing nearby, holding a trash can toward him.

“Just, hit the bucket.” Jack informed the boy, trying to get closer with the can without getting closer with his body. “Why'd you come _here_?”

“Ja-a-ack!” Steven sobbed, pulling his knees up to his chest as he dry heaved slightly. “Make it better.”

“Steven!” Jack half-sobbed back, tiptoeing in place. “Skye'll be here soon with her mom senses.”

“Soon?” Steven asked.

“Oh, boys,” Skye sighed, finally coming out of hiding.

“Oh, thank God,” Jack sighed, handing off the trash can.

“Skye!” Steven whimpered, putting his arms up with a shiver.

“Come here, honey,” Skye cooed, scooping him up and holding him close. “Why didn't you wake me up?”

“You were sl-sl-sleeping,” Steven stuttered, sucking in a shaky breath. “You never sleep. And Steve was comfy on you and I didn't want to ruin your cuddles!”

“Oh, baby cakes,” Skye chuckled, “You could never ruin cuddles.”

“That's a lie,” Jack muttered. “Vomit ruins everything. I'm going to bed before the germs spread. Let yourself out from my lab. Jarvis, sanitize for me please?”

“Is it your tummy?” Skye asked softly, rocking the boy gently. Steven nodded and heaved lightly. Skye reached urgently for the can, shoving it under his chin just as his dinner made a reappearance.

“Oh, I'm so out,” Jack muttered, speed walking for the elevator.

“Let's get you to a bathroom,” Skye whispered to the boy. “We'll cuddle there for a while, okay?”

“Okay,” Steven nodded.

 

0-0-0-0-0

 

“Skye?” Steve called out, walking out of his room and into the common space on his floor. Her side of the bed was cold - she had been gone for a while.

“Ms. Skye is in Steven's ensuite,” Jarvis replied helpfully. Steve frowned and headed that way, trying to smooth his hair down as he walked. The comforter was missing off Steven's bed, but he found that quickly. It was trailing into Steven's bathroom. Steven was sitting between Skye's legs in front of his toilet. His head was on his arm, resting heavily on the rim. Skye was rubbing circles onto the boy's back, humming lightly. The comforter was around Skye's shoulders, but Steven was partially wrapped in it too. Zeus was keeping watch from the corner of the blanket; his back pressed against Steven’s leg, but his attention on the door. Skye and Steven both looked exhausted.

“I want to be done with this,” Steven whimpered.

“How long have you been at this?” Steve asked, kneeling by Skye. Steven fell back against Skye, curling into the fetal position against her front.

Skye shrugged, “I didn't pay attention to the time.”

“Need anything?” Steve asked. “I can switch you places?”

“No,” Steven sobbed, clutching at her arm. “I need Skye.” She smiled tiredly and hugged him tightly. Steve nearly sighed with relief. He would have gladly switched her places, but he would much rather make a run for supplies than cuddle with a vomiting little boy.

“It’s okay,” Skye murmured softly, soothing him when he tensed in her arms.

“Please, Steve. Don’t be mad. I _need_ her,” Steven whimpered pathetically.

“I’m not mad, buddy,” Steve smiled, kneeling so he could run a hand over his boy’s hair. “You cuddle with Skye and I’ll take care of you both, huh? What do you need?”

“He needs to stay hydrated,” Skye told Steve, trying to hide her soft smile at the expression on his face. She needed to make sure Steve filed those adoption papers. “Water? Ice, maybe?”

“Broth?” Steve asked, thinking back to his own childhood days.

“Ugh, no.” Steven muttered firmly. Skye grinned and reached for more blanket.

“The salt will probably sound good later,” She told Steve. He pulled more comforter into the bathroom and tucked it around the pair carefully. Skye hummed her approval, but Steven just buried his face in her chest, settling in sleepily.

“Shh, Skye,” Steven whispered drowsily. “Your cuddles are trying to make everything better.”

“Sick Day Kit coming right up,” Steve smiled. “I'll probably pop out and get some stuff. Tony put together the grocery list when he was drunk and...” Steve trailed off, rolling his eyes and fluttering his hand absently. “What were we talking about?”

“Sick Day Kit,” Skye reminded him, smiling fondly.

“Oh yeah. Do you want anything, doll? What can I do to make this better for you?”

“I’m good,” Skye replied. “I think he'll crash soon. I'll probably end up catching up on some sleep.”

“You got it.” Steve grinned and pressed a kiss to each of their heads. “I'll drop your phone off, in case you think of anything.”

 

0-0-0-0-0

 

“It's okay, honey,” Skye soothed, brushing his sweaty hair off his forehead. “Let it all out. You'll feel better, I promise.”

“I don't like this,” Steven whimpered, clutching his stomach. He groaned and lifted his head off the toilet rim to heave the water she made him drink out of his stomach. “It's still cold!”

“I know, honey,” Skye murmured. “It'll be over soon.”

“I don't like this at all,” Steven sobbed. Skye got up and got a wash cloth out of the closet. She ran the water until it was hot, then wrung the cloth out.

“I know,” She murmured, “Let me clean you up, yeah?”

“Okay,” Steven nodded miserably. Skye smiled and pulled him onto her lap. She wiped all the sweat off his face and neck, then pressed a light kiss to his forehead.

“Steve'll be back with some fluids soon,” Skye informed the boy quietly, rubbing calming circles onto his back.

“'m hot,” Steven mumbled into Skye's shoulder. “n 'm cold, n 'm thirsty, n 'm tired, n 'm...”

“Let's take these pjs off,” Skye offered. “You've sweat straight through them anyway. Arms up.”

“Hey, I wasn't sure what flavor he liked so I got...” Steve appeared in the doorway as Skye pulled the pajama top off Steven's flushed body. He was rummaging through a bag as he spoke, “Well, I think I got all of them. And the pharmacist said flat ginger ale usually goes over well. And I got popsicles – they're in the freezer.”

“Steven?” Skye asked softly, “Wanna pick?”

“No, don't want it,” He muttered with an annoyed tone.

“Pick one,” Skye repeated. “You need fluids. Water, ice, gatorade, ginger ale?”

“Don't wanna!” Steven whimpered, then started crying again.

“Let's stick with water for now?” Skye asked, looking at the flavors Steve had laid out on the counter. He nodded and poured some cold water into a cup with ice, a straw, and a lid. She accepted the cup with a wry smile. “Thanks.”

“Move it, punk,” Bucky teased, pushing past Steve with an armful of pillows. He had woken when Steven’s limited patience with his vomiting ran out and had sobbed loudly for twenty minutes. Steve hadn’t shut the bathroom door behind him, so there was nothing to insulate the sound. Unlike Steve, Bucky was good at taking care of sick little boys. The tub was already lined with blankets and the comforters from all three of their beds.

“Tub nest?” Steve asked with a grin. When they were growing up, Bucky had often lined their small bathtub with pillows and stayed the night there with Steve. Bucky would do countless things for his friends, but he flat out refused to clean puke out of his bed.

“Tub nest,” Bucky smiled.

“Steven, I know you don't want to, but you need to drink some of this.” Skye was telling the boy. “If you get dehydrated, Bruce will hook you up to fluids.”

“No needles,” Steven sobbed, rubbing his eyes tiredly on Skye's shirt. “I don't wanna.”

“How about we all get a Gatorade and drink them at the same time?” Bucky asked, kneeling by Skye.

“Clint said the purple one would turn your poo green and I don't want green poo!” Steven sobbed. Skye and Bucky exchanged an amused smile over Steven's head.

“Let's get some fluids, then we can take a nap.” Skye told the boy.

“Skye, I'm dying!” Steven sobbed. “Give me some magic blood so I don't die.”

“You're not dying,” Skye replied softly. “But you have been spending too much time with Jack.”

“Little bit dramatic,” Steve agreed, smiling at the boy.

“Stevie, pass us a bottle?” Bucky asked, catching the pillows and blankets that Steve threw to him.

“Preference on flavor?” Steve asked, watching Bucky arrange the pillows and blankets in the tub.

“Anything but purple,” Bucky replied instantly, making Skye chuckle.

“Water, please.” Skye requested softly. Steve shook his head and tossed two bottles to Bucky.

“Can we go in the tub nest?” Steven asked Skye, looking up at her with tear stains streaking his cheeks.

“We made it for you,” Bucky answered.

“Can I have snuggles too?” Steven asked Bucky, sniffing loudly.

“Of course,” Bucky nodded, his face solemn and serious.

“Skye? You're coming too, right?”

“Sure thing.”

“Steve?”

“I don't know if we'll all fit.”

“We'll fit,” Bucky argued.

“It's okay,” Steven offered quickly. “You don't have to.” He accepted the cup of water from Skye, then took a long draught. “Is that good?”

“For now,” Skye told him. “You can drink more after you've slept for a little while.”

“Okay,” Steven sighed miserably.

“Bucky, Steve, you wanna claim a spot first?” Skye asked as she took a drink of her own bottle. Bucky grabbed the puppy and took it with him to the tub. The boy slept better with him, and the puppy would howl at the edge of the tub until he was by his boy’s side again. They wordlessly climbed into the tub and sat along one edge of the large tub. They left a large space between them that Skye slipped into after Steven finished his water. Steven settled on her chest-to-chest, resting his ear over her heart. One hand stretched out to grab Steve's shirt; the other reaching for Bucky's; the puppy squirmed his way between Bucky and Steven, licking at his sweaty skin. Skye ran her fingers through Steven's damp hair, soothing him to sleep with light humming. Steve smiled when he recognized the lullaby.

The boy was asleep within minutes, but Skye took a little while longer to drift off. She seemed unsettled, so Steve brushed her hair back from her face and caressed her cheek, then pressed a light kiss to her temple. She exhaled slowly, relaxing between the two. She was asleep within minutes. Bucky draped a light blanket over Steven's bare torso, then settled back against his pillows. Skye was bracketed between the two super soldiers, their combined bulk keeping her upright and warm.

“Should have brought a book,” Steve muttered softly, after a few excruciating minutes of silence.

“I think your drawin’ pad is on the counter,” Bucky snorted lightly. Steve twisted as much as he could without moving Skye, then saw his prize. It took ten minutes of reaching and ignoring Bucky's amused chuckles, but he finally had the pad.

“Ha.” Steve grinned triumphantly. Bucky snatched it from his hands and flipped through it, holding it far enough away that Steve couldn't grab it back.

“You are so fucked, you know that?” Bucky asked with a grin. Nearly every recent drawing was either of Skye alone or of Skye and someone else on the team. Bucky and Steven also dominated the notebook, but not like Skye. He held up a picture of Skye and Jack, capturing the pair during their morning Tai Chi, and flashed it at Steve with a large grin. A later picture showed Skye, correcting Steven’s Tai Chi stance with a gentle smile on her face. “I think this is my favorite.”

“Shut up, Barnes.” Steve threatened playfully. Bucky smirked and flipped to another page, throwing his head back to laugh quietly. He shook as he showed Steve the picture of Skye in Tasha's tactical suit.

“I'm not hearin’ any denials, Rogers,” Bucky noted.

“I'm not denying it,” Steve replied, stretching over Steven. “But you and everyone else keep saying it like it's a bad thing. Give it back.”

“Hey, I'm not done yet,” Bucky giggled, flashing Steve the picture he had drawn of Skye asleep on Bucky's chest. He remembered when he drew that picture. Bucky had had a nightmare and she had gone in to settle him down. They had finally relaxed enough to fall back to sleep – and that was when Steve found them and drew the scene. Skye giggled lightly at the sound.

“Some of us are trying to sleep here, boys.” She informed them dryly. She didn't even bother to open her eyes.

“Sorry,” They chorused. She peeked one eye open, then grinned and shook her head at their matching expressions. “You two,” Skye sighed. “Seriously though, sleeping.”

“I don't know how you can sleep like that,” Steve replied softly, looking at her awkward position.

“Sleep is easy,” Skye replied. “Besides, you two are deliciously warm and that is always a plus.”

“I can take Steven, if you want to sleep in a real bed,” Bucky offered. “You can even take your favorite teddy bear.”

“Fucking Barton,” Steve groaned, even as Skye shook her head at Bucky’s offer.

“Language, punk.” Bucky grinned. He shifted closer to Skye and dropped his arm around her shoulders. “At least rest your neck.”

“Sir, yes sir!” Skye muttered, drooping into his side. She shifted her hips slightly, then relaxed back into Bucky's side.

“Sleep, doll.” Steve smiled, pressing a kiss to her forehead. “We'll keep an eye on him.”

 

“Rainbows and lollipops,” Tasha smiled affectionately. The Tub Nest had succeeded in lulling all of its occupants to sleep. Steve was closest to the door, with Skye tucked backwards under his right arm. Bucky was asleep on Skye, curled up behind her knees – his head on her shoulder. Steven was on Steve's other shoulder, but his legs were still on Skye. Zeus was on his back, on Steven’s stomach, his paws twitching slightly as he slept.

“Go away,” Steve grumbled.

“No, come back,” Skye giggled. “Food, bring food.”

“And somethin’ not Gatorade, please.” Bucky requested.

“And a popsicle?” Steven chimed in roughly.

Tasha laughed at that – not a single one of them had opened their eyes. “You're lucky I love you,” she told them affectionately. “By the way, it's food poisoning. Tony's in a similar, though much less comfortable, position upstairs,” she informed them before turning to gather requested items.

“Fucking Stark,” Skye muttered.

Bucky rumbled behind Skye, “You're a Stark, too.”

“Shut it,” Skye teased. “I don't give people food poisoning.”

“Yeah, cause you burn everythin’ past recognition. You can't get poisoned by somethin’ you can't eat,” Bucky retorted with a lazy smirk.

“Steve, you're hot,” Steven grumbled, pushing himself off Steve's broad chest.

“Skye's cold,” Bucky offered, adjusting his head on Skye's shoulder.

“Hmm, position change,” Steve mumbled, still sounding half asleep. He twisted in place, pushing his legs out and shifting down until he was mostly flat. “Aw, legs,” Steve sighed happily as he stretched them out. Bucky chortled and passed over a pillow. Skye let him position the pillow behind his head, then made herself comfortable on him.

“He says you're hot like it's a bad thing,” Skye giggled drowsily.

“Shh, sleeping,” Steve grinned. Skye pressed a kiss into Steve's chest, then twisted to be his little spoon. Steven adjusted against her front, nuzzling out his own spot in the blankets. He pushed his back into Skye's front, enjoying the immediate relief her cool skin provided. Steve reached around Skye, curling his arm around them both, all the while tucking his other arm under her head as a pillow. Zeus took one look at the change and leaped onto Steven’s side, yipping softly. Steven groaned and pulled the puppy off him, settling him on the blankets in front of him. The puppy whined and tried to get back up on him, but Steve’s arm prevented that from happening. Skye giggled and rested her hand on the puppy, forcing it to settle.

“He says you're cold like it's a bad thing,” Steven noted, clutching Steve and Bucky's hands to his chest. If he got treatment like this, he wouldn't mind getting sick every now and then.

 

When Tasha came back ten minutes later, they were all out again. She laughed at the new sleeping pose, especially since they all seemed to gravitate towards each other. She smirked and pulled out her phone to snap a picture. She forwarded it to the team, then rolled her eyes and closed the door on them again.

 

When she came back an hour later, Steve had woken and was drawing in his book. It was clear that Bucky, at the very least, had woken briefly. He was sitting against the edge of the tub, his metal arm wrapped around Skye's torso. She was breathing deeply against his chest, clutching his shirt in her sleep. Steven was asleep on Bucky's lap, his head resting on his collar bone. Bucky was clutching both of them to him tightly. Steve knew how much their affection meant to him, so he was smirking as he drew. Tasha quietly handed him a bottle of water and some peanuts. She left M&Ms on the edge of the tub, because they both knew Skye would mix them. Steve looked up at her with an amused expression, but didn’t say anything. They would wake at the noise. Tasha shook her head and grinned, then left the room.

 

“Pst,” Jack whisper whistled into the bathroom, “You up?”

“I'm up?” Steven whispered back, popping his head up from the tub.

“Come out,” Jack giggled lightly. He had taken a step further into the bathroom and could see their sleeping position now. Steven grinned and very slowly extracted himself from the tangle of limbs. Finally, he was standing, but couldn't get to the edge of the tub. He lifted his arms to Jack, who obliged him, lifting him and his puppy from the sleeping trio. Skye shifted so Jack reassured her quietly.

“I've got him, sissy. Rest.”

Skye hummed lightly and Bucky pushed himself back into her curve, quickly filling the hole Steven left.

A little while later, after Jack had found soup and heated it for Steven and the three were cuddled up on the couch, Steven looked over at Jack with a vulnerable expression.

“Is that what having a mom is like?” He asked softly. Jack looked surprised by the question.

“I'm probably not the best person to ask,” he admitted. “My parents died when I was very young, so I don't remember much of them. Skye found me pictures, but I don't have the memories, you know?”

“You had a family before you were Delta?” Steven asked, looking surprised.

“Yeah. Centipede killed them all, though. Skye's been my family for a long time now.”

“I don't really remember _before_ ,” Steven told Jack, stirring his (mostly broth) soup with his spoon. It was all but gone. “I don't know if I had a family. The kids that did...well, it sounded like a lot of their families died. They ended up living with strangers, and then the retrieval team came for them. So, I guess maybe I should be grateful I didn't have one?”

“Foster care,” Jack nodded. “I ended up in the system, too. Briefly. Just until my aunt and uncle could come for me. They died, too.”

“I'm sorry,” Steven whispered.

“It's okay,” Jack shrugged. “It's done. It was a long time ago.”

“We need to pick a new topic,” Steven sighed, deliberately breaking the mood with an exaggerated sigh. “It's getting deep in here.”

“You look so much like Skye when you do that,” Jack grinned, taking the soup bowl from the boy.

“So much shit,” Steven muttered. Jack turned back from the table with wide eyes and a slack jaw.

“Language, young’un,” He spluttered finally. “I never used language like that when I was your age.”

Steven leaned forward very slowly and told Jack seriously, “you're so full of shit your eyes are brown.”

“You're going to get me into so much trouble!” Jack roared, throwing his head back in a full body laugh. “Who taught you that?”

“Bruce told Tony that the other day,” Steven grinned.

“Were you in the vents again?” Jack sighed, plopping back down on the couch and bringing Steven to his side.

“No,” Steven laughed, tucking the comforter around them. “But I think Bruce forgot I was in the lab.”

They both chuckled and settled in to watch a movie. A few minutes in, Jack turned to press a kiss to the top of Steven's head. “Yeah,” he whispered softly, “I think maybe this is what having a mom feels like.”

 


	74. I don’t want him to suffer

 

“Why are we being called in?” Steve groaned, swatting Clint’s hand away as he reached to ruffle his hair. Steve had just gotten out of the shower and had just finished towel drying his hair when Clint and Tasha walked off the elevator. 

“The director wants to talk to us,” Clint sighed. “Come on, I’m not happy about it either. Let’s get it over with.”

“Skye!” Steve asked over his shoulder, “Have you done anything to Shield recently?”

“Hmm,” Skye mused from the couch, tilting her head side to side.

“Okay,” Clint laughed. “Rephrase. Have you gotten us in trouble with Shield?”

“Nothing that can be traced back to you,” Skye grinned, tapping her nose at Clint. “You’re safe with me.”

“Yep, you’re fucked,” Bucky muttered, walking through the room.

“Let’s go, whiners,” Tasha sighed from the elevator. “He’s been calling since this morning. Let’s not piss him off more, shall we?”

“What’d you do?” Bucky smirked as soon as the three Shield agents left, leaning against the sink. He took a long draught from his coffee while waiting for her response.

“It’s not my fault,” Skye shrugged.

“What did you do?” Bucky laughed.

“Filed Steve’s adoption papers. Pepper said she had, but I couldn’t find them. Her assistants probably forgot.”

“Pepper doesn’t seem the type to suffer fools silently,” Bucky murmured.

“Well, it’s that or Shield is actively blocking this. If they’re actively blocking it…”

“Skye, it’s gonna be fine.”

“I don’t know where Steven came from! What if they do? What if they  _ make _ fake parents? I know I act like Shield is someone’s stupid big brother, but they’ve got resources. This was supposed to go under the radar. It was supposed to slip through without Shield finding out about it. I mean, not forever, obviously, but not until after it was done!”

“What do you mean you don’t know where he came from?” Bucky asked. He grabbed her shoulders and pulled her towards him.

“I know where everyone came from,” Skye whispered into his chest; she was grateful for the calm he was projecting. “The kids at Shield...they have no one. Everyone was killed. They all had someone watch out for them - the police, parents, foster parents, social workers...but Steven’s nowhere to be found.”

“Skye, you won’t let this happen,” Bucky said firmly. “You can stop them. We both know you can. Now, I can’t help with the hackin’ part, but you’ve got me in whatever capacity you need me.”

“I found something,” Skye admitted softly.

“Found somethin’?” 

“Yeah, on that drive we recovered.”

“Somethin’ good?” Bucky asked hopefully.

“No,” Skye snorted. “I know why they’re harder on the youngest.”

“Tell me,” Bucky prompted.

“They mm-mmm.” Skye mumbled into his chest.

“Yeah, Солнышко, you’re goin’ to have to enunciate a little bit for me,” Bucky murmured, pulling her face from his chest. She winced and sighed. “Let’s try that again, huh?”

“They raised them,” Skye repeated, clearer this time. At Bucky’s confused expression, she tried again, “Centipede raised the kids. The youngest from the groups.”

“All of them?”

“No,” Skye denied, shaking her head. “The drive I have has enough kids on it for about half of the groups. But I looked, Bucky. They were hard on  _ all _ of the youngest.”

“There’s another facility,” Bucky scowled. 

“Probably.”

“Steven was raised there.”

“Probably.”

“Jack?”

“No,” Skye denied, shaking her head. “He was definitely raised by his parents. They must have started the practice after Delta got out.”

“But they were hard on Jack, too.” Bucky pointed out softly. “Jack won’t give me specifics, but it’s been mentioned in passin’.”

“He wasn’t raised there,” Skye repeated firmly. “He was five when he was brought in.”

“We’ll figure it out,” Bucky smiled. “We always do.”

“Can we dye Tony’s hair pink for giving Steven food poisoning?” Skye asked, deliberately changing the subject.

“Psh, you think that’s all he’s gettin’?” Bucky snorted. “He’s got worse comin’ to him than that.”

 

0-0-0-0-0

 

“Skye! Skye, Skye, Skye!” Steven yelled, running into the room. “SKYE!”

“Jesus, think he’s excited about somethin’?” Bucky asked, raising an eyebrow at Skye.

“Steve gave me a phone so we can check in with each other and so if I need him I can call him and if something goes wrong so he knows and…”

“Oh, honey,” Skye giggled, catching the boy as he threw himself at her, phone in hand. “You need to take a breath.”

“Lookit my phone,” Steven beamed, wiggling the phone in her face.

“I see it!” She giggled. 

“Steve texted me! He was a little slow, but he texted me!” Steven laughed, squirming in place. “They said they won’t be back right away; some emergency mission came up. When they’re done with it, then they’re going to talk to the director guy for their meeting.”

“You really need to breathe,” Skye laughed.

“Steve sent me a picture. Can I show Bucky?”

“He’s sitting right next to us,” she pointed out.

“I think he’s askin’ you to leave,” Bucky snorted. “Give us some guy time. Shoo, girl.”

“Yeah, shoo,” Steven sassed.

“Okay, okay,” Skye agreed, tossing the boy to Bucky. “I’ve been meaning to talk with Bruce anyway.”

“So go already!” Steven muttered with a smirk.

“Yes, sir!” 

“Go!” Bucky laughed.

 

0-0-0-0-0

 

“I’ve been kicked out,” Skye sighed glumly, trodding heavily into the lab.

“Oh yeah?” Bruce asked, smiling. He set his work aside and swiveled his chair around to her. “What’d you do?”

“Nothing,” Skye muttered, kicking lightly at a stool. 

“Nothing?” Bruce smirked.

“Steve gave Steven a phone and now he needs Bucky for some guy time.”

“Ah,” he nodded. “So I’m your second choice. Hmm, way to make a man feel special.”

“Sorry,” Skye smiled. “I have been meaning to see you, but I’m kind of afraid of the results so…”

“You’ve been putting it off.”

“Yeah,” Skye agreed, nodding.

“Alright, well...you’re here. Stop stalling.”

“Coulson died. They brought him back to life.”

“And that scares you?”

“I died and they brought me back to life,” Skye admitted. “Bucky and I spoke to the scientists.”

“Is this why Simmons sent me Coulson’s blood sample?” Bruce asked, shifting forward as he contemplated what Skye was telling him. “You think it’s the same thing?”

“I mean, how many serums are there that can bring dead people back to life?” Skye asked. “I don’t want Coulson to know about it. The scientists warned us that the people they tested it on did badly when they found out about it.”

“You want me to keep this from Coulson?” Bruce frowned.

“I don’t want you to lie,” Skye hurried to correct. “I just...I don’t want him to suffer. He’s already been through so much. I want to know if we got the same serum. I want to be your test rat - I want to know if this serum is going to do what the scientists are so afraid of it doing.”

“You don’t need to put yourself through this.”

“Knowledge is power, Bruce. That’s why I hack. The more I know, the more I can fix. Please, I trust you not to be like…”

“Like the Centipede scientists,” Bruce finished easily.

“Please, I need to know. Once we’re confident we can prevent Coulson from suffering any side effects, then we can bring him into the loop.”

“I don’t know that I’m comfortable with this,” Bruce admitted softly. “He’s been searching for answers for a while.”

“I gave him some answers.” Skye replied. “He knows he died. He knows Loki split his heart in half. He knows the serum brought him back to life. He knows they altered his memories to make him forget the procedure. He knows about everything except the dangers of the serum. He’ll know about those too, in time. This affects him. I don’t want to exclude him, I would just rather do it with safeties in place.”

“Okay,” Bruce nodded. “If you share Coulson’s file with me, I’ll help you with this.”

“You drive a hard bargain, Dr. Banner.”

“Do I want to know where you got this file from?” Bruce asked, smirking.

“I was thinking we should test the earliest blood samples you have of mine after you guys found me,” Skye smirked back, ignoring his question. “A sample from me now would have too much magic blood in it.”

“We have some stored,” Bruce nodded. “Let’s get to work.”

 

0-0-0-0-0

 

“Hey sis,” Tony smirked, strolling into the lab.

“That’s never good,” Bruce muttered, raising an eyebrow at Skye as he wiped a spot of blood from her elbow. The tests were running for the original blood samples, but they both figured it wouldn’t hurt to test her current blood as well.

“What did you do?” Skye frowned.

“Ouch, that really stings,” Tony grinned, holding a hand to his chest. 

“Okay, but really,” she smiled, shaking her head at his antics, “what did you do.”

“I wanna borrow Bucky,” Tony smiled. “I need to take some specs so I can look into that project you assigned me.”

“You assigned him a project?” Bruce asked Skye, shaking his head.

“It’s a good project,” Skye grinned. “You’re just now looking into this? You know Jack and Fitz are gonna be back at the Tower this afternoon.”

“Yeah, yeah,” Tony laughed, waving her off. “I’ve got this.”

“So go talk to Bucky. I’m not his handler.”

“There’s a certain little boy that doesn’t understand that we need some alone time.”

“You couldn’t find a project for Steven to work on while you look at Bucky?”

“Nope,” Tony admitted bluntly.

“Okay, fine.” Skye laughed, “We’ll find something to do.”

 

0-0-0-0-0

 

“Hey,” Skye said, pulling Steven down on a bench near the amusement park they had just left. “Let's sit a minute before we go back. I never get one on one time with you.”

“Tony and Clint are still competing,” Steven nodded.

“Not to mention Steve loves you more than freedom itself,” Skye smirked, casually shooting a look around the walkway. 

“I think maybe Bucky loves me too?” 

“I think you're definitely right.” Skye agreed, bopping the boy's nose.

“I got lucky,” Steven giggled, squirming into Skye's side. “I'm lucky I have you too. I had fun today.”

“So did I,” Skye agreed, wrapping the boy up in a tight embrace. “You know I love you, right? Like no doubts, no reservations. I know you're still figuring everything out and I know that can be a lot to take in. I understand the mask, really I do – but when you're ready, you should work on letting us see what's underneath. Screw the world, but we're your family and we love you, no matter what. You need to know that  _ I _ love you unconditionally. I love that you're perfectly imperfect.”

“You're making it sappy,” Steven giggled, stealing Skye's line. Skye grinned and pressed her forehead to his.

“Every now and then it's okay to be sappy.” Skye informed him, pulling away to press a kiss to his forehead. “Race you back to the Tower?”

“Oh, you're going down.” Steven laughed, pulling away from Skye to bounce excitedly. “Rules?”

“No rules. As fast as you can, just don't take any innocents out.” Skye laughed lightly. “I bet I can beat you with my shortcut.”

“Now?” Steven asked, grinning. The challenge rang in his bones, even though he knew she was kidding. Skye got in racing position, nodding.

“3...2...1...”


	75. He needs to come back

 

“Ms. Skye would like me to inform you that Steven is in route to the Tower. She is requesting a pickup for him.”

“Shit!” Bucky cursed, twisting free from Tony’s machine. The metal frame bent and twisted, but neither man flinched at the grating sound. Both had looks of horror on their faces.

“What does that mean?” Tony asked, his face going pale.

“Skye’s in trouble. You can’t fight, not yet. You get Steven, I’ll get Skye.”

“You’re going to need backup,” Tony muttered, running to his computer. He quickly hacked the city cameras, placing a program to find Steven in all the people.

“What’s that about back up?” Trip asked, stepping off the elevator with Ward.

“Something’s happening,” Tony explained shortly. “Bucky, Skye’s on the move. She’s heading away from the Tower. I’m tracking 6...no, 8 hostiles. Steven appears to be in the clear; she’s drawing their attention the other way. I’ll get him in the quinjet and then head your way. Trip, Ward…”

“We’re going with Bucky. Got it,” Trip nodded.

“Hey,” Tony said softly, catching Ward’s arm as he turned to follow Trip and Bucky, “I know you have your differences, but she’s my sister and she’s important to me.”

“We’ll get her back safely,” Ward said firmly. Tony released him and he hurried after the two.

“What’s going on?” Trip was asking as Ward caught up.

“Skye’s heading away from the Tower,” Bucky informed the two. “She was with Steven at an amusement park, but she sent him back alone. That’s not a good sign.”

“I think Steven realized Skye wasn’t coming,” Tony blared in Bucky’s ear. He winced and rubbed his ear.

“Say that again? Without the shoutin’?” Bucky requested.

“Steven is heading back!”

“Shit.”

“Care to fill us in?” Trip asked, running easily alongside Bucky as they dodged people in the street. It was rush hour traffic time and trying to drive anywhere would have taken entirely too long.

“Steven is going back for Skye,” Bucky shouted breathlessly. He pushed the negative thoughts away - the thoughts that made his stomach clench up in fear. What if she was hurt? What if Steven was hurt? Oh, God. What if they both got taken? Without realizing it, the Asset pushed his way forward and pushed the man to take longer strides. Ward noticed the change in his demeanor and shot Trip a worried look.

“He’ll be okay,” Trip said softly, then pushed himself harder to catch up with the rogue assassin.

  
0-0-0-0-0

 

Steven grinned at Skye’s challenge. _No rules._ He was sure to win. Skye was fast, but he was small. He would be able to slip through people like she couldn’t. He glanced over his shoulder only a block from where he left Skye. She was nowhere to be seen. Smirking, he added an extra spurt of speed. He was going to win. He needed to win. He had to be good at something.

He was still grinning as he slipped easily through the crowds, bypassing still traffic with a few easy steps. He openly laughed when a stranger on the street asked him if he needed help. He didn’t even pause, just shouted his reassurance over his shoulder. He ran by an alley and hesitated. He slowed down without realizing it, thinking over what had happened within the last hour. He rubbed his forehead and gasped, suddenly remembering the desperate kiss she placed there.

Shit.

Jack warned him about this.

Skye!

He pivoted in place to face the direction he had just run from. He broke from his fast “race” speed into his desperate fast speed - shoving people from his way when they inevitably got in his way.

“Steven, stop!” Tony shouted above him.

Steven didn’t even bother replying; he shot Tony his middle finger over his shoulder - letting him know exactly what he thought about that idea. Skye was in trouble and he was going to help her. If she was saying goodbye, then she didn’t expect to make it out of this. His eyes burned as he thought about her sacrificing herself for him - just like she had sacrificed herself for Jack. When had he become so important to her? Why would she do that? He blinked quickly, pushing the tears away. He needed to be strong. For Skye.

He had to keep her safe.

  
0-0-0-0-0

 

The Asset rounded a corner, skidding sideways to offset his sharp turn, and found himself at the entrance of the alley that Skye had found herself in. Eight men surrounded her, all holding batons. Luckily, there were no guns. At least not that he could see. Three men were attacking her; their choreography let him know that they had practiced this. He needed to disrupt their plan.

“You’ve been ridiculously hard to find,” One man told Skye. They didn’t need to see his expression to hear the smirk in his voice. “But _damn_ , never thought I’d be the lucky one to bring you in. They’re going to reward me…”

“Hey, fuck you!” A second man growled, “we’re sharing that reward.”

“Not to be the bearer of bad news, guys,” Skye informed them dryly, easily slapping away the men attacking her, “but you actually have to get me before you can bring me in.”

“Yeah, see, we know your weakness though,” the third man laughed. “We don’t even have to touch you, do we?”

To his surprise, Skye started laughing. Great belly laughs that ricocheted around the alley.

“You think _I_ have weaknesses?” She gasped, clutching her stomach. “I don’t have weaknesses.”

“You have people we can hurt.”

“Psh,” Skye scoffed. “I’m using them to hide. You fuckers ruined my last safe house. I needed some time to establish some new ones.”

“I don’t believe you. We’ve been watching. You’ve been stupid, choosing to stay there. We’re going to take you in and then - then we’re going to kill them all. That little boy that you were with today. Who’s left of the kids? 117? Yeah, he’s dead. Your precious little Avengers - dead. We're gonna take your whole _fake_ family and gut them in front of you because  _you_ were stupid enough to stay. Thought they trained you better than that.”

Skye’s laughter came to an abrupt halt and her next words were snarled, “Come and get me then.”

“{You touch her and you die,}” The Asset growled.

“Oh, shit,” one muttered. “They’re together? Why are they together?”

“Don’t worry, I can fix that,” another scoffed.

The Asset’s eyes shot wide and he lurched into motion. It took his brain half a heartbeat to process the sound that had triggered his panic - no, that wasn’t right. The Asset never panicked. (There must be a hint of Bucky left after all). Someone had pulled a grenade pin.

“ _Cactus_ , Shiny,” Skye whispered, meeting his eye as he charged towards her. Bucky stumbled, regaining control over his body. He was too slow - and that moment of disorientation was just what she was looking for. The grenade sailed mid-air, hovering for an eternity and a millisecond at the same time.

“Look out!” A shrill voice shouted. Bucky felt a pair of small feet impact his back and then shoulder, then Steven was in the air - kicking the grenade high into the air. Skye pulled Steven down, tucking his body under hers to protect him as the fireball exploded over head. Trip and Bucky were in action before the debris dissipated, taking advantage of the other men’s distraction.

“Steven?” Skye shouted, allowing him out. “What were you thinking!?!”

“You always keep me safe,” Steven whispered, mistaking her tone for anger.

“Yeah, that’s why you’re supposed to be in the Tower!” Skye said a little softer, though the exasperation and worry were still clear in her voice.

“Skye, you’re important to me. I had to help. I _had_ to.”

“Uh, guys?” Ward grunted, looking down at the blood running down his torso. He blinked at Trip, then collapsed where he stood.

“Shit,” Skye cursed, scrambling over to his prone body. “Ward?”

“We need to get him back to the Tower,” Bucky said decisively.

“We can’t move him,” Trip said firmly, elbowing Bucky aside so he could look at the injury. He couldn’t tell exactly where the bleeding was coming from. The sound of the quinjet hovering made them all sigh with relief. Tony lowered the ramp, then sent down a board for them to send Ward up on. Once Ward was safely on board, the rope was lowered again.

“Go,” Bucky nodded to Trip. “We’ll take care of these guys.”

“Skye, you need to go with,” Steven cried. “You can fix him.”

Her face was a blank mask, but she nodded and quickly climbed the rope and into the jet.

“She’ll take care of him,” Trip replied to Bucky. “I’ll help you with these guys.”

“Holding cell is going to be full,” Bucky smirked, looking at the eight men around their feet.

“Better get started then, huh?”

 

0-0-0-0-0

 

"Why did Skye ask us to put comms in?" Clint asked, fingering his. He was exhausted. The emergency mission had turned into a fire fight and he would rather chop off his shooting arm than sit through a meeting with Fury right then.

"So she can listen in," Tasha muttered, shaking her head tiredly. All three were dragging.

"The director will see you now," his secretary informed the trio. Steve sighed heavily and stood - feeling his nearly hundred years in his back and legs. 

“What’s this about, sir?” Steve asked. He hadn’t even made it all the way into the office before voicing his objections. He was tired from their unexpected mission and could think of a million places that he’d rather be than the director’s office.

“It’s come to my attention that your Tower has an extra occupant,” Fury replied, steepling his fingers together.

“He doesn’t know about Bucky,” Skye murmured in his ear. “Relax, Steve. Take a breath.”

“You’re _just now_ noticing a missing seven year old?” Steve frowned, crossing his arms.

“He needs to come back.”

“He’s not coming back,” Steve snarled. “I’m not returning him so he can be treated like he was before.”

“Those children are under the best possible care.” Fury retorted.

“The child in our care proves otherwise.” Tasha bit out angrily.

“That child needs to come back to our care.” Fury yelled. “It's not your position to remove him or decide what is best for him.”

“Like hell it isn't.” Skye all but growled. Steve almost flinched at the anger in her voice.

“He's not coming back.” Steve informed the director.

“He's not yours.” Fury shouted. “He is an asset.”

“He is an innocent that was taken advantage of,” Steve argued, slipping into Captain America mode. His defensiveness for the boy seeped from his pores. The director chose the wrong word to describe the boy.

“He _was_ an innocent. With that...poison...in his system, he will never be normal.” Fury retorted. “Assuming we can get him under control, he and the other children will be a wonderful addition to our program. They already have the means within them. We'll just have to train them up a bit. Start them at the Academy early.”

“Tony!” The three heard Skye call through the comms. Her anger was so obvious that they all flinched. Fury assumed they flinched at him and was proud that he had gotten his point across. All said, this was going better than anticipated.

“Steven may not be normal,” Steve informed Fury softly, though his voice was like steel, “But he can have a relatively normal childhood. He deserves to be happy, to be an individual. He's not going to be one of your minions.”

“Neither are the other children.” Skye added. Steve was quick to add that amendment to his statement.

“It would be stupid not to take advantage of what was given to us.” Fury justified. “They have no families to go back to, no _normal_ lives to rebuild. Shield can be their family.”

“They are each other's family.” Tasha replied, clenching her fists behind her back.

“The boy will be back tomorrow.” Fury growled.

“No, he won't.” Steve growled back.

“That's not a suggestion, soldier.” Fury shouted again.

“He's not coming back here to be mistreated.” Steve snarled.

“He's part of our family.” Tasha added.

“We take care of our own.” Clint nodded.

“You three have got some serious issues, you know that?” Fury yelled. “Thinking that this team, that I put together...”

“That Coulson put together.” Clint corrected.

“...is your God damned family?” Fury continued, though he shot Clint a glare. “You're not family. Hell, most days you're not even friends!”

“We take care of our own.” Steve repeated.

“If the boy isn't back tomorrow, I'll send someone to get him.” Fury threatened. Steve laughed bitterly at that one.

“I'd like to see you try.”

“Stark's Tower isn't impenetrable.” Fury explained.

“If he even tries to get into my Tower,” Tony snarled.

“He won't get in.” Skye said firmly. “He won't. I won't let him.”

“Skye?” A frightened voice asked softly. Steve's shoulders drooped; he recognized Steven's voice through the comms.

“Shit.” Skye muttered. “Steve, I've got him. It's okay. I've got to go.”

Steve growled in frustration when the comms clicked off in his ear. “Sir, we’re leaving. Steven is staying at the Tower.”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's a little short, but I'll update again in a day or two.


	76. Anything for you, kid.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry, it's been a crazy two weeks. I promise I haven't fallen off the face of the Earth.

 

 

“Do I have to go back?” Steven asked softly, visibly trying to hide his fear in his puppy’s fur. He was failing, miserably.

“Oh, honey.” Skye winced. “You weren't supposed to hear that.”

“Do I have to go back?”

“No, honey.” Skye murmured, drawing the boy in close. “No, you don't have to go back.”

“But he said...”

“He can say all he wants.” Skye replied, pulling the boy into the elevator. Tony made to follow, but Skye waved him off. In the elevator, Steven set Zeus down.

“But, he's their boss...” Steven whispered, clinging to Skye's middle.

“True. But he's not mine.” Skye replied firmly. “And Steve is not very good at following orders he doesn't like.”

“But what if...”

“Steven, honey, look at me.” Skye said, picking his chin up. “No one is getting in this Tower. No one.”

“You said it wasn't a prison.” Steven muttered stubbornly.

“Then we'll run.” Skye replied easily.

“We can't just leave.”

“We can.” Skye replied firmly. “I'm good at the whole running thing.”

“I can't make you leave them.” Steven whispered. “They're your family.”

“Honey, aside from Jack, you're way more family than they are.” Skye told him softly. “We have a shared background. That's what family is. Not blood, not responsibilities. You're my family.”

“I'm not going to let you get hurt for me.” Steven sobbed, jutting his chin out stubbornly.

“I'm hard to hurt, remember?” Skye whispered, pulling the boy in tight. “But I would do it a million times over for you.”

“I don't want you to.” Steven cried. “You already did once today and you almost got blown up! I'll just go. I'll go back.”

“You're not going back.” Skye growled. “Because if you go back, I'll have to go and get you. I can take on a few teams, but the whole of Shield? Let's be realistic.”

“Skye...” Steven whimpered. Zeus echoed his whimper then sat on his boy’s feet.

“No. You're not going back there.”

“Then I'll leave. I'm not putting you guys in danger. I'm not going to wreck Tony's tower. I'll be okay.”

“Steven. Let's make a deal. You stay here, with me, until you don't feel safe. The second we think this Tower can't keep them out, we bail. We'll run as far and as fast as we can.”

“Steve will be mad.” Steven countered.

“He'll understand.” Skye whispered, feeling like she was half lying. He would understand, eventually, but he would be mad first. “Besides, it'll light a fire under his bottom. He'd get Baldie to change his mind.”

“I don't like this plan.” Steven muttered.

“How do we make it better?” Skye murmured. “You're seven. I'm not letting you go anywhere by yourself. That's completely off the table. Also, you're not going back to that place. Make any other suggestion.”

“Steve goes with us.” Steven muttered.

“Steve is kind of obvious.” Skye chuckled. “We would be caught in a day.”

“Not if we take the invisible van.”

“The invisible van requires nearly constant upkeep. Jack is the only person that knows how it works.”

“If Jack comes, we would need to take Fitz too.” Steven mused.

“The van is very small.” Skye reminded him. It had been tight with two people – she couldn't imagine four people shoved in there.

“Tony would know. Or could figure it out.”

“If Tony came with us we would be caught in an hour.” Skye retorted.

“You're not good at this whole compromise thing.” Steven pointed out. Skye laughed lightly. At the very least, this ridiculous conversation was distracting him from his fear. “Fine. I'll stay in the Tower, until you can't keep them out.”

“I'll keep them out.” Skye growled protectively.

“No offense, because I've seen you fight...but...they're professionals. This is what they do.” Steven pointed out. “Tony's Tower is very well known. They'll have all the weaknesses all lined up.”

“But they don't know about me.” Skye replied softly, seeing his point. She didn't want to do this, but if it reassured him and kept him from running on his own...well, she could think of worse things.

“They're not scared of you.” Steven laughed bitterly.

“They should be,” Skye replied, pulling loose from the boy. “You know why?”

“Cause you're a Stark?” Steven snarked, making fun of Tony's constant reassurances. She shook her head and took a breath, figuring out how to articulate something she had never said out loud before.

“Cause I trained at a facility, just like you.” Skye whispered, pulling Steven onto her lap to cement her point. He gaped for a minute, processing that thought. She waited anxiously, dreading his response to that admission.

“For how long?” He asked finally.

“A long time.”

“So you lied?”

“I didn't lie.” Skye denied.

“You lied! You said you're not 47.” Steven cried, shaking his head quickly, like that would help dislodge her words from his brain. “Why are you telling me this?”

“I didn’t lie. And I told you so you trust me. Trust me to take care of you.” Skye whispered, feeling extremely vulnerable.

“I trusted you to take care of me before this!” Steven shouted angrily. His tone didn't match the tight hug he was giving her. “It's been a secret this long. You shouldn't trust me with it.”

“Trust works both ways.” Skye pointed out, kneeling down to properly return his hug.

“Who else knows?”

“You. Bucky,” Skye murmured. She looked over Steven's shoulder and saw Bucky standing in the doorway to his room. His arms were crossed over his chest and he looked angry and frustrated. He saw Skye watching and mouthed to her, _I'll keep him safe._ Skye nodded and offered him a soft smile.

“Jack?”

“Just you and Bucky.” Skye muttered. “Now, do you agree with me when I say we, Bucky and I, are the best people to keep you safe?”

“Oh, yes. I agree.” Steven replied quickly. “But just because you can, doesn't mean you should. Or need to.”

“I get to make my own decisions on this.” Skye said firmly. “It's my choice. I choose you.”

“I don't want you to get hurt because of me.”

“Kid, the only people gettin’ hurt are the ones stupid enough to try to take you from us,” Bucky chimed in, unable to watch from the shadows anymore.

“You're willing to do this...for me?” Steven asked into Skye's neck.

“Oh, honey. It would be my genuine pleasure.” She nodded, picking the boy up. He wrapped his arms and legs around her body, clinging to her desperately. He looked over at Bucky.

“Even if we have to leave them all behind? Even Steve?”

“We wouldn't need to run forever,” Bucky said softly.

“Okay. Until they get into the Tower.” He whispered. “Bucky will have to come with us. They don't know about him either.”

“You let me take care of this. We'll make sure you're taken care of.”

“We need to take care of the Tower too.”

“Should we go over some blueprints?” Skye asked. “You can show me some weaknesses for Tony to fix.”

“You have blueprints?” Steven asked, not picking his head up.

“Duh,” Skye teased. “Well, I mean...I can get them.”

“You're going to have to change the access codes too.” Steven muttered. “Agent Coulson gets in whenever he wants.”

“I can't take Coulson's access without taking Fitz or Simmons' access too.” Skye pointed out.

“I'm sure you can work something out.” Steven laughed. It sounded fake, but he was making an effort. Skye could appreciate his front. "Jarvis will help us keep an eye on Trip and Ward, since they're here already."

“Well, let's go hijack the lab.” Skye laughed back, sounding every bit as artificial as he did.

“Bucky, will you stay with us?” Steven asked, shyly reaching his hand out for him.

Bucky wrapped his arm around Skye's shoulder and pulled the pair to his side, “anything for you, kid.”

 

0-0-0-0-0

 

When Steve made it back to the Tower, he waved Clint and Tasha goodnight when they got off the elevator on their floor.

“Jarvis?”

“They're on your floor.” Jarvis replied. “Sir is reinforcing some weaknesses that Steven and Ms. Skye pointed out.”

“Good.” Steve nodded. “Take me to my floor, please.”

Jarvis was silent, but the elevator whooshed up the remaining floors. Steve stepped off quietly, heading to his door. He noticed it was cracked open, so he peeked in without opening the door. It would wake Skye. It was hard enough to get her to sleep at night anyway. Skye and Steven were in his bed, as Steve expected to find them. Steven was wrapped up in Skye's arms, clinging to her even in his sleep. His side of the bed was ruffled and he would bet Bucky had laid there to help put his boy to sleep. Zeus was sleeping at the foot of the bed, watching Steve with alert eyes. Steve sighed and went to check on Bucky before getting himself to bed as well.

Bucky wasn't asleep. He was pacing the length of the bed.

“Okay?” Steve asked, knocking lightly on his door. It wasn't shut all the way, so Steve didn't feel bad interrupting.

“Everything here is covered.” Bucky nodded. “Tony is fixin’ a few issues, but it's nothin’ major.”

“Whatcha pacing for?” Steve asked softly. His Bucky was always more composed than this. Bucky ducked his head.

“Nothin’.” Bucky lied. “I just...his face. I can't get his face out of my head.”

“Who's face?” Steve prompted.

“Your kid.” Bucky rumbled. He forced a smile. “It still feels weird to say that.”

“What was wrong with his face?” Steve asked.

“That kid is terrified.” Bucky replied, pointing a metal finger towards the room where he was sleeping. “What the fuck did Shield do to him?”

“We handle him better than Shield can.” Steve replied, answering him in a roundabout way. When Bucky shot him a withering glare, Steve sighed and added, “He was covered in bruises when I brought him to the Tower.”

“He's not goin’ back there.” Bucky growled, his fists clenched.

“You think I would let him go back?” Steve asked, surprised.

“I think you've gotten awfully good at doin’ what you're told.” Bucky retorted.

“That's not fair.” Steve argued.

“What happened to the little punk that took on bullies in alleys?” Bucky asked, shrugging lightly. “That kid would be tearin’ your director a new one.”

“That kid was also really good at losing.” Steve retorted. “I like to think I've learned a little bit about strategy since then.”

“Yeah, well, I hope you have a good strategy because Steven wants to run.”

“He wants to run?” Steve gasped.

“Alone. He told Skye that if she wouldn't let him go back, then he would just run away to save _us_ the trouble of lookin’ out for him.”

“What did Skye say?” Steve whispered, horrified.

“I honestly don't know what you did to deserve that woman.” Bucky smirked sarcastically. “And I'm sayin’ that as your friend. Don't worry. He's not goin’ to run. Skye talked him around.”

“Shit.” Steve cursed, running his hands through his hair.

“She's got it under control.” Bucky reiterated. “Just...he's probably gonna be clingy. Just let Skye take care of it.”

“Run in the morning?” Steve asked, changing subjects. Bucky nodded and followed Steve to his door.

“Oh, I forgot. Ward is in the infirmary,” Bucky informed him softly.

“What happened?”

“Skye got ambushed?” Bucky winced. Steve groaned and ran his hands over his face tiredly.

“Damn. Is everyone okay?”

“Yeah. I mean, Ward had some shrapnel in his chest, but Bruce pulled the debris and he got some blood. He’ll be good as new by tomorrow.”

“Okay,” Steve nodded. “I’m exhausted. Can we finish this conversation in the morning? I just can’t...I can’t do another crisis right now.”

“Of course. Night.” Bucky said softly, flipping his light switch off. Skye had come and talked to him for a few minutes while Steven was looking the blue prints over with Tony. They both agreed that they would do whatever it took to keep Steven safe – but that he also raised a good point. Shield didn't know about Bucky, and they wanted it to stay that way. He had no desire to be a lab rat any more than Skye did. He would accompany Skye and Steven if shit hit the fan and they needed to run.

“Night.” Steve sighed, walking carefully back to his room in the dark. He changed into a pair of pajama pants and a plain white shirt. If they did get attacked in the middle of the night he sure as hell wasn’t going to get caught running around in his skivvies.

“Everything okay?” Skye asked softly, stretching her hand out for him.

“For tonight,” Steve replied honestly. He tucked himself in next to Steven, knowing the boy would wake at some point during the night. He did better when he woke bracketed between the two of them. His pillow smelled like Bucky and he couldn't help the small smile that formed on his face. He _had_ helped put Steven to sleep. “Heard you pointed out some weaknesses.”

“It made him feel better,” Skye whispered. Steve couldn't help his frown. He stretched across the boy to kiss Skye. Skye smiled slightly. “And that made me feel better.”

“Would another one help you sleep?” Steve smirked. Skye pretended to think about it and nodded. Steve smiled and pressed his lips to her forehead, exposed cheekbone, and the tip of her nose. She frowned and pursed her lips at him. Steve smiled and obliged her with a long kiss. He brought his hand up to caress her cheek. “I'm so glad you're here.”

“Me too.” Skye whispered, stretching for another kiss.

“Go to sleep,” Steve smiled, giving her the kiss anyway. “We can talk in the morning.”

 

0-0-0-0-0

 

“Pepper?” Skye asked, cocking her head at the soft footsteps.

“Oh, gosh. I hope I didn’t wake you, I’m so sorry,” Pepper winced, holding a wine glass with both hands.

“Pepper, what’s wrong?” Skye asked, waving the woman under the blanket. She set her laptop aside and twisted towards Pepper, giving her her full attention.

“Oh, nothing,” Pepper denied, waving Skye’s worry away. She didn’t hesitate to crawl under the blanket with her though.

“So nothing is finding you wandering the tower at...1:30 in the morning?” Skye asked skeptically.

“I can’t sleep,” Pepper admitted. “I think this is my fault.”

“It’s not your fault,” Skye rebutted easily.

“I filed his paperwork. It’s my fault.”

“They would have come for him sooner or later,” Skye shrugged. “At least this way we know who to watch.”

“Skye…”

“Pepper, I’m not arguing with you. You’re wrong, just deal with it.” She ducked Pepper’s chin and grinned when she grimaced at the gesture.

“I know better than to argue with a Stark,” Pepper muttered finally.

“Hmm, good girl,” Skye teased.

“What are you doing up?” Pepper asked. “Last I heard you had a very clingy seven year old.”

“He’s with Steve. Sleeping. Hopefully,” Skye winced.

“So what are you doing?” Pepper pressed, when, after a minute of silence, Skye still didn’t answer her original question.

“Tampering with Jarvis,” Skye smiled, wiggling her laptop around.

“Why?”

“Steven brought up a very good point. Shield doesn’t know about Bucky. I aim to keep it that way,” Skye replied. “He won’t be their lab rat. I won’t let them.”

“Does Bucky know about this?”

“He knows he needs to stay a secret to stay safe. That damn arm makes things hard. Tony promised to look into a replacement or synthetic cover of some sort. I told him I would give him a day’s head start before I give Fitz and Jack the same task,” Skye admitted, smiling shyly.

“If that doesn’t motivate him, nothing will.” Pepper laughed.

“I know,” Skye agreed. “How is Tony tonight?”

“He’s a little stressed. He doesn’t like the idea of being attacked at home. He doesn’t like the idea of Shield forcefully taking Steven back. Especially now,” Pepper replied, “He is better...but he’s not at his best, medically speaking. He hates that he’s sidelined until he gets his stamina back. He hates that there is a threat to himself and to people he cares about because he knows he isn’t in the position to help.”

“I should go talk to Shield. Maybe I can convince them not to do this.”

“Skye, I firmly believe that you can do anything you set your mind to,” Pepper smiled, reaching over to grab Skye’s hand. “That being said...Fury isn’t one to listen to anyone, not after his mind is made up.”

“Okay...but maybe they just weren’t convincing enough,” Skye argued with a grin.

“God, you’re such a Stark it’s not even funny,” Pepper moaned teasingly. “I’m out of wine. Come get drunk with me. No one’s attacking tonight.”

“Can we have drunk snacks?” Skye asked, perking up.

“That’s a definite,” Pepper laughed. “I missed dinner.”

“Great, I’m hungry. I’m gonna need something a little stronger than wine to get drunk with you.”

“You can raid Tony’s liquor,” Pepper dismissed easily.

“Still not strong enough,” Skye muttered with a wince.

“Ugh,” Pepper groaned, throwing her head back. Skye couldn’t help her grin. Pepper must have had a few glasses of wine before finding her on the couch. “You’re like Steve, aren’t you?”

“Unfortunately.”

“If I show you something, will you promise not to tell anyone?” Pepper asked gravely.

“Course,” Skye laughed.

“Thor accidentally left some Asgardian liquor the last time he was here. That will do the trick, I promise.”

“Promise?” Skye giggled, raising her eyebrows.

“Knocked Steve sideways,” Pepper shot back, raising an eyebrow in challenge.

“Oh, fuck yes. Let’s do this.”

 

0-0-0-0-0

 

Steve woke abruptly when a small hand smacked his face in the dark. Steven was struggling in the bed next to him. He was smacked again so he reached out and caught the boy’s small wrists. “You’re okay,” Steve murmured, pulling the boy in close. He only struggled more. Steve winced at the boy’s struggle. Steven hadn’t woken yet and he needed to correct that before the boy started hyperventilating. His breathing was harsh against Steve’s neck. He sat up, pulling the boy onto his lap. The change in position made Steven pause and then start crying. “I’ve got you,” Steve murmured, rubbing circles on Steven’s back. “Shh, it’s okay. You’re safe.”

“I don’t wanna go back,” Steven whimpered. Despite the situation, Steve was a little amused at his breathing. Steve would practically hear Skye murmuring the beats softly while she taught the boy how to calm his body. Steve was grateful he had a coping mechanism. The faster he calmed down, the better he would feel. He glanced down at Skye’s side of the bed. It was empty. He would love to believe that she was in her van, but for some reason his gut was telling him she wasn’t. He shook his head a little and turned his attention back to the shaking seven year old on his lap.

“You’re not going back,” Steve reassured him. “You’re mine now and they can’t have you.”

“But what if Shield doesn’t sign the papers letting you keep me?” Steven asked softly. Steve could practically hear the gears spinning in the boy’s head. “What if someone comes and says that I’m their kid? What if I have to leave and live with strangers? I’m not normal and they won’t love me and they'll think I'm this _freak_ with the stupid machine on his back and I don’t want to go-”

“Whoa,” Steve interrupted. The boy’s breath was starting to turn panicked again. “You’re not Shield’s property. They have no authority to deny this. As for parents...well, Skye’s been looking. She hasn’t found anything about you. That means _if_ your biologic parents are still alive, they haven’t looked for you. In all the time you were at the Centipede facility, not a single person looked for you.”

“That’s a great bedtime story,” Bucky muttered sarcastically from the doorway. His hair was wild from sleeping and his voice was low.

“Nobody missed me?” Steven asked in a pitiful whisper.

“Aw, hell,” Steve muttered, “that’s not what I meant. I mean, it is, but it’s also not. The point was, if your parents are alive, they’re terrible people because they never looked for you. You weren’t reported missing. I would fight tooth and nail before I let you go with people like that.”

“You can come in, Bucky,” Steven offered slowly. His eyes were drooping as sleep tried to reclaim him. He would feel better if Bucky was close; if Shield did attack, he needed to get Bucky to the van. Bucky was his responsibility.

“Yeah, come cuddle Bucky,” Steve grinned.

“See, you’re tryin’ to embarrass me, but I think I like cuddles as much as Skye does,” Bucky admitted shyly.

“Impossible,” Steven scoffed sleepily. He reached over and flipped the bed sheet over. “Come on, you’re letting the warmth out.”

“I wanna check on Skye first,” Bucky admitted..

“Jarvis,” Steven sighed with exasperation, “Is Skye okay?”

“Ms. Potts and Ms. Skye are taking very good care of each other,” Jarvis replied. Steve glanced up, reflexively turning towards the voice, and frowned.

“Bucky, come cuddle,” Steven repeated. “Please. I need you.”

“Yeah, let the girls have some time,” Steve smiled. “Get in here.”

“Fiiine,” Bucky grinned. “Twist my arm.”

“It’s like a slumber party,” Steven giggled as Bucky settled next to him. “Boy time.”

“Shh,” Steve shushed, “Lay down. It’s too early to be up.”

“But what if they come?” Steven asked, shifting a tiny bit closer to Bucky.

“We’ve got you,” Bucky reassured him softly. He took in his unfocused eyes and couldn’t help the smile on his face. “Go to sleep. No one is touchin’ you.”

“Don’t care what the paperwork says,” Steve added, “You’re already my kid and I take family very seriously.”

“Does that make Bucky my uncle?” Steven asked with a dopey grin.

“Why would I be your uncle?” Bucky asked.

“Cause you and Steve are like brothers. Skye said you guys grew up together. Joined the Army together-ish. I read a book about families, but Skye says family isn’t always about blood.”

“Steve’s been family since before I can remember,” Bucky smiled. “I would love to be your uncle.”

“Okay,” Steven agreed, a massive yawn distorting his happy grin. "Don't tell Clint."

 

“I’ll stay,” Bucky whispered over Steven’s sleeping body. “You should go check on Skye.”

“Why? Do you feel weird? Is this like the time with the nightmare when her programming was triggered?” Steve asked in one long breath. Bucky couldn’t help the smile that enveloped his face.

“She’s fine,” Bucky laughed softly. “Go. I’ll stay with the kid. Leave the door open a crack though, okay? Zeus will want to sleep with his boy.”

“He was in here earlier.”

“Yeah. Clint and I trained him to always seek out Steven. It helps him sleep, when Zeus is there. He probably left when Skye did.”

“Good,” Steve smiled. “I’m glad he’s got that bond.”

“Stop stallin’,” Bucky smirked. “We’re not going anywhere.”

“Okay, okay,” Steve laughed. He slipped out of bed and headed for the door. The puppy, as predicted, was waiting patiently. The second the door opened, he squirmed inside and ran for the bed.

Steve just shook his head a little and closed the door behind himself. “Jarvis, where is Skye?”

“Ms. Skye and Ms. Potts are on the main floor.”

“Thanks,” Steve replied, heading towards the elevator. “Take me there?”

“Yes, Mr. Rogers.”

Steve wiped sleep from his eyes and ran his fingers through his hair, trying to smooth his sleepiness away. The elevator dinged open and Steve was struck dumb by the sight before him. Skye and Pepper were dancing around the main floor, each holding a bottle.

“So tell me what you want, what you really, really want,” Skye sang, using her bottle as a microphone.

“I’ll tell you what I want, what I really, really want,” Pepper sing-shouted back at Skye.

“So tell me what you want, what you really, really want.”

“I wanna, I wanna, I wanna, I wanna, I wanna really, really, really wanna zigazig ha.”

“I don’t even know what that means!” Skye giggled, bumping into Pepper.

“Pretty sure it’s not a word,” Steve grinned, putting his phone back in his pajama pocket. Oh, he was going to tease Skye mercilessly for this.

“Stevie!” Skye and Pepper shouted in unison.

“Oh no,” Steve laughed, shaking his head.

“Do you want a kay-so-dila?” Skye asked, still humming along with the song blasting from the speakers. “I made them and they’re delicious.”

“Really?” He asked, raising an eyebrow at her.

“Yep!” Pepper supported, waving a triangle of quesadilla around before taking a big bite. “I vouch for her,” she added around the mouthful of food.

“What have you two been up to?” Steve asked, finally finding his feet and stepping off the elevator.

“Eatin’ and drinkin’,” Pepper chimed in helpfully, taking a shot of tequila after her bite of quesadilla.

“So what’d you get into?” Steve laughed, looking over at Skye. She still held her bottle in hand as she looked over the assortment of quesadillas on the counter, all neatly cut into triangles.

“I’m not allowed to say,” Skye informed him seriously. She picked a piece and popped the corner into her mouth.

“Aw, let’s tell him,” Pepper giggled. “Stevie can keep a secret.”

“Thor left some of the,” Skye winked and exaggerated, “ _good stuff_.”

“Oh, God. You’re drunk!” Steve laughed. He threw his head back and laughed heartily.

“Eat, Steve. There’s just cheese, cheese and chicken, cheese and veggies, or the heavy duty cheese, chicken, and pepper kay-so-dila to choose from. There’s guac and sour cream and salsa.”

“You made this?” Steve confirmed. None of the options were burned at all. In fact, they looked really good.

“I made these,” Skye nodded. “Pepper helped.”

“You were hungry for quesadillas?”

“It tastes like tequila!” Skye giggled, shaking her bottle at him. “You have to do mexican food with tequila.”

“Tex-mex,” Pepper inserted helpfully.

“Shhh!” Skye giggled, swatting lazily towards her.

“Oh, I love this part!” Pepper laughed, listening in to the song again.

“If you wanna be my lover,” Skye sang, smirking at Steve, “You gotta get with my friends.”

“Make it last forever. Friendship never hands,” Pepper added, putting her food down to dance again. Skye quickly joined her.

“If you wanna be my lover, you have got to give.”

“Taking is too easy, but that’s not how Steve is…” Pepper improvised, then burst into giggles. “I bet Steve is a _giver_.”

“Nope, we’re not doing this!” Skye giggled, dancing over to Steve when his face flamed over. “We’ll have this conversation when Steve isn’t here.”

“Oh, good. I’ll get more details that way,” Pepper agreed easily. Steve groaned and shook his head. He really hoped Skye put the room in privacy mode. He did not need Tony to see this conversation on film.

“Oh, let’s go get Tasha!” Skye half shouted. “We can make a girls only drunk night.”

“Does that mean you’re kicking me out?” Steve asked with a smile.

“No! No, Steve, relaaaaax,” Pepper slurred a little. “You can hang with the girls.”

“But we have to go get Wifey first!”

“Come on, Skylar!” Pepper giggled, dragging Skye along by the hand. Steve watched them go with a small shake of his head. If someone had told him a year ago that THE Pepper Potts could get drunk and dance around the kitchen like she was a teenager again, Steve would have laughed himself sick. As it was, there was a grin on his face. He was glad they could let their guard down with each other.

“You’re going to share that video, right?” Trip asked, stepping into the kitchen. He was in his pajamas and looked like he had just stepped out of the shower. “Oh, food?”

“Skye made it,” Steve grinned.

“Think she’d mind if I…”

“I am under strict instructions to:  _Eat, Steve_ ,” He chuckled. “I’m sure you’re fine to decimate her pile.”

“I think she was trying to feed the whole tower,” Trip nodded, glancing his options over. He chose a triangle and put the corner in his mouth. “Damn, boy. Your girl can cook.”

“She really can’t,” Steve winced. “But I guess even the worst cook has one thing they can’t ruin.”

“Ouch,” Trip chuckled. “Beer?”

“Well I’m definitely not going back to bed,” Steve grinned. “Why not?”

“You know what happened today?” Trip asked, sliding a beer across the counter.

“I know Ward got hurt? Bruce had to pull shrapnel from his chest and he got some blood?”

“Yeah, he gets to join the Magic Blood Club,” Trip nodded. “You know why?”

“Bucky just said Skye got ambushed. We were going to talk about it in the morning,” Steve winced.

“Skye took Steven to an amusement park. She realized they were being followed, so she challenged Steven to a race. Steven ran back to the Tower and Skye ran the other way, drawing the men away.”

“That sounds like Skye,” Steve winced. “How did Ward get hurt?”

“Skye got a hold of Tony, somehow. Not really sure, to be honest. Ward and I walked in on the last part - just before Bucky took off after her. Tony can’t fight yet, so Bucky told him to get Steven. Bucky, Ward, and I went after Skye.”

“Steven made it back to the Tower?” Steve asked when Trip paused.

“Eh, no. He figured it out. The men chasing Skye had her cornered in an alley. When we showed up, they pulled a grenade. Long story short, Steven kicked the grenade into the air. Ward got hit with debris. Bucky and I took out the bad guys.”

“They’re here?”

“Alive and well,” Trip smirked. “Bruce seemed surprised, to be honest with you.”

“Skye has a nasty habit of killing people who threaten her or people important to her.” Steve admitted.

“So I should stay on her good side?” Trip grinned.

“Definitely stay on her good side,” Steve agreed, grinning back. “For tonight, everything is okay. I don’t know that we’re going to be able to say the same thing tomorrow, so let’s take advantage of this.”

“Whatcha got in mind?”

“Skye and Pepper went to get Tasha.”

“You wanna get drunk with them?”

“Nah, someone needs to be the responsible one. I won’t make Skye share her _good stuff_ ,” Steve teased, his tone imitating hers.

  


 

 

“Tasha, Tasha, Tasha!” Skye giggled, jumping on Clint and Tasha’s bed.

“Wake up!” Pepper added, rolling into the bed next to her. Tasha had heard them stumbling loudly onto their floor, so she didn’t attack them for their intrusion. They knew it would be a bad idea to surprise her awake.

“Oh, god,” Clint groaned. “Make them go away.”

“Shh, Clinton.” Skye laughed, “we don’t want you anyway.”

“I can’t hear you,” Clint mumbled back sleepily. “Nat, take them and go.”

“Wifey! We need you!”

“Yeah, we can’t be the Spice Girls with two people!”

“How long have you been up...and what did you get into?” Tasha asked, chuckling as Skye crawled under the covers between her and Clint. Skye was giggling as Clint tried to remove her from his space, so she retaliated with her cold feet on his back.

“Shit!” Clint hissed, nearly falling from the bed as he tried to get away from her.

“Thor left a stash,” Pepper whispered loudly.

“Shh, secret,” Skye added just as loudly.

“You’re terrible at this,” Tasha laughed. “Alright, I’m up.”

“Holy shit, are you drunk?” Clint asked loudly, sitting up quickly. He reached for his hearing aids and placed them while sniffing Skye. “You smell like Thor did when we celebrated after New York.”

“Thor left a stash,” Tasha laughed.

“It was a _secret_!” Skye and Pepper rebutted at the same time, looking disgusted at their friend.

“Okay, now I want to join in on this,” Clint laughed, swinging his legs out of bed.

“Nooooooo,” Pepper moaned. “It’s girl’s night.”

“I can be a girl,” Clint scoffed. He flipped imaginary hair and crooned in a high voice, “ _Oh dear, I feel my period coming._ ”

“Periods don’t make you a girl,” Skye scoffed right back.

“What if I make you something chocolate?”

“Okay, fine, you can come,” Pepper agreed easily. Skye giggled and kicked all three out of bed, then jumped on Tasha’s back.

“Let’s go!” She shouted, pointing to the door.

 

 

 

“Thought it was girl's night,” Steve grinned, nodding towards Clint.

“He’s gonna make us something chocolate!” Pepper announced loudly.

“Besides, he wasn’t here when we left,” Skye laughed, nodding towards Trip. “Thanks for the backup today, by the way.”

“Anytime, girl,” Trip dismissed easily. He reached into the fridge and pulled out more beer - handing one to Steve, one to Clint, and cracked the third one for himself. Steve had already set a tumbler out with Tasha’s favorite vodka next to it.

“I can’t believe we’re doing this,” Tasha remarked, shaking her head. Skye slipped from her back and kissed her cheek.

“I can’t believe we haven’t done this sooner,” Skye grinned back.

“But now?”

“Nobody’s coming tonight,” Steve reassured her. “Shield will need more time to plan an attack and Skye’s already been attacked-”

“What the fuck?” Tasha asked, turning to Skye quickly. “When did you get attacked?”

“It’s all good,” Skye dismissed with a wave of her hand. “I got some pretty kick ass back up.”

“That’d be me,” Trip smirked, tapping his beer bottle against the bottle in Skye’s hand.

“And Ward and Bucky,” Skye nodded.

“Maybe Ward will be better now, with some of the magic blood in his system,” Trip grinned.

“Well, when I spoke to him he said thanks, so that’s a plus,” Skye shrugged.

“I want the full story, now.” Tasha growled, narrowing her eyes at Skye.

“No deal!” Skye giggled.

“Yes deal.” Tasha shot back, anger tainting her tone.

“Compromise,” Skye sighed, setting her bottle down.

“No compromise,” Tasha denied. “I want to know.”

“I’ll tell you,” Skye agreed, “but first you need to do three shots.”

“Three?” Clint scoffed.

“Line them up,” Trip grinned, sliding shot glasses across the counter. Skye grinned back and poured vodka into two and Thor’s liquor into the third.

“That’d do it,” Clint muttered.

“I do this and you’ll tell me?” Tasha sighed. She knew a losing battle when she saw one.

“Yeppers!”

“The whole story?”

“Sure thing,” Skye agreed, raising the bottle to her mouth. “Now hurry up, you’ve got some catching up to do.”

  
  


 

“We should have done this sooner,” Clint grinned, glancing over at the girls as he stirred the brownie mix. The women had not let him forget his promise to make something chocolate.

“Yeah, we should have,” Steve smiled, kicking his feet back and forth. He was sitting on the counter with Trip, both casually drinking beer and watching the girls.

“Left hand blue,” Skye announced after flicking the spinner with her foot.

“Oh, shit,” Pepper groaned. Skye was under her, helping to hold her up, but Tasha was deliberately being difficult. She stretched her left arm over Pepper’s torso, pushing down lightly in the process. “That is cheating Natasha!”

“Oh, full names are coming out,” Trip laughed.

“It’s not full until middle names come out,” Steve grinned. He loved this makeshift family of his. After what could have been one of the worst days of his life, he was glad for this moment of light amidst all the dark surrounding their everyday lives.

“Steven Grant Rogers!” Skye shouted, giggling, “I need help…”

“With what?” He asked, shaking his head.

“Ugh, they’re heavy,” Skye muttered. The three collapsed into a giggling heap on the twister board.

“Natalia Alianovna, that was low,” Bucky chuckled from the open doors of the elevator. Steven was in his arms, clutching at him tightly. His eyes were wide as he took in the room.

“Oh, _shit_ ,” Trip laughed, throwing his head back. “I’ve got to remember this. Natalia Alianovna Romanoff.”

“You use that again and I’ll chop off your left testicle,” Tasha threatened. She tried to sound intimidating, but Thor’s liquor had done a good job of loosening her up. No one felt threatened by her.

“But that’s my favorite one!” Trip replied with a grin.

“Are they okay?” Steven asked Bucky, adjusting his hold a little. He wrapped his arms around Bucky’s neck, letting him know he wasn’t going to let himself get put down.

“They’re fine,” Bucky smiled, ruffling the boy’s hair.

“Brownies will be done in 12 minutes,” Clint announced to the room.

“Thank God,” Pepper groaned, pushing Tasha from on top of her. She rubbed her stomach and moaned, “I think I’m going to die of starvation!”

“Is this what I’m like when you say I’m being dramatic?” Steven asked.

“Yep,” Steve nodded. Bucky laughed and boosted himself onto the counter next to Steve. “Hey buddy,” Steve smiled, reaching over to give his boy his own hair ruffle. “Everything okay?”

“Uh huh,” Steven nodded, resting his head on Bucky’s collar bone.

“You sure?” Steve asked, glancing up at Bucky for confirmation.

“It’s not cuddling if there’s only one person, _apparently_.”

“You cuddle with one person all the time,” Steve laughed.

“Well, I’m only four fifths of a person,” Bucky shrugged, nodding at his metal arm.

“What?” Skye and Steven gasped at the same time. “No!”

“That was creepy,” Bucky laughed. Skye launched herself over the island and landed at their feet.

“You are a whole person, stupid,” Skye informed him with a drunken glare and finger in his face.

“Yeah,” Steven agreed, mirroring her annoyance. He pulled back slightly, glancing around the room, then leaned in a whispered, “I can’t have my uncle thinking he’s anything less than perfect.”

“Awwwwwww,” Skye cooed loudly. “Awwwwww, it’s so cuuuuuute.”

“I think someone gave her sugar,” Steven whispered, giving Skye a side eye.

“I think someone gave her somethin' a lot stronger than that!” Bucky whispered back, grinning.

“It was Pepper,” Skye grinned, whispering right along with them.

“And Thor,” Steve added in his own whisper.

“And it makes sense,” Bucky laughed. “She’s drunk on Asgardian liquor.”

“And I’m almost out!” Skye informed him loudly, sloshing the near empty bottle near his head.

“I think you’ve had enough anyway,” Bucky smirked. She pursed her lips and hugged the bottle to her chest.

“And to think I was going to share with you.”

“Someone’s gotta keep you alive,” Bucky laughed.

“Dude, Steve’s had like...four beers. They may as well be root beers,” Skye scoffed. “Besides, Trip and Clint aren’t drunk either.”

“Nope,” Trip laughed, raising his bottle. “Don’t worry Bucky, we’re not all being irresponsible.”

“Just enjoying the show,” Clint added, nodding to the girls.

“Are the brownies done yet?” Pepper asked, peeking her eyes over the counter. Trip snorted into his beer and sloshed some down his front.

“Go get Tony,” Clint laughed. “He won’t want to miss this. The brownies should be done by the time you get back.”

“Ladies!” Pepper rallied, pumping her fist in the air, “To Tony’s lair!”

“We’re not going to his lab,” Skye giggled. “Jarvis, is my brother in bed?”

“Sir is in bed. Coulson and the rest of his team, including your other brother, are in route. Estimated arrival time is ten minutes.”

“Did they say what they want?” Skye asked, narrowing her eyes. She wouldn’t put it past Shield to send in Coulson’s team.

“Sissy!” Jack’s voice came over the speakers, “Why are you awake and why is Jarvis calling us? What’s wrong?”

“Nothing is wrong. Why are you coming now?” Skye asked, glancing at the time. It was nearly three in the morning.

“Cause I missed you?” Jack asked, the confusion clear in his voice.

“Relax, Skye,” May added. “Jarvis sent us a video of Steve’s showdown with the director. We’re not coming for Steven. Just looking to take a break for a day or two.”

“The brownies should be done when you get here,” Skye grinned, taking May’s assurance at face value.

“Let’s go get Tony!” Pepper reminded.

“See you in ten,” May said, then the speaker clicked as she shut off the call.

“They’re not coming for me?” Steven asked, his face pale.

“No, baby,” Skye reassured, running her hand down his cheek. “They’re not coming for you.”

“Promise?” Steven whispered.

“Promise,” Skye nodded. The corner of her mouth quirked up and she ran a finger up Steven’s arm, which was still wrapped around Bucky’s neck. “Is Bucky protecting you or the other way around?”

“Cuddles don’t mean protection,” Bucky sighed, shaking his head.

“They don’t know about him,” Steven whispered though, making Bucky’s mouth fall open.

“Hmm, so it is the other way around,” Skye grinned, kissing the boy’s cheek. “Gimme five minutes to wake up Tony and I’ll help you.”

“Okay,” Steven agreed with a small smile.

  


 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> "Wannabe" by Spice Girls


	77. You sober now?

 

 

“Shh,” Skye whispered, swatting at the giggling women behind her. She slowly crawled up the bed, then pinned Tony’s hands to his sides. He jerked awake and gave a half-conscious groan when Skye ran her tongue up the side of his face.

“You’re disgusting, Skylar,” Tony muttered, trying to wipe his cheek on the fabric covering his shoulder.

“Come on baby brother,” Skye giggled, releasing him.

“What’s going on?” Tony asked, instantly more alert.

“I need you on the common floor,” Skye informed him.

“Is it bad? Is Shield here already?”

“Relax, it’s not bad.”

“Okay, gimme a minute.”

“No, brother! NOW!” Skye groaned, trying to drag his dead weight from the bed.

“Fine, fine,” Tony grumbled, dragging his hands down his face. “Why does my face smell like Thor?”

“Now!” Skye giggled, tumbling over the side of the bed. Pepper and Tasha popped up over the edge of the bed and covered Tony in Silly String. He froze, scowling at the duo, even when his vision was impaired by the sheer amount of string on him.

“Are you drunk?” Tony asked incredulously. Skye didn’t respond, just emptied another can of Silly String on his face. “Oh, it’s on like Donkey Kong,” Tony growled when they ran out.

“Abandon ship!” Skye giggled, running from the room.

“You can’t hide from me!” Tony shouted, scrambling to follow.

 

 

“Shit, shit, shit,” Pepper cursed, sliding back into the common area. “Shit. Shit!”

“Language, Ms. Potts!” Trip laughed, offering her a hand when she slid into his side.

“Hide me!” She squeaked, pushing Trip away from the counter so she could hide behind him.

“You didn’t see us!” Skye whisper shouted as she dove over the couch and buried herself in the cushions.

“Yeah, we’re invisible,” Tasha agreed, waving her hands around her face. “Poof. Invisible.”

“We’re totally doing this again tomorrow,” Clint whispered to Steve, grinning at Tasha’s silly behavior.

“Where are they?” Tony asked, still pulling Silly String from himself.

“Who?” Trip asked innocently. Bucky snorted and tried to cough to cover it. Steven caught on and started coughing too.

“Damn, I think there’s a bug going around,” Steve commented, just as innocently.

“You’re helping them.” Tony stated. He narrowed his eyes at Trip, “who’s behind you?”

“No one,” Trip shrugged. Steve put his hand on Pepper’s shoulder, preventing her from popping around Trip’s arm.

“Cap!?” Tony gasped, “You’re in on this?”

“Damn, caught the bug,” Steve coughed. Bucky started laughing and soon they were all laughing. Tony, however, was unamused.

“Jarvis, activate Find Sister Protocol,” he muttered, giving Trip a stink eye.

“Ms. Skye cannot be found using that protocol,” Jarvis replied, making said woman giggle.

“Oh, busted!” Tony called out, spinning in place and trying to locate the giggler.

“Ms. Skye had indicated that when you try to use this protocol, I should inform you that - and Sir, pardon my tone - _Da widdle brover was outsmarted by da big sista_ ,” Jarvis remarked, not changing his tone.

Skye couldn’t keep her giggling quiet when Tony gasped loudly. He pinpointed her location and ran to her, leaping the couch to land solidly on her chest. The air was knocked from her lungs but she was still giggling, squirming away from Tony’s tickling. She retaliated by flipping him over her head so he was flat on the couch.

“What did we just walk into?” Coulson asked tiredly, shaking his head at the room.

“Nothing,” Skye smirked, then made a show of wetting her mouth and dragging her tongue up Tony’s cheek again.

“Skylar fucking Elizabeth!” Tony yelled, struggling beneath her.

“I’ll save you!” Pepper yelled, running at the pair.

“Traitor!” Skye giggled, letting Pepper tackle her to the floor. “I’ve been cut to the quick,” Skye gasped dramatically, throwing a hand over her chest. “The agony!”

“Did you get her drunk?” Jack asked in the silence that followed.

“Technically, Pepper got her drunk,” Steve replied, grinning.

“I need a picture!” Jack grinned, waving his phone at Steve. “Please, will you?”

“Get over there,” Steve laughed, nodding towards his girl.

“Jack Jack! I’m so glad you’re here. I need more Jack time.”

“You can have as much as you want,” Jack laughed, “as long as you sit up and take a picture with me.”

“Cheese!” Skye yelled, squinting her eyes shut as she smiled as big as she could.

“You look Asian,” Bucky commented.

“I am Asian!” Skye retorted.

 

0-0-0-0-0

 

“‘m hot,” Skye muttered, blinking her eyes quickly as she struggled to get used to the sunlight streaming into the room.

“That’s a first,” Steve muttered back, reaching across her to flip the blanket back.

“Hmmm,” Steven muttered, cringing against Skye. “It’s cold.”

“Hi, honey,” Skye giggled softly, running her fingers through his too long hair. He was still half asleep on her chest. The combined heat of the boy on her chest and the super soldiers that bracketed them was the reason she was awake.

“You sober now?” Bucky asked teasingly.

“Very, very,” Skye nodded. “And hungry.”

“Me too,” Steven yawned.

“How about we let the old guys sleep and we go make some breakfast?” Skye asked with a smirk that Steven couldn’t see.

“Pft, old,” Steve chuckled.

“Pft, cookin',” Bucky snorted.

“Pft, breakfast.” Tasha muttered from the bottom of the bed.

“Shit, wifey!” Skye yelped, clutching Steven tightly to her chest.

“Shh,” Clint muttered from the other side of Tasha.

“Why is everyone in here?” Skye asked, frowning at the room.

“Cause when the weak are threatened, we need to circle the wagons,” Tony groaned, rubbing his face. He was sleeping in a chair that was blocking the door.

“You’re weird,” Skye laughed lightly.

“Oh, those are your words,” Pepper muttered sleepily. “Steve, quit moving, you’re stealing the heat.”

“It’s not stealing if it’s mine,” Steve retorted lightly. He rolled onto his back and let Pepper sidle into his side.

“You’re so, so, so warm,” she murmured happily.

“Back up off my woman,” Tony growled half-heartedly.

“Tell your woman to back up off me,” Steve replied easily.

“Easy boys,” Pepper murmured.

“Stevie!” Jack gasped from the doorway. “Why do you only give cuddles when I’m not around?”

“He loves us more,” Pepper replied with a sleepy smirk.

“Shots fired,” Tony yawned. He stretched and headed for the bed, padding heavily to Pepper’s side. “Scoot. Scoot over. Jack gets the chair.”

“Fuck you,” Jack giggled, launching himself at the center of the bed.

“Ugh, Jack,” Skye groaned, catching him with her knees before he completely smashed her and Steven.

“Hi sissy,” He grinned, even as he dangled over her.

“Hi Jack Jack,” she smiled back. “I missed you.”

“Can I have a sissy day?”

“No,” Steven murmured. “Skye, tell him. The answer is no.”

“How long are you back for?” she asked instead, reaching up to ruffle her brother’s hair.

“I don’t know,” Jack shrugged. “It doesn’t have to be today.”

“How about tomorrow? We’ve got to hack Shield and see what they’re planning.”

“Those bastards,” Jack grinned maliciously. He had been filled in by his drunk sister the night before and harbored anger at the agency, for all he was a consultant.

“Language,” Steve shushed, half-heartedly.

“Shhh,” Tony murmured, twisting into Pepper. “Just shut up and let me sleep.”

“Ten more minutes, Stevie?” Bucky asked softly.

“Sure, sure,” he sighed.

“He’s so whipped,” Clint muttered, making both Bucky and Steve kick aimlessly for the bottom of the bed.

“Ouch! Stop it!” Tasha laughed. “I’m between you and Stupid.”

“Do us the honor?” Bucky asked with gentle laughter.

“You got it,” Tasha replied. She smacked the back of Clint’s head then acted innocent when he sounded annoyed.

“Shit, Nat. What the fuck?”

“Language,” Tasha replied, flicking his nose playfully.

“Jarvis, who is unaccounted for?” Tony sighed.

“Agent Ward is attempting to extradite himself from his medical bed,” Jarvis replied.

“Oh, yeah. Did we duct tape him to the bed?” Clint asked, “or was that just in my head?”

“There is approximately six rolls of tape between Agent Ward and freedom,” Jarvis replied.

“Winner, winner,” Clint chortled.

“Agents Coulson and May are just leaving the gym. Dr. Banner and Agent Simmons are asleep in Dr. Banner’s lab and I believe we all know where Agent Fitz is.”

“Do we?” Tony asked.

“My bed,” Jack grinned.

“Cuddles are important,” Skye giggled.

“Wait, what about Trip?” Steve asked, suddenly alarmed.

“Agent Triplett is attempting to tune you all out so he can go back to sleep,” he muttered from the far side of the bed, giving himself a fake accent.

“Are you _cuddling_ with my team?” Skye asked, propping herself up on her elbows.

“Hey, I was invited. Not gonna turn down a cuddle session.”

“Knew there was a reason I liked you,” she grinned. Trip was tucked in behind Bucky; judging by his lack of reaction, he knew Trip was there and had declined to share with them.

“Does that mean I don’t have to train today?” Trip mumbled into a pillow.

“Sure,” she shrugged. “Now, somebody let me up. I’ve got some monitoring to do.”

“Nope,” Steve denied, twisting so he could trap her beneath his arm and leg - though Jack had to roll off her in order for him to succeed.

“Yep,” She argued right back. “I need to see what they’re up to.”

“They think you’re Jack,” Steve muttered. “They know about your computer skills. Director Fury won’t be stupid enough to document anything on the computer.”

“We can always hope,” she giggled, reaching out with a cold hand. “Steve, lemme up.”

“Nuh uh.”

“Steven Grant Rogers!”

“No.”

“You’re not even going to try for an excuse?”

“Nope.”

“Damn it, Steve. Let me up or I swear I’ll tell everyone about your-”

“Fine!” Steve muttered, removing his arm and leg at record speed. He wasn’t sure what she had planned to share, but he could only imagine. It didn’t matter if it was true or not - his team wouldn’t hesitate to mock him for it.

“That’s what I thought,” she teased, squirming over Bucky and Trip when Steve retaliated. She glanced down at the half asleep boy on her chest and couldn’t help her smile. “You staying with me, Bucky, or Steve?”

“Which one is staying in bed?”

“Me,” Bucky laughed.

“I should probably go do my gym time.” Steve informed him regretfully. “I’ll make you breakfast, though.”

“Deal!” Steven laughed, squirming free from Skye to tuck in against Bucky.

 

 


	78. Textbook Skye

 

 

“Coulson’s team and Jack just left,” Tony remarked, strolling into his lab space.

“Why?”

“Found an 0-8-4,” he replied.

“Okay,” she nodded, not removing her attention from the computer screen in front of her.

“How’s it looking?” Tony asked, pushing his chair over to his sister’s side.

“Dumb.” She replied in a short tone. “Steve was right. They’re going to extraordinary lengths to avoid technology. There’s nothing on their system about this, I can’t seem to catch anyone talking about it on the cameras, _and_ they’re meeting. Now. But they all powered off their phones. I know something is going on in that room, but I can’t figure out what it is and it really pisses me off.”

“I see that,” Tony commented. She turned towards him with a scowl. He wasn’t sure what to say so he just smiled. She sighed and shook her head.

“I just want to know.”

“Don’t we all?”

“I’m not good with not knowing.”

“That makes two of us.”

“Ugh, stop agreeing!” Skye laughed unwillingly. She couldn’t keep a straight face when her brother was being ridiculous like this.

“Sorry,” Tony grinned unapologetically.

“Liar,” she muttered.

“Let’s see what two Starks can accomplish.”

 

0-0-0-0-0

 

“They're coming,” Tony announced over the speaker system. “They're outside now.”

“They’ll be inside within ten minutes,” Skye added.

“Shit,” Bucky cursed, looking around wildly for Steven. “Jarvis, where is he?”

“Steven is on your floor. He is retrieving his puppy's things.”

“Tell him to wait there for me.” Bucky shouted, running to the stairs. Steve burst onto their floor at the same time as Bucky did.

“Fuck, Bucky.” Steve growled, “keep him safe. Please, keep him safe.”

“I've got him,” Bucky reassured him quickly. “Get your head on straight. Steven, let's go.”

“Zeus needed his blanket!” Steven apologized running to Bucky with a duffel thrown over his shoulder. Bucky scooped up the puppy and the boy, then took off for their safe place: Skye's van. She would join them there momentarily.

  
  


“Look at them,” Skye frowned, looking the screens over. Tony was watching the same screens. When the agents finally succeeded in getting in, they rushed the Tower - coming in from all sides.

“I count 10,” Tony mused. “Do you agree?”

“I saw 12,” Skye argued. “These are specialists. I guess that explains why they sent so few. Where'd the other two go?”

“I don’t know. We need to keep an eye on the roof. Look, Bucky has Steven in the van,” Tony told her, nodding towards the screen that showed Bucky closing the door behind them.

“Great. I’m glad Jack isn’t here. I'm gonna go kick some ass. You’re not fighting. You’re our eyes - keep us aware. Everyone should have comms in.”

“Skye, you’re hiding Bucky in that van because you don’t want Shield to know about him. You need to get into that van. If Shield finds out that you’re the one hacking and reverse kidnapping, well...it would be bad. I want you in that van. I want you safe.”

“As soon as the situation is contained.”

“No, now. I’m not arguing with you. Go. Van. Go, go, go,” Tony pressed, waving her from the room. She silently walked out, having low expectations of herself - of getting herself to the van. She checked every corner, taking out an agent as he stepped out of the stairway three floors from the garage.

There was only one floor between her and the van. She almost sighed with relief - the team could handle the dozen agents. Easily.  This was one fight she didn't have to be involved in. She rounded the corner and stopped dead in her tracks.

“Shit,” Skye groaned to herself. She found the two unaccounted members. She knew immediately why they had split from the group. She quickly backed up so she could send her message covertly. “Jarvis, code red. I repeat, code red.”

“Ready to implement code red,” Jarvis replied smoothly.

“Gertrude, go. Escape route seventeen. Do not disengage lockdown. Do not disengage cloaking.”

“What the shit?” Tony asked over the comms. “Skye, what did you do? The van is gone.”

“I know,” she replied.

“They’re invisible, stupid,” Tasha added over the comms.

“You’re in the van, right?” Tony shouted angrily. She hesitated for the briefest of moments, realizing Tony couldn’t see her. The knowledge was both a blessing and a curse. The team was busy with their own agents, but she couldn’t risk them finding out the retrieval team was here. “Skye! Don’t ignore me. You better be in that van!?”

“Doll, please get in the van. You’re just as much a secret as Bucky is,” Steve huffed.

“Why aren’t you in the van?” Clint asked softly.

“Focus, guys. Right now, worry about getting these agents out of the Tower.”

“Skye!-”

She clenched her jaw and peeled the comm from her ear. Suddenly everyone was shouting at her and she couldn't concentrate. She stuck the comm to the wall and headed down the stairs. Gertrude was leaving the building with the help of a secret exit. No one would see it go. Bucky would keep Steven safe, even if he never spoke to her again. He was going to be pissed when he realized what was happening. Steven’s safety was worth more than her friendship with Bucky. Bucky had Steve now; it didn’t matter if he was her friend anymore - Steve would fill that gaping hole. She nodded slightly and swallowed hard. She worked her face into a neutral expression and stepped around the corner.

“You've outdone yourself this time,” Skye remarked casually, propping up on the door frame. The two men in front of her froze. “Attacking the Avengers? At home? Hmm, not a good list to be on. That's stupid, even for you.”

“Got you alone, didn't we?” One smirked. He swung his gun around and Skye flew into action. The heat of the barrel burned her hands as she pulled it off to the side of her body. With a jerk of irritation, she snatched the gun from his hand and broke it over her knee. He gaped at her, looking at the fragments of gun at their feet.

“Focus,” The second man growled, coming at Skye. “You know the training It has had.” The first man recovered and the two attacked her with synchronicity that could only come from practice. Lots of practice. They were trained for this. They were trained for _her_. She swallowed down her worry and smirked.

“Oh, good,” Skye chirped, “I’m glad you’re good enough to give me a real fight. I have some anger issues that I need to work out.”

“You’re coming with us,” The second man informed her sharply.

“The hell I am.”

“It would be a shame if we had to hurt your new family. I heard one of our kids were here. We’ll make sure it’s extra bad for him, after we take him back.”

“Like you’ve made it worse for all of the younger kids? Yeah, I know why you’re so hard on them.”

“Do you?” The second man smirked. “Cause you don’t look nearly mad enough for you to know.”

“You raised the youngest. You trained them up to be your perfect soldiers,” Skye spit, shaking with rage. “That’s why you’re harder on them. You expect them to be better because you’ve spent more time on them. Well, news flash, assholes, you’re not getting anyone. Not today, not ever.”

“Aw, look how mad it is,” the first man laughed. He bent over and clenched his stomach, laughing heartily. “Wanna know why we’re really hardest on the youngest?”

“Wanna really know why you turn to rock when no one else does?” The second added, smirking.

“Wanna really know what we did to the kids we captured?”

“Wanna really know why we tortured those kids in front of you?”

“Please, please say yes,” the first man begged gleefully, “Please. I need to see the comprehension on your face.”

“We’re going to take you down and then we’re going to take down everyone in this building. I want you to know that. I want you to know that everything we do to the people in this building is because of _you_.”

“It’s not because of me,” she argued angrily, curling her hands into fists.

“Oh, freak, of course it is. I can't wait until you see that."

 

0-0-0-0-0

 

“Bucky?” Steven asked fearfully, clutching his puppy to his chest.

“Shh,” Bucky murmured, watching the side door. He would be ready if anyone got them open. “It’s okay. They don’t know we’re here.”

“Do you think Skye put the cloaking on?”

“I definitely think she did,” Bucky agreed, forcing a smile for the boy. He tried to appear calm and collected, but he felt like a fucking coward hiding in the van while everyone else fought off the invaders. Logically, he knew he was responsible for Steven’s safety, but they were hidden so well that Bucky would have been comfortable leaving the boy there alone. They weren’t going to find him. Not in an invisible van.

“Skye's gonna come, right?” Steven asked carefully. “She’s a secret, too.”

All of the sudden, two heavy metal plates fell, blocking Bucky’s access to the front of the van. He frowned and glanced at Steven - and was just in time to see the back and side doors get covered by an extra sheet of metal as well.

“What’s happening?” Steven asked in a small voice. “Are we found? Are they coming?”

“I don’t know,” Bucky replied truthfully. Steven lurched sideways as the van started moving.

“Why are we moving!?” Steven asked, panic clear in his voice. “Maybe they found us and they’re towing us and…”

“Nope,” Bucky growled, running his fingers over the metal panels, looking for anything that would give him something to grab. “This has Skye written all over it.”

 

0-0-0-0-0

 

“You guys wanna re-think this?” Steve asked, stepping out in front of three agents in tactical gear. They didn’t reply, just raised their weapons. Icers, he couldn’t help but notice. He shifted his shield and waited. “I know you’ve got orders, but kidnapping a seven year old isn’t right. You know that. Why else would you still be standing here?”

“Sir, he’s Shield property and you’ve stolen him,” one of the agents informed him sternly.

“He is not property. He is a child. A child that was being mistreated there. Please, stand down. I don’t want to fight you.”

“Team on the roof,” Tony announced over the comms.

“Got it,” Tasha acknowledged briefly. “Does anyone have Skye? Jarvis won’t tell me where she is.”

“I’ll find her,” Clint said a little louder. There was the distinctive sound of his bow in the background, then he went silent.

“Can I convince you to leave? I really don’t want to hurt you,” Steve tried again.

“Orders are orders, Captain.”

“Okay, but I want you to know that I gave you an out. Anything from here on out, you asked for.” Steve warned them.

“Bring it on,” an agent smirked, setting Steve’s hair on end. His anger grew and swallowed him whole - these men were trying to take his kid. These men were threatening his family. These men needed a lesson on right and wrong - and he was more than happy to give it to them.

 

0-0-0-0-0

 

“Everyone okay?” Steve asked over the comms.

“Yeah, I’m good.” Tasha replied.

“Good to go,” Clint added.

“Tony? Anyone we missed?” Steve asked, smiling as Skye walked into the room. Her hair was a mess and there was dried blood on her hands and face. Steve frowned and wiped a dry blood smear from her forehead, “you were supposed to be in the van, doll.”

“I got hung up,” she shrugged.

“No one left in the building,” Tony replied.

“Great,” Steve replied. “Let’s meet up in the common room. Doll, wanna let Bucky and Steven out of the van?”

“Eh-” Skye squeaked, wincing.

“{We’re having words,}” Bucky snarled at Skye, stomping into the room. He handed Steven off to Steve with gentle hands despite his angry tone. Skye was already shaking her head no. “{Now. It’s not a choice.}”

“{You’re allowed to be mad at me - I knew that was going to happen when I made my choice - but, damn it, Bucky, you’re not going to yell at me.}”

“{The fuck I ain’t!}”

“We broke your van,” Steven interjected softly. He was tucked under Steve’s chin, looking at the pair fearfully.

“It’s okay, honey,” Skye murmured, reaching out to rub his back. Bucky reached out and grabbed her wrist, then slapped a handcuff on her and then his own wrist.

“{I’ll let you go when I’m through with you,}” Bucky muttered darkly, switching to latin so the boy wouldn’t understand him. There was a loud crack and then Skye was running from the room. Bucky held up his arm, shaking his head at the free handcuff dangling from his wrist.

“I think she needs a minute,” Steve whispered. He had no idea what happened, but it had something to do with her van.

“I’ll go,” Tasha sighed.

“No,” Bucky said firmly, shaking his head to reinforce his point. “No. I’m going.”

“Not yet, Bucky,” Steven whispered. “{Please. I don’t want her to leave us. If you go now, she’ll leave. Please, not yet.}”

“I’ll give her ten minutes,” Bucky agreed angrily, then stormed off towards the gym. The Asset was dangerously close to the surface and he couldn’t allow him to take control. Not now.

 

0-0-0-0-0

 

“What the fuck, Skye?” Clint asked, slamming Steve’s door open. Skye was in the corner, trying to become one with the wall. She stood slowly, warily eyeing him.

“What are you mad about?” Skye asked. In the half-dark of the room, Clint couldn’t see how pale her face was.

“The retrieval team was here,” Clint informed her.

“I know.”

“You took your fucking comm out.”

“I did.”

“You didn’t call us.”

“You had Shield to worry about.”

“We had a deal,” Clint informed her.

“You were included!” Skye argued weakly. “The deal was that I involve you. You were involved.”

“You don’t get to go after people on your own!” Clint shouted. “You don’t get to choose what we do. You don’t get to choose our involvement. You could have been taken and we wouldn’t have been able to do shit about it!”

His tone was sharp and pierced her skin like barbs. She could practically feel the hurt radiating off him. His face dropped and he whispered, “Are we ever going to earn your trust, Skye? I mean, really...what do we need to do to prove ourselves to you?”

She shook her head and backed away slowly, inching towards the door.

“Don’t run,” he muttered, exasperated. “This is textbook Skye.”

She continued backing away, but turned before the first tear fell. He was right. This _was_ textbook Skye...but this was all she could manage. Logically, she knew she deserved this. She hadn’t involved them because she had left out details. They didn’t have the full story - they didn’t know _her_ full story… but damn it, if he could call her running then he sure as hell could call her on leaving shit out. She couldn’t take the risk of having the retrieval team spilling any of her secrets. Overpowering her fear of her friends’ safety was the fear of her secrets getting out. When those started being released, she would finally be able to figure out if this all was real or a figment of her imagination. At this point, she wasn’t sure what terrified her more - that it wasn’t real or that it was.

“Skye!” He shouted, sounding further away than she thought he should be.

She was running, without even knowing it, and it was exhilarating. The wind rushed past her face and she pushed herself harder - stupidly trying to run from his anger, his disappointment.

This is what she was good at.

Surviving...not necessarily living, but _surviving_.

She pushed the tears from her eyes and put all of her grief into running. She would run until she couldn’t run anymore. She would run until she couldn’t remember. She would run until they came to reclaim her - once they had her, they would leave everyone else alone.

Fuck it.

She was ready.

She was ready to be done with this.

 

She was tired of protecting people from danger they didn’t even know they were in.

 

She was tired of trying to figure out if this was real or not.

  
For the first time in her fifty three years, she was admitting defeat.

 

 


	79. She'll come back

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Things have been sporadic lately and I'm so sorry. I've added a few shorter chapters recently to make up for the last couple of weeks which have been weird (posting wise). Sorry!!!

 

 

“Hey Jack,” Steve greeted softly, forcing a smile. It had been two days and they hadn’t heard from Skye. Jarvis had alerted the Tower when Skye left, but they had decided to give her some space - for everyone’s sake. They thought she would be back in a few hours - the image Jarvis shared of Skye leaving the front of the Tower showed that she left empty handed. She didn’t have supplies. She had no tools at her disposal. They thought she couldn’t get far.

They were wrong.

“Hey, Steve,” Jack smiled back. “A personal video chat from an Avenger? I think I died and went to heaven.”

“Hey!” Fitz shouted in the background. The responding smile on Steve’s face was a little more sincere.

“Got a question for you.”

“Figured as much,” He smirked.

“Skye’s been gone for two days-”

“She’s been gone for two days and you’re just now thinking to let me know about this? What the fuck, Steve!”

“Oh, come off,” Fitz muttered, walking behind Jack in the shot. “You knew within an hour of her leaving the Tower.”

“Wait, what?” Steve frowned. “Why didn’t you tell us?”

“Why didn’t you tell _me_ that my sister was gone?” Jack shot back.

Steve exhaled slowly and took a deliberate breath. “Fine, let’s start over. Jack, we would love to know if Skye is okay.”

“For all you know about my sister, you still have such _gaping_ holes in your knowledge. Leave her alone. She’ll come back or she won’t. There isn’t shit you can do about it now.”

With that, he cocked his eyebrow at the camera and shut the call off.

“That was a bit dramatic,” Fitz smirked.

“Good. I hope he feels really fucking bad. Two _days_ , Fitz. I think they are forgetting I was her family before any of them.”

“You’re passive aggressive to a fault,” Fitz smiled, reaching up for a kiss.

“Not with the small stuff. Small matters are purely aggressive aggressive. Nothing passive about it,” Jack smirked.

“Is that why Ward’s three day beard was bright pink today?”

“That’s just for shits and giggles,” Jack snorted.

 

0-0-0-0-0

 

Days later, finally tired enough to forget her anger, she found herself with 47. She fell into the small cabin, scraping her knees and palms on the rough floor. To exhausted to care, she left herself there, barely managing to flip herself onto her back before deciding she lacked the energy to move any further. The thing about grief is that it doesn’t matter what your circumstances are - it’s a bitch that will stab you in the heart when you’re at your lowest. Glancing around the cabin from her perspective on the floor, she felt the tears that she never allowed to fall run down her face and neck. She let people down over and over - maybe the retrieval team was right. This was all her fault.

“What’s wrong?” 47 asked softly, sitting up on the bed in the corner. He had a soft smile on his face and came over to her on the floor. “Get up.”

“No, baby,” Skye denied, shaking her head quickly. “I can’t. I’m done. I can’t do this.”

He ran his hand through his dark hair and sat on the floor above her head. “At least come up on the bed. You’ll be more comfortable.”

“I’m good here.”

“You’re worrying me.”

“I’m sorry. Don’t worry about me,” Skye said softly, making an effort to quiet her sobbing. That didn’t stop the tears from falling though.

“Please, let's just move to the bed,” he repeated softly. She shook her head again and he groaned.

“Should have known you were going to be stubborn,” he teased affectionately. “Fine. I’ll stay with you here, but if I get splinters in my bum it’s because of you.”

“They’re all mad at me,” she admitted shakily.

“So you ran? How very you,” he chuckled.

“It’s not funny,” Skye whimpered. She didn’t have to hide herself from him.

“Why are they mad at you?” He prompted gently.

“The retrieval team came in with the Shield team that was trying to take Steven back,” she sighed.

“Okay?”

“I took the retrieval team on by myself-”

“-like you always do…”

“-and let the others take on the agents. There were two teams of agents and only two men after me. It wasn’t even a choice. They needed everyone else there. I had my two covered.”

“So why are they mad at you?”

“We don’t agree on the fact that I didn’t need their help.”

“I thought you were working on that,” he remarked.

“I am! If I didn’t think I could take two, I would have asked for help. I would have! But, it was only two. There were way more agents that they needed to worry about. I would have been a distraction.”

“What’s this really about?”

“They don’t trust me,” she admitted softly. “They don’t understand.”

“Did you think they were going to understand? Nothing about you is normal. Have you even explained it to them?”

“Not all of it...” She replied, feeling her face crumple with shame. A harsh sob ripped from her throat and she clutched her hands to her chest, trying to keep the anguish from pouring out. “I don't know how to tell them. I don't know how to even start that conversation.”

“You need to try at least.”

“I know. But everytime I think I've figured out to to bring it up, something bad happens and more questions are raised. I don't even understand my past - how am I supposed to explain it to them?”

“Just tell them what you know,” 47 murmured. “You're making this too hard. They wouldn't be mad at you if they didn't care about you. How would you feel if they kept secrets from you?”

“It's not my place to hear their secrets. Not unless it was about me.”

"It's easy to say that from your perspective," 47 smiled knowingly. "Have you considered it from theirs?"

"Yeah. I have." Skye replied bluntly. "They don't trust me enough to believe that I've told them the important stuff."

"Maybe what's important to you isn't what's important to them."

"Cut out some middle men and we have the same job, baby." Skye murmured, shutting her eyes against his defeated expression. "We all take care of the people we care about without regard to consequences."

"Have you considered that maybe you've joined the list of people that they take care of, regardless of consequence?" He asked, smoothing her hair back. "It certainly sounds like they've made it onto yours."

"It's not the same."

"Why not? You've got the retrieval team after you and yours. They have everyone they've ever defeated after them and theirs. Sure, the people aren't the same, but the effects are the same."

"I don't deserve their protec-"

"Skye, you never think you deserve the things you do. Just...learn to ignore your inner monologue and look at their actions. Actions speak louder than words."

"It's not that easy!"

"Says who? Says you?" 47 laughed lightly. "You never think you deserve to have people."

"Cause I don't. If they knew the things..."

"So tell them the things and _then_ let their actions speak. I know you're scared. But, you're always scared. What's worse? Deserving the things they believe about you or  _thinking_ you deserve the things that they believe about you?"

"I don't know," she admitted softly. "What if they don't like what they hear?"

"Then you'll know one way or another."

"But what if they don't like it? I don't think I can handle it."

"Yet you run away from thing you think they think. Let them hear you out. Let them make their own choices. I know that's not always been an option...but, they are. You don't _need_ them, but you want them. Isn't that good enough?"

"That's the problem though, isn't it?" Skye admitted shakily. "I do want them. I want their friendship. I want their warmth. I want _them._ But what if I don't deserve it?"

"It's never as simple as that and you know it."

"I want _them_ , but what if they don't want _me_?"

"Then you're in exactly the same place as you are now, only you'll know there's a reason behind these tears," 47 murmured softly, brushing the tears from her cheeks. "No matter what they think of you, you'll always have me. You'll always have Jack-"

"I won't have Jack, if I tell him the truth," Skye interrupted with a shaky sob. "He won't like this either - he won't like the me that I've kept hidden from him."

"I think we both know that Jack knows you better than you give yourself credit for," 47 smiled. "You've been together for so long. Did you think you could keep your true nature from him? What about Bucky? You've told him more than you've told anyone - but I see he's not here either."

"He needed to be a secret!" Skye argued hotly. Her temper flared and then sizzled out. "I knew he was going to be mad. I knew it...but somehow knowing something and seeing something isn't the same. He was so mad..."

"He didn't like that you removed him from the danger and exposed yourself to danger in the same breath," 47 brought up logically. "He wanted you safe in Gertrude, too."

"It wasn't my choice! I was going. I wasn't happy, but I was going. But then the retrieval team was there and I _couldn't_ go and...well, fuck. Okay, yes. I know why he's mad. I knew he was going to be mad, though. I just don't understand Clint's anger. There were two full teams of Shield agents coming for them and I only had two retrieval members.  _I_ should be the one mad here. I should be mad that they didn't call me for help. Tasha took on a whole team by herself. I mean, yes, Dummy helped some with the fire extinguisher, but she was alone. Clint was playing sniper, so he was alone. Tony couldn't fight. Steve was alone.  _I should be mad_. I should be  _pissed_ that they didn't ask for help - but I'm not. I knew they could handle their share. That's why I'm so confused. Why didn't they trust me with my share?"

"I don't think that's the problem here," he sighed. "I don't think they don't trust you. I think they're just mad that you didn't even tell them the retrieval team was in the building. You knew their dangers, but they didn't know yours. Besides, your comm was out. How were you supposed to know if they needed help? How were you supposed to get help, if you needed it? If the Tower was infiltrated, you couldn't count on Jarvis - despite all of your precautions."

"You sound like Clint," Skye groaned, rubbing her swollen eyes.

"Am I making sense though?" He asked, smiling as he leaned over her. "Family is two sided. You can't protect them from things and expect them not to do the same for you. You can't keep secrets and expect them to understand. I know, _God, do I know_ , that you're not normal - but just because I have that insight doesn't mean that they do."

"Stop it."

"Stop what?" he asked, grinning charmingly. She couldn't help her responding grin, even as reluctant as it was.

"Stop being so damn logical." 

"Go talk to them.”

“You kicking me out already? I just got here.”

“Nah, I'll let you take a nap first. You look like you ran here.”

“That's cause I did.”

“Definitely a nap,” he nodded. “But not on the floor. Come on up; we can cuddle.”

“I freaking love you,” Skye smiled, pulling herself up from the floor. She turned and pulled his face into her hands, “you know that right? Even though I've got some new people in my life, you're still my number one guy. You know I love you forever and ever, right?”

“Yes, I know that,” he smiled. He got up from the floor and headed for the bed. “Now stop making it sappy and come sleep.”

“Thank you,” she mumbled, her heavy eyes drooping.

“Didn't you know? Cuddles fix everything.”

“Sounds like someone smart told you that.”

“She is,” he laughed. “Now go to sleep. I love you. I've got you.”

“You've always got my back,” she agreed, sleepily. "I fucking love you."

"Language, ma'am," he teased, pressing a kiss to her forehead. "Sleep. You're safe here."

"I miss you, baby," Skye admitted as she drifted off to sleep. 

  


 

 

When she woke, it was dark out and she was alone. She frowned and hugged herself, wishing for more body heat. Still, the message was clear as day. She needed to leave. He wasn't going to encourage her to stay by hanging around; he always knew what she needed - even before she was ready to admit it to herself. She swallowed hard and licked her dry lips. She needed to go, but she didn't want to leave. This place always brought her peace - but she never stayed long. She couldn't risk being tracked here. She wouldn't give 47 up for her own comfort. Now she just needed to figure out what to say to her friends at the Tower. 47 was right - of course he was right - but that didn't make her task any easier. She didn't fully understand her past, so how was she supposed to explain it to someone else? (Even people as important as her make-shift family back at the Tower?)

She padded to the cupboards and grabbed a few rations she could eat on her way out, then pulled her thin jacket back on. She smoothed her frizzy hair back and sighed. No use putting this off.

“I’ll come visit soon,” Skye promised, pressing a kiss to her hand and then the door. She locked the door behind herself and took a deep breath of the crisp air. The sweet smell of the evergreens pierced through her numbness, making her smile, just a little. She stopped by the stream to take a long drink and clear the cotton from her mouth. Finally, with a long look back, she walked away from the cabin. One day, she would come back and stay for good. Until then, she could pull as much comfort from this place as 47 always had. It was hard to be miserable when there was so much beauty around.

When she  _knew_  (not just speculated) that everyone hated her, she would come back for good.

This was the perfect place to fall apart.

This was the perfect place to admit defeat.

This was her place to be at peace.

 

0-0-0-0-0

 

“Steven!” Steve shouted at the boy, watching him swing through Skye’s rope course. “Steven! Get down and talk to me.”

“No!” He shouted.

“Steven!”

“ _You_ made her leave. _I_ need to bring her back.”

“She had her own reasons for leaving, Steven. It’s not anybody’s fault.”

“I don’t care! I need to bring her back.”

“This isn’t going to bring her back,” Steve sighed, throwing his hands up.

“Yes, it will!” Steven huffed angrily, keeping his eyes on the ropes in front of him.

“It doesn’t work like that, Steven. I know you think she has _mom senses_ or whatever you and Jack call them, but she left. You could do this until you’re a hundred and she still wouldn’t know.”

“Leave me alone, Steve.”

“Do I need to come get you?” Steve threatened.

“You can try,” the boy scoffed. Steve frowned and stretched out his shoulders, then quickly climbed the rope closest to him.

Twenty minutes later, Steve admitted defeat. He may be a super soldier, but he wasn’t an angry seven year old.

“Could have told you that was a bad idea,” Clint commented, crunching into his apple loudly. Steve dropped to the floor by him and sighed.

“Shove off,” Steve muttered, peeling the blisters that were forming on his palms.

“What’s he trying to do?”

“Alert Skye’s _mom senses_ ,” Steve sighed. “It’s totally ridiculous.”

“Is it?” Clint asked. “They always know when something is wrong with her, way before we know something is wrong. It seems to work the other way around, too. Even if it’s just a programming trick within Jarvis, she knows. She always knows.”

“She ran. She promised she wouldn’t and she did.” Steve replied stonily.

“I may have contributed to that,” Clint winced.

“How?” Steve pressed, turning to face him.

“It’s no excuse but I was mad - and disappointed. I think it was probably the disappointment that got her.”

“Why am I hearing about this three days later?”

“I was hoping she would come back and I could apologize without letting everyone know my fuck up,” Clint admitted, wincing.

“And how’s that working for you?” Steve asked. He wanted to smirk, because Clint looked super uncomfortable...but he was also pissed. He withheld information that might have helped get Skye back earlier.

“Not good,” Clint admitted, taking another bite of apple. “It’s taken me three days to admit to her boyfriend that I lost my temper.”

“What did you say?” Steve asked, sighing with deliberate patience.

“I was mad,” Clint repeated. “The retrieval team was here and she didn’t let us know. She took out her comm so she couldn’t have asked for help if she wanted to. All I could think was that she promised to keep us in the loop...but when it came right down to it, she didn’t.”

“You’re right, she didn’t,” Steve admitted, nodding slowly. “She promised she would tell us and she didn’t.”

“To be fair, after considering it for three days, we had two full teams of Shield agents to worry about and she had two members of the retrieval team. In hindsight, I can see why she didn’t tell us. We would have worried about her and maybe missed some agents. She was worried about Steven. She was worried about Bucky. She was worried about _us_ ...but I couldn’t see that. I just saw a betrayal. I think that’s why she left. I asked her if we would ever earn her trust. I asked her what we needed to do to prove ourselves. That’s when she left. The anger, she could deal with. She knew it was coming. I talked with Bucky,” Clint admitted. “She knew he was going to be mad at her for locking them in the van, but again...she was thinking about them. She didn’t mind that we - that Bucky - were going to be mad at her. She cared that we - that Bucky and Steven especially - were safe. Bucky didn’t want to be in that van. He said he felt like a coward, hiding from the people after them - even if they weren’t after _him_. But, big picture wise, we had things handled. We didn’t need another set of hands. We needed him a secret. Skye accomplished that, even if we couldn’t see it at the time.”

“She left because we were disappointed with her,” Steve sighed, seeing nearly instantly what Clint had taken two days to see.

“No, she left because _I_ was disappointed. I made her leave, Steve. I should have taken a second and calmed down. I should have taken the time to see it from her point of view, but I didn’t. I just assumed things and ran with it. I was such an ass and I made her leave. How can I make that up? How can I make this better if she’s not here? How can I make it up to Steven? To Bucky? To the team? This is all my fault,” Clint whispered, dropping his casual attitude so Steve could see the sincere emotion behind his words. “This is my fault and I don’t know how to fix it.”

“She’ll come back,” Steve told Clint. “She will. She’ll come back and we can all apologize to her.”

“I want to apologize,” Clint informed him seriously. “I do. But...I also don’t want secrets between us. I’m so fucking sick of secrets. I know she has her own - and that’s fine...I don’t expect her to just blurt everything out to us, but also...I just want to be filled in on the things concerning us - concerning the Tower. Concerning the _team_. We’re her family - and she’s ours - but family doesn’t keep secrets from each other like this. She killed those retrieval members, Steve. They could have told us so much...but she killed them - and I can’t stop wondering why.”

“She checked in,” Jack announced, running into the gym. “I’m going to go get her.”

“I want to come,” Steve said instantly, turning from Clint like he wasn't there.

“Frankly, Steve, I don't want you there. Not yet. I think she’s finally working through some shit. You’re staying, okay?” Jack retorted angrily. He waited a beat, but when Steve didn’t argue, he nodded his approval.

“Where are you going?”

“To get her,” Jack replied like it was the most obvious thing in the world. There was a soft thump behind him and then Steven shoved past them, sweaty and tired.

“Told you,” he muttered.

 

 


	80. Are you afraid of me?

 

Steve was pacing in the common area, waiting for Jarvis to tell him that Jack was back with Skye. Bucky was training, deciding to burn his nervous energy in a productive manner. Tasha and Clint were out on a mission for Tony, gathering some intel on a source that they were all pretty tight lipped about. Tony had Steven in his lab, trying his best to distract the boy. Steve hadn’t heard back anything about the adoption paperwork, but Pepper seemed pretty confident that the issue was resolved so he was trying to convince himself of the same thing. All things considered, he hadn’t had a day this stressful in a very long time. There wasn’t anything he could do but wait and hope things worked out. They were out of his control...and he hated that. He growled a little in his throat, annoyed with himself for being annoyed.

“Jesus, Jack,” Steve muttered to himself, turning on the ball of his foot to pace back the same direction he just came, “you could at least check in. She was on foot. How far could she go?”

The door to the stairs smashed open and something slammed into Steve’s legs before he had the chance to turn. Then he heard the crying and was immediately concerned. He twisted, trying to pry the upset seven year old from the back of his legs.

“Steven, what’s wrong?” he asked, trying to untangle his fingers from his pants. The boy responded in a quick, long-winded ramble of the mash up. Steve gave up trying to untangle him and simply pulled him up into his arms, forcing him to release his legs.

“Steven, you need to speak English!” Steve half shouted, trying to be heard over the screaming boy. He was in complete melt-down mode, thrashing in Steve’s arms. Tears were streaming down his face and he was rambling quickly and loudly in the mash up. Steve held him tightly to his chest, partially immobilizing him, which only made the screaming worse, but Steve was afraid he was going to hurt himself with all of his thrashing about. “Steven, take a breath and tell me what’s wrong. I don’t know what to do. I don’t know how to help. Please, English. Please.”

“{Kid, you need to stop screaming and breathe.}” Bucky shouted, running into the room. Steven’s eyes whipped over to Bucky’s in surprise, falling silent for almost a whole second before the screaming started back up. “{Breathe and tell me what’s wrong.}”

“{Help,}” Steven begged, holding his arms out for Bucky. Steve passed the boy off, looking just as surprised as Steven had.

“{Help with what? Talk to me.}”

“{It hurts, Bucky. It hurts. Help.}”

“{We’re going to the doctor,}” Bucky growled, clutching the boy to his chest as he bolted for the stairwell. “Stevie, doctor,” He called over his shoulder as an afterthought.

“Bruce’s lab,” Steve called back, hurrying after the pair. Why had Skye needed to run out on them _now_? Why was Jack _still_ not back with her? And why the fuck did Bucky know the mash up?

“{You’re okay,}” Bucky comforted Steven, murmuring soft and low. “{Bruce will make this better.}”

“{Can’t...breathe…}” Steven wheezed, clutching Bucky’s shirt.

“{What hurts?}” Bucky asked, smashing the door to Bruce’s lab open. Bruce startled and clutched his chest.

“Jesus, Bucky.” Bruce gasped. He seemed to notice Steven’s distress and asked, “What’s wrong?”

“{Steven, what hurts?}” Bucky asked again. Steven’s face was pale and his grip on Bucky’s shirt was getting loose. His lips were turning blue as he struggled to pull in a breath. “He can’t breathe. He says it hurts, but I don’t know what hurts.”

“Breathe, Steven,” Steve panicked, racing into the room. “Bruce, how can I help? Tell me what to do?”

“Let’s start with oxygen,” Bruce nodded, trying to grab Steven from Bucky. Steven’s face immediately panicked and he collapsed against Bucky’s chest, choked sobbing rumbling through his chest.

“{No. Please...no...alone…}” Steven gasped out, struggling with the words. His breathing sounded like a whistle which concerned Steve, to say the least.

“{I got you kid,}” Bucky reassured. “Let’s get that oxygen on him.”

“Bucky, you need to let Bruce look at him,” Steve said softly, recognizing his friend’s protective streak.

“You’re a filthy fuckin’ hypocrite,” Bucky growled. “I’m not puttin’ him down.”

“Steven, he’s going to put you on the table so I can listen to your chest,” Bruce stepped in. “He doesn’t have to leave. You can hold his hand, okay?”

“Buck, even I could do that much,” Steve told him softly. “Let Bruce figure it out and then you can grab him again.”

“Steve, your phone…” Bruce said softly, bringing his attention to the shrill modem sound. Steve pulled his phone out quickly, recognizing Skye’s ringtone. Bucky gave in and set Steven on the table, letting Bruce listen in.

“Steve, put me on speaker.” Skye said firmly, not bothering time with pleasantries. “Jesus, Jack, you’re gonna kill us before we get back. Slow down.”

“You’re coming back?” Steve asked, putting the phone on speaker like she asked.

“Yes,” She replied simply. Steve should have known better. “{Steven, talk to me.}”

“{It hurts,}” Steven gasped, still struggling to breathe.

“{Your chest?}”

“She can’t see you,” Bruce murmured when Steven nodded.

“{Yeah, his chest hurts.}” Bucky told Skye, squeezing the boy’s hand reassuringly. “{He’s having trouble breathing. Blue lips, pale face, weak grip.}”

“Bucky?” Skye asked after a small pause. She sounded surprised, too. That made Steve feel better. They had all but refused to teach him the mash up, so he was a little annoyed that Bucky knew it.

“{Make him better,}” Bucky begged.

“{Steven, you’re going to need to let Bucky go for a minute,}” Skye told the boy softly. “{I’m watching, so don’t worry. Bucky, you need to go get some magic blood.}”

“{No...alone…}” Steven gasped, shaking his head.

“{It’s not a choice. Bucky, go get a bag. Hurry.}”

Bucky reached over for Steve and tugged him next to his boy. Steve grasped his hand and smiled reassuringly. He didn’t know what was going on, but he trusted Skye. He trusted Bucky, even though he had sprinted from the room.

“What’s wrong with him?” Steve asked Bruce, watching as he took the boy’s blood pressure. Steven was gasping, trying to pull oxygen into his lungs, but, judging by the color of his face, that wasn’t going well.

“Steve, push his hair back, please?” Skye requested. He had forgotten she was still on the line. “His face is swelling. Allergic reaction, I think. Bruce?”

“It would be the worst one I’ve ever seen,” Bruce replied.

“Move,” Bucky interjected, rushing back into the lab with a bag of the magic blood.

“Damn it, Skye.” Steve groaned. “How do you keep getting that?”

“She has magic blood too, Steve.” Bruce reminded him.

“She hates needles.”

“Shut up and let me in,” Bucky growled. He softened his expression towards Steven and smiled a little. “{Why don’t you see how many freckles Steve has on his nose?}”

“{We’re ten minutes out,}” Skye added, “{You can tell me your answer when I get there.}”

“{Steve used to end up in the hospital all the time,}” Bucky told Steven conversationally, even as Bruce started the IV line that would allow the blood transfusion. “{When he was little, his body was really stupid. He was sick all the time. For realsies, all the time,}” Bucky grinned, keeping the boy distracted. Steven’s lip twitched up at his casual use of _realsies_ , because it was a word Jack had decided he liked. “{Maybe it’s a good thing you’re his kid. He knows all about stuff like this.}”

“{3 months after I broke Delta out, we figured out Jack was allergic to strawberries,}” Skye added over the phone’s speaker. “{He kind of sounded like you do.}”

“{But Tony said...yogurt doesn’t have... _real_ strawberries...}” Steven replied. His breathing was already marginally better, but he was still struggling.

“{You had some strawberry yogurt?}” Skye asked.

“{Yeah. Cause it’s healthier than ice cream…}”

“{Well, not for you,}” Bucky chuckled, dropping his head onto the bed. The boy’s color was returning and his breathing was considerably better.

“Buck?”

“Sorry, Stevie.” Bucky apologized. “We think he’s allergic to strawberries.”

“Well, we can run a blood test in a few days and confirm that,” Bruce smiled. He pressed the stethoscope to the boy’s chest, nodding approvingly at his rapid recovery. He wasn’t surprised by the magic blood any more.

“The magic blood will have to clear out of his system first,” Skye smiled, taking long strides into the room.

Even with his attention on Steven, Steve realized, with considerable shock, that she looked terrible. Dirt was visible on nearly every piece of skin exposed around her clothing and there was blood on her cheek and shirt. Dark bags hung heavily below slightly swollen eyes. Her skin was tight and drawn on her features, making her look sickly. Bruce did a double take as well, but had the sense not to say anything.

Steve huffed out a long breath; he was equally glad that Steven was okay and that his girl was back. He couldn’t wait to get her alone so he could talk to her about it. For now, it appeared Skye was pretending nothing had happened, so he let it slide. They could talk later. She smiled slightly in his direction, “He’s okay, relax. It’s just a food allergy.”

“ _Just_ a food allergy?” Steve replied in disbelief.

“Yeah, just a food allergy. We can avoid strawberries and it’s all good. Jack has the same allergy. It doesn’t really affect him.”

“I forgot that Jack is allergic, too.” Steve sighed, nodding.

She sat on the edge of the bed, by Bucky’s knee, reaching across his arms to brush Steven’s sweaty hair from his face. “Hi, honey.”

“Hi.” Steven replied, his lips quirking up slightly. Bucky fingered her shirt and shot Steve a worried look behind her back. He sighed lightly and nodded his understanding, but then turned his attention back to Skye and Steven. She was running her fingers through his hair, smiling warmly at him.

“So how many freckles did you count?”

“Three,” Steven scoffed lightly. He took a shuddering breath and the smile fell from his face. He frowned a little and searched Skye’s face.

“That was scary, wasn’t it?” She asked, trying to delay the conversation she knew he would want to have.

“Little bit,” Steven nodded. His frown deepened but didn’t bring up his fear - not right now. She had just gotten back and he didn’t want to scare her away again. Instead, his eyes shot over to Bucky, “I didn’t know you knew the mash up.”

“I don’t know the mash up?” Bucky frowned.

“{I beg to differ.}” Skye retorted.

“{I think you’re crazy,}” Bucky replied. Then he seemed to hear himself and frowned harder.

“Yeah, that. That’s the mash up,” Steve laughed. He wasn’t sure why he was laughing - he was confused, anxious, and he was pretty sure he had aged about ten years over the last twenty minutes - but somehow it was ridiculous that Bucky could know the language and not know it.

“Let’s talk about it tomorrow,” Skye smiled, seeing Bucky was a little thrown. “I think you’re going to have to stay…”

“No!” Steven interjected instantly and hysterically. “I don’t want to stay. Please, don’t make me stay. Look, I feel fine!”

“How about until the blood is gone?” Bucky compromised, rubbing his thumb over the boy’s fingers.

“I have no authority,” Bruce sighed dramatically. Skye giggled at his tone.

“He’ll be okay, after the blood, right?” Steve questioned.

“Well, yeah.” Bruce nodded. “I guess. Skye’s the expert.”

“Great. We can monitor him tonight from our floor.” Steve smiled.

“Can I have cuddles, Steve?”

“Anything you want, buddy.”

“Except strawberries, right?”

“Right.” Steve laughed. “We’re going to give strawberries a wide berth.”

“I think I’m okay with that,” Steven yawned, reaching for Steve. “Cuddles, please.”

“I’m surprised you don’t want Skye,” Steve teased lightly, scooping up his boy anyway. Steven didn’t respond, just shifted to get comfortable and then grabbed a handful of his shirt.

“The magic blood is going to put him to sleep while it heals him,” Skye whispered. “Bucky, why don’t we go talk to Tony?”

 

“Hey, you’re back,” Tony frowned, glancing up at the clock. “Why do you look like that? Do you have bad news?”

“You fed Steven strawberries,” Bucky told him severely.

“Ugh, yogurt, yeah.” Tony nodded. “Do I get brownie points for being healthy? Sis, we’re having a talk in a little bit but I need to finish this first.”

“Turns out he’s allergic to strawberries,” Skye replied, choosing to ignore his subtle threat. “But you get brownie points for trying.”

“He’s allergic? Is he okay? Is that why you’re back? Shit, Jarvis! Why wasn’t I alerted? Shit! Is that why he ran out of here like a bat out of hell?”

“He’s okay,” Skye reassured him.

“He needed magic blood.” Bucky argued.

“Yeah, but he’s okay.”

“Shit, I’m so sorry.” Tony apologized, sitting down hard in his chair.

“You better be,” Bucky muttered softly.

“Down, Bucky,” Skye teased lightly. “Tony, it’s okay. You didn’t know. We’re not mad.”

“Speak for yourself,” Bucky snorted.

“He will get over it,” Skye giggled, nodding towards her friend. “We just wanted to let you know so we can avoid them from now on.”

“Agreed,” Tony nodded. “Is he okay? Like really okay?”

“Oh, shit.” Skye cursed, pivoting in place to sprint for the door.

“What’s wrong?” Tony called after her.

“Forgot to warn Steve that the strawberries will be making a reappearance!” Skye shouted just before the door slammed shut after her. There was a beat of silence, then Bucky started laughing.

“Stevie does terrible with vomit,” Bucky grinned. “I’m sorry I was so growly.”

“It’s okay,” Tony told him, waving the apology away. “You look like you want to leave.”

“Night,” Bucky called over his shoulder as he followed Skye out of the room.

“Fucking weirdos,” Tony sighed, shaking his head. He should probably be worried about the boy, but if Skye said he was fine, then he believed her. Besides, he was pretty sure he was close to figuring out this mystery. Steven had given him a clue to the puzzle without even knowing it.

The chat with his sister could wait until morning. He was pretty sure Steve and Bucky were going to corner her and make her talk about it. He would earn more brownie points for waiting. He smirked a little at the thought. As much as he hated that she ran off, it was a fairly typical Stark response to things. She may have actually ran away, but he had been running away from things since his parents died. Besides, she came back. That was the important part.

 

 

“It’s not funny, Skylar.” Steve was telling her in a mock angry voice when Bucky rejoined them in Bruce’s lab. Skye was giggling helplessly on the floor. Steve was bare chested with Steven on his chest; they were both on the medical table, though Bruce had elevated it slightly.

“I forgot! I’m so sorry!” Skye giggled. “I know it doesn’t look like it, but I really am sorry!”

“Where’s your shirt?” Bucky asked, wincing at Skye’s reaction; it wasn’t her normal giggle. There was a strong undertone of exhaustion and just a touch of hysteria that wasn’t normally present. Skye and Steve both pointed to a wad of fabric on the floor; it was covered in pink liquid, which must have been the strawberry yogurt. Bucky’s frown widened into a grin. “Did he get you a little?”

“He got me a lot,” Steve retorted. Steven was out cold, so no one was concerned about talking about it in front of him.

“Skye was about a minute too late,” Bruce smirked. “Although, I should take some responsibility. Skye did the same thing when she got the magic blood.”

“And Ward,” Steve added with a sigh. “They missed a fragment of debris,” he explained to Skye, “he ended up puking it up.”

“Steven’s almost done with the blood,” Bucky remarked. “I can hold him while you shower.”

“Oh, now that the vomiting is over you want to take him?” Steve huffed jokingly. Vomit wasn’t his favorite ( _who_ **_liked_ ** _vomit?_ ), but it was part of being a parent. He could deal with it. Well, he could learn to deal with it.

As if his words summoned the vomit, Steven retched and expelled more strawberry yogurt directly onto Steve’s chest. The boy moaned softly and shifted, but didn’t wake. Steve’s face was frozen in horror, disgust, and surprise. Skye slapped her hand across her mouth, trying in vain to smother her laughter. She pulled her knees to her chest and buried her face in her knees, laughing helplessly.

“I’m sorry! I’m sorry! Oh, God, Steve, I’m so sorry!” She gasped, desperately trying to get herself under control.

“I changed my mind. You can hold onto him while I shower,” Steve offered generously.

“I can take him,” Skye offered, smiling at Bucky.

“Nah, I got him,” Bucky dismissed, offering Skye a hand up off the floor. 

“Who would have guessed you’d be such a softie?” Bruce smiled, handing Steve a towel. Skye helped wipe Steven up, then handed him off to Bucky. Steven muttered indistinctly and settled against Bucky’s chest. Skye grabbed another towel and wiped Steve’s chest off as well.

“I’m going to go shower, doll.” Steve pointed out.

“Yes, but I don’t want a vomit trail between here and your floor.”

“I’m heading up to our floor,” Bucky said softly, cradling the boy to his chest. “Meet you up there.”

“He really is a softie,” Skye giggled, throwing the nasty rag and Steve’s shirt in the laundry bin in the corner.

“He was never that soft with me,” Steve grumbled playfully.

His teasing smirk fell and he looked down at his hands. Bruce coughed awkwardly and pointed towards the door, letting himself out of his own space. Skye realized pretty quickly what was happening and, when she did, her own smile disintegrated.

“Do we have to do this now?” She asked softly.

“Do what?” Steve asked, sliding from the bench. She took a careful step backwards and he froze, silently panicking at her reaction.

“You know...the whole yelling part. I promise I’ll stay all night if you can agree to wait until morning,” she offered up a little _too_ eagerly.

“You’re not planning to stay all night?”

“Up to about half an hour ago, I was planning on sneaking into the Tower and sleeping before facing you all,” she admitted, fingering a hole in her shirt. It was spotted with blood from when she had pushed her way through some bushes, opting for the physical route rather than the smart route through the woods by 47’s cabin. Steve took a hesitant step towards her, but the expression on her face stopped him in his tracks.

“Are you _afraid_ of me, doll?” he asked, ducking his head a little so he could see her better. He had noticed it initially, but now he really saw how filthy she was. Where the _hell_ had she disappeared? She shook her head quickly - and the expression disappeared from her face just as quick. “Why are you scared? I won’t yell, I promise.”

“You can yell if you want to,” she whispered, fighting a yawn despite the seriousness of the conversation.

“You look beat, doll. Come to bed. We can talk in the morning.” Steve offered. “You don’t have to stay in our room. Steven’ll be in our bed, so his room is free or Jarvis can find you a good spot-”

“Stop treating me like a china doll, Steve," she muttered softly, frowning down at her hands.

“I’m not trying to,” he replied, extending his hands helplessly. “But doll, you look like hell and I’m worried about you.”

“I’m okay,” she dismissed.

“I have no doubt you’re okay,” Steve replied with a sad smile. She peeked up through her eyelashes but kept her eyes averted. “But you need to be better than okay.”

“I think I would be better after a shower,” she winced, plucking at her ratty shirt - the same shirt she had run away in four days ago. She knew it was dirty, ripped, bloody, and sweat stained. She knew her face hadn’t been washed and her hair hadn’t been brushed. In short, she knew she looked like hell - and she couldn’t help but realize how ironic it was that her physical state finally matched her mental condition. She looked up at Steve, still tugging at her shirt, and winced at his expression.

“Have you eaten?” Steve asked, stepping forward deliberately. He left her plenty of space but the distance between them was eating a hole in his sanity.

“Yesterday,” she replied, feeling a little sick to her stomach. She wasn’t sure if it was hunger, anxiety, or exhaustion eating at her.

“How about you put us in privacy mode? We can sneak down to the gym. You can shower and change, then I’ll warm you up something to eat.”

“You’re the one that’s supposed to be showering, Steve,” she reminded him.

“Okay, so we’ll both shower and then- aw, hell. Not like that,” he rambled quickly, smashing his palm over his face. With his mouth mostly covered, he added hastily, “we’d be showering separately, to be clear.”

“No yelling?” She asked, smiling slightly at his horror at his own words.

“No yelling,” he agreed, giving up on trying to give her space. He pulled her into a stiff hug, realizing with a start that she had lost some weight. If her metabolism was anything near his, she had been burning tons of calories over the past few days but hadn’t eaten anything to replenish them. It took her a long second, but her arms came up to circle his waist and she relaxed into his chest. “Answer me one question and I won’t bring this up again.”

“I can’t tell you where I went,” She yawned, smoothing her cheek against his shirt.

“Not what I was going to ask," Steve murmured into the top of her head. "Doll, do you want to be here?”

“Do I want to be _here_?” She asked blearily.

“Did you come back because you want to be here or because you felt obligated to?”

“Do you want an honest answer or do you want me to tell you what you want to hear?”

“I want an honest answer, please.” She visibly hesitated but pulled her face from his chest, glancing up to judge his sincerity. He pressed a kiss to her forehead and murmured, “I won’t be mad, if you’re worrying about that right now.”

“Both.”

“Both?”

“Of course I want to be here, Steve...but I would be lying if I denied that part of wanting to be here is to protect you all from the shit storm that will hit because I’ve been here,” she replied truthfully.

“I can live with that,” Steve replied carefully. “Let’s get you to a shower, doll. You look dead on your feet and I’m going to insist on getting food in your stomach before I let you sleep.”

 

“Feel better?” Steve asked, standing opposite her at the kitchen island. She was wearing one of his shirts and a pair of shorts he had grabbed from Clint's locker. She hadn't had any clean clothes in her own locker. She had inhaled 4 grilled cheese sandwiches, two bowls of tomato soup, half of a leftover pizza, and was currently chasing the last bits of Clint’s leftover steak around her plate. She glanced up and blushed.

“Could be a new woman,” she smiled shyly.

“Good, then let’s get you to bed before you pass out on that stool.”

“Okay,” She agreed. She hesitated for just a second before replying though, so Steve paused and tried to figure out what the issue was.

“We don’t have to go back to our floor,” he offered. “I can hide you so you can sleep. I don’t even have to stay.”

“Okay,” she agreed instantly.

“Where were you planning on going?”

“Movie room?”

“Come on,” Steve smiled, extending his hand to her, “I’ll tuck you in.”

“You’re being awfully nice,” she yawned, taking his hand. His smile grew and he kissed her hand, then tugged her down the hall. "Jarvis, privacy mode, please."

"Yes, Ms. Skye."

“I’m always nice,” Steve teased, releasing her hand so he could grab some blankets. She ducked her head and curled up into a ball on the reclining loveseat.

“Yeah, you are,” she smiled. “You could teach me a few things, probably.”

“You don’t need to worry about that. We both know you can be nicer than me.”

“Hmm, but you’re more consistent,” Skye murmured, shivering slightly. Steve draped two blankets over her, but she was still shivering.

“Can I warm you up before I leave you?”

“If you want to,” she grinned sleepily, tossing a corner of the blanket back so he could crawl under it with her. As she settled against him, she murmured softly, “I missed you.”

“I missed you, too,” Steve whispered back. She shifted so she could rest her head on his chest and he kissed her forehead. He brushed her damp hair out of the way, but continued stroking her hair when she hummed her contentment.

“You don’t have to leave, you know. I mean, you can. You probably should; Steven wanted cuddles with you...but you don’t have to.”

“Steven’s okay with Bucky for right now. He probably won’t wake back up tonight.”

“Still…”

“Hush, doll. Just sleep, okay? We can deal with everything else tomorrow.”

“I’m sorry I ran away,” she blurted out. “I didn’t mean to...it just kind of happened, but then it felt so good to just fucking _run_ and I think I panicked a little and-”

“Doll. Skye. Hush. We’re not mad.”

“Clint was.”

“Clint can be a moron.”

“He can also give it to a person straight. Nothing about what he said was untrue.”

“Skye…”

“I’ll do better. I will,” Skye mumbled before falling silent. Steve waited for her to continue, but a soft snore penetrated the silence and he couldn’t help his grin. He had never heard her snore before. He reached over to the lever on the side of the loveseat and slowly reclined back. She shifted closer, but didn’t wake.

Finally, with her sound asleep in his arms, he could admit how incredibly trying the day had been. Between Steven’s temper tantrum that morning on Skye’s course, Clint’s guilty admission, the allergy scare, and Skye coming back, Steve was ready for some quiet. Skye shifted, running her fingers down his torso. He figured out she was looking for the edge of his shirt right about the time she found it and stuck her cold fingers on his flesh. He bit back a shocked hiss at the cold and covered her hand with his own, hoping to warm it up more quickly.

He pulled another blanket over her and let himself relax. Right now, he had no obligations. With the privacy setting on, no one would know they were here. Shield wouldn’t be able to call him because his phone was on the coffee table in his living room. Steven was out for the night, courtesy of the magic blood, and Bucky knew he needed a little down time.

“Jarvis?” he whispered.

“Yes, Mr. Rogers?” Jarvis replied back just as softly.

“If Bucky or Steven need me tonight…”

“I will be sure to let you know.”

“Great, thanks.”

With that settled, he relaxed against the chair and turned the TV on. He channel surfed until his brain shut down enough for him to fall asleep. He clicked the TV off and shifted slightly against his girl, pressing another kiss to her forehead. She shifted closer, tucking herself against his cheek.

“I’m afraid that I love you, Steven Grant Rogers,” she murmured.

 


	81. Did he break your heart, doll?

 

“Do you think we gave her enough time?” Steven murmured into Bucky’s chest. It was morning, but barely. Bucky grunted softly, surprised by the question. He hadn’t slept, but he had kind of zoned out. Steven hadn’t moved from his position on his chest all night. “Skye wanted some space, I think… Do you think we gave her enough time?”

“Why don’t we go ask Steve?” Bucky smiled tiredly.

“It’s early.”

“Steve gets up early,” Bucky dismissed. “Let’s go ask. If nothin’ else, you can get your cuddles.”

“Thank you for the cuddles last night,” Steven smiled, picking his head up to smile at his uncle.

“You’re so welcome, kid.” Bucky smiled back. “Come on, I think I would like to see Skye, too.”

“She came back,” Steven grinned. “Bucky, she came back. That means she loves us.”

“Of course she loves us,” Bucky scoffed, grinning back. His grin fell and he looked at the boy seriously. “You don’t know it, but Skye’s been through a lot. So when she needs space, it’s not because of you. It’s just that…”

“You can’t take care of others without taking care of yourself first,” Steven finished with a knowing smile.

“You’re pretty smart, you know that?” Bucky grinned, tapping the boy’s nose.

“I must take after my uncle,” Steven giggled. “Can we go see Steve now?”

“You couldn’t even give me one minute to bask in the glow of uncle-hood?”

“Nope!” Steven giggled again. “Come on, Bucky!”

“Well, you can go. Pff, I’m gonna stay here all by myself cause my _only_ nephew doesn’t wanna…”

“Buuuucky!!!!!”

“Aw, does that hurt your feelin’s?” Bucky teased.

“Please?” Steven asked, pushing his lip out. “Please, my favoritest uncle Bucky?”

“Oh please!”

“You know you want Skye cuddles too,” Steven said pointedly.

“Psh, I never said that,” Bucky replied with the same expression that Steven had on his face. The boy crinkled his nose and stuck his tongue out at him.

“Bucky, please?”

“Why are you so scared of goin’ by yourself?” Bucky asked.

“I-don’t-wanna-scare-her-off,” Steven mumbled softly, dropping his head back down onto Bucky’s chest.

“Jarvis, where’s Skye?” Bucky asked.

“I’m afraid I can’t answer that,” Jarvis replied.

“Jarvis, where’s Steve?” Bucky asked, frowning.

“In the building,” Jarvis answered.

“I know where they are,” Steven told Bucky, “I think. Will you go with me?”

“Um, I require payment. I think...hmmm, one hug will cover the cost.” Bucky told Steven with a serious expression.

“You’re so expensive,” Steven grinned, wrapping his arms around Bucky’s torso. “But I would have paid five times as much.”

“I’ll keep that in mind for next time,” Bucky whispered. “Let’s go find our people.”

“They are our people, aren’t they?” Steven grinned happily.

“People like us have to stick together,” Bucky agreed.

“You’re makin’ it sappy,” Steven joked, mimicking Bucky’s speech pattern.

“Oh, you’re in for it now,” Bucky joked right back, tossing the boy off him.

“Oh, you’re in for it now,” Steven mimicked.

“Ooooh, boy.”

“Ooooh, boy,” Steven smirked, rolling a finger at Bucky. He laughed and tossed the blankets off. “Jarvis! Help!” Steven shouted, running from the room.

“Jarvis can’t save you!” Bucky laughed, chasing the boy.

“Help!” Steven giggled, sliding through the kitchen. Bucky had disappeared from behind him, so he was on full alert. Tony raised an eyebrow but offered no assistance. “You suck, Tony!” Steven shouted as he exited on the far side of the kitchen.

“Gotcha,” Bucky laughed, intercepting Steven from another direction. He scooped the boy up and dropped him over his shoulder. “I win.”

“Movie room, Bucky,” Steven grinned, pointing that way.

“Shh,” Bucky smiled, opening the door slowly. Steve turned his head a little as the door opened, but quickly realized who it was and grinned. He pressed a finger to his lips and then waved them forward. Bucky set Steven down and he ran into the room, hesitating at the recliner. Steve smiled and held open the blankets. He glanced back at Bucky but received the same soft smile. “Go on,” he whispered.

“Okay,” he smiled shyly. He tucked in next to Steve, moving slowly so Skye wouldn’t wake. He shouldn’t have worried; she didn’t even stir. He turned and looked back at Bucky, waving him forward. “Come on Bucky.”

“Yeah, come on Bucky,” Steve whispered, grinning.

“Don’t wanna wake her.”

“Shut up and come cuddle,” Steve sighed softly.

“Can we watch Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles?” Steven asked, reaching for the remote.

“Hmm, how about Scooby Doo?” Bucky grinned, grabbing the remote before Steven could.

“Are you gonna come cuddle?” Steven asked mock seriously.

“You guys are gonna wake her up,” Steve informed them, snatching the remote.

“Lemme in,” Bucky told Steven softly, waving him over. Steven stood and lifted his arms for Bucky to pick him up. He shook his head but obliged, then took his spot on the recliner. Steven hummed and settled on Steve and Bucky, pulling the blankets up to cover himself.

“Okay, I can die happy now.”

“How about no dying?” Steve muttered dryly.

“Well, that too.” Steven grinned, nodding towards the remote. “Cartoons please.”

“We need a bigger chair,” Bucky sighed.

 

 

 

“Is she ever going to wake up?” Steven whispered, glancing over at Skye. She was still out cold on Steve’s far side.

“She’ll wake up when she’s ready,” Steve murmured. He had been thinking the same thing though. They had eaten breakfast, lunch, and a snack - and Skye had slept through all of it.

“Her body is trying to heal,” Jack whispered, crunching on some popcorn.

“Heal? From what?”

“Steve, she ran to God knows where. Ran. On foot.”

“And she only ate once,” Steve sighed. “That certainly explains her appearance. Are you gonna tell us where you picked her up from?”

“If she wanted you to know, she would have called you and not me,” Jack shrugged.

“Stop talking so loud, Henry.” Skye yawned, stretching lightly. She rubbed her eyes and seemed to realize she was on something warm. With her eyes still shut, she patted her pillow down. She frowned and blinked her eyes open slowly. Three sets of eyes were looking at her curiously.

“Who is Henry?” Steven asked, cocking his head at her.

“Shit,” Skye muttered, pulling back an inch. Steve’s arm across her back stopped her retreat, so she froze and tried to figure out where she was. She blinked slowly and glanced around the room, then slowly relaxed. “How’s your tummy feeling today?”

“Good. Bucky gave me lots of cuddles,” Steven grinned.

“Yeah, like you were awake for any of them,” Bucky scoffed.

“Who is Henry?” Steven asked again.

“You think 47 kept a number as his name?” Skye asked in return. Her face was closed off; she wasn’t sure how they would take that news.

“47 is Henry?” Steven asked. She nodded and looked down at her fingers. “Hmm, that’s news. Bucky, it’s my turn for TMNT.”

“Nuh uh,” Bucky laughed, fighting for control of the remote.

“Children, children, children,” Steve sighed, reaching between them to grab the remote. “Let’s see what’s in the news.”

“Noooo, that’s boring!” Steven groaned.

“God, you’re such an old man,” Bucky added. Skye laughed faintly but tucked back against Steve. She buried her face in his neck, still trying to gain her bearings.

“Skye, are you going back to sleep?” Steven asked, leaning in close to whisper in her ear. She giggled despite herself and shook her head. “Good, cause I need to tell you something.”

“It can wait, kid.” Bucky murmured.

“No, I need to tell her,” Steven argued. “It’s been _days_ , Bucky.”

“I think she knows.”

“Will you stop talking about me like I’m not right here and just tell me?” Skye asked, peeking out from under Steve’s chin.

“We broke your van,” Steven informed her.

“I know, honey.”

“No, like _really_ broke it.”

“I know. It’s okay.”

“Tony said he’d help me fix it,” Bucky added.

“It’s okay Bucky. I knew you were gonna be mad. I knew you were going to try to get out. It was bad enough that Shield was here...but when I saw the retrieval team I panicked a little. I know I took your choice from you and I promised I would try not to do that to you, but I couldn’t see another alternative. I couldn’t risk Shield seeing you, Bucky. I couldn’t risk the team seeing Steven. I understand why you’re  mad at me.”

“So then why did you run away?” Steven asked.

“That’s a good question,” she murmured. “I’m not sure I have a good answer.”

“Clint said he yelled at you,” Steven admitted. “Did you run away because he yelled at you?”

“No, honey. It wasn’t really a choice...I didn’t decide to run. It just kind of happened and then it just felt good to run so I kept going and...well, I think I just needed some time to process.”

“{When did you teach Bucky the mash up?}” Steven asked, in the language. Steve made a face and watched the conversation switch topic without knowing what was going on.

“{I didn’t,}” Skye shrugged. “{I assumed you did.}”

“{Neither of you taught me the mash up,}” Bucky replied. “{I don’t know who taught me.}”

“{It’s better than mine,}” Steven replied. He was right; Bucky’s flow was smoother than Steven’s. It was easier for him to shape the different languages on his tongue.

“{It’s very good, Bucky. You have lots of practice with it.}”

“{I don’t think your boyfriend likes this,}” Jack giggled, nodding towards Steve. His expression was carefully neutral. Steven grinned and poked Steve’s mouth up into a smile.

“Sorry, Steve.”

“I think someone needs to get on teaching me this language,” Steve muttered with deliberate annoyance. Steven grinned and shrugged.

“What am I gonna get for it?”

“Psh, you don’t have to teach me. Bucky’ll teach me...right?”

“Eh, I’m not sure I’m the right person for the job.” Bucky shrugged. “I don’t really understand this yet.”

“I’ll teach you,” Skye smiled. “The other three can help out, too.”

“‘Specially if you make us pancakes for breakfast,” Steven added innocently.

“You’re so food motivated,” Steve laughed. “Fine, I’ll make you pancakes for breakfast tomorrow if you help teach me the mash up.”  

“Deal,” Steven grinned.

“Breakfast tomorrow?” Skye asked, pulling free from Steve, finally.

“You slept through breakfast,” Steven informed her.

“And lunch,” Bucky added.

“And movie snacks,” Jack smirked, showing her the empty popcorn bowl.

“Aw,” she whimpered pathetically.

“Uh oh,” Bucky grinned at Steve, “I know what happens when anyone makes that noise.”

“Shush it, Barnes.” Steve snorted.

“What happens?” Steven asked, swiveling his head over to Bucky. “Uncle Bucky, what does that sound mean?”

“That means Steve becomes a mother hen,” Bucky teased, crooking his elbows into wings. “Ba-ba-ba-bah,” he clucked softly. “Ma-ma-ma-ther hen.”

“Doll, I know you kind of like having Bucky here but he’s damn close to getting thrown out of the Tower,” Steve informed Skye with a pointed look.

“I’ll take her with me when I leave,” Bucky informed him with the same pointed look.

“You can’t kick my favorite uncle out!” Steven gasped, looking faintly shocked.

“Hey!” Jack shouted, “that’s not fair.”

“You’re not my uncle,” Steven reminded him.

“Jack, where’s Fitz?” Skye asked, stepping in to stop the conversation before it got out of hand.

“Headquarters,” Jack smiled. “They’re getting briefed on something I’m not allowed to know about.”

“Good Lord you are all assholes,” Clint groaned, throwing open the door. He leaned his head out of the door and shouted, “Nat, they’re all in here.”

“I don’t think I’m an asshole,” Steven commented. “But I do have one.”

“Oh, God.” Steve groaned, smashing his palm over his face. Skye and Bucky were giggling at the boy’s innocent expression. “Please tell me who told you that so I can ban them from your life.”

“Hey!” Steven huffed, “You can’t kick Trip out. Besides, Ward was the one that said he was an asshole.”

“Stop cussing!” Steve moaned, putting his hand over the boy’s mouth. Steven grinned and nodded.

“Okay, okay. But no kicking Trip out, okay?”

“Fine,” Steve agreed.

“Oh hey,” Clint yawned, stretching. “This looks comfy.”

“Ouch!” Bucky laughed when Clint crawled across their laps. He slapped at him lightly, encouraging him to find another place to put his knees.

“Hi Skye,” Clint smiled, wrapping his arms around her waist. “Tony mentioned you were back.”

“Yeah, you should have found us,” Tasha added, plopping on the arm of the chair.

“Why? You’ve interrupted our cuddles just fine,” Steve grouched, still a little angry at Clint despite his best attempts not to be.

“Hey, we should have been included in said cuddle session.”

“Hey, I’m allergic to strawberries!” Steven announced.

“Yeah, guys,” Steve added with a serious expression, “no one is allowed to give Steven strawberries or there will be hell to pay.”

“Hives?” Clint asked.

“Nope, full anaphylactic shock.” Steve sighed. “I think I got my first grey hair last night.”

“Bucky hasn’t given you any grey hairs?” Skye asked with a grin.

“ _Skye_ hasn’t given you any grey hair?” Bucky snorted.

“Dude, you’ve lived with Tony for years now,” Clint added.

“Yeah, well...shh. Just….shh,” Steve shushed.

“I’m starving,” Skye admitted. “I need to refuel.”

“Yes, ma’am!” Clint nodded. “Everyone out. I need a minute with Skye.”

“Last time you had a minute alone with Skye, she ran out on us,” Steve replied with the annoyed tone he was trying so hard to mask.

“Let’s not soften the blows at all here. Jesus, Steve.”

“ _Let’s not soften the blows_ ,” Steve muttered in his annoyed tone. Skye dropped her face into her hands, seeing that Steve was annoyed with Clint but was entirely incapable of muffling her laughter. Steve shoved her shoulder and glared at her. “Don’t encourage him.”

“Nuh uh,” She agreed, shaking her head. Her shoulders were shaking though.

“Is he gonna turn into a rooster?” Steven asked, waving his own chicken wings at Bucky. Skye lost it and choked on her laughter.

“DON’T ENCOURAGE HIM!!” Steve shouted, though his own smile was threatening to lift the corners of his mouth.

“Get out!!!” Clint shouted back.

“Get off me then!” Steve yelled, shoving at Clint’s hips.

“Surrounded by children, I swear.” Tasha sighed softly, watching the scene from her spot next to Jack.

“I hear ya, sister,” Jack sighed right back.

“Get out, get out, get out!!!” Clint shouted from his spot on the floor. He kicked his feet and pounded his feet on the ground. “GET OUT!”

“Someone get him a tampon,” Steve muttered softly. The entire room went silent and turned to him in one smooth movement.

Steven sighed loudly and shook his head, “You need to tell me who you’ve been talking to so I can ban them from your life.”

“Please, just get out,” Clint sighed, waving towards the door.

“Okay, okay,” Bucky grinned. “We’re goin'. Skye, there’ll be food ready...if he doesn’t spoil your appetite.”

“Fat chance of that,” Jack smirked, tugging Steven over his shoulder. “Let’s go, kid.”

“Tony said I’m not allowed to yell at you, so don’t worry,” Clint told Skye, resting his chin on the seat.

“You can yell, if you want,” she offered, wincing.

“He’s not going to yell,” Tasha reinforced, sliding over into the chair with Skye. “But you have to listen.”

“I think he gave it to me pretty straight the first time around,” she admitted.

“But now I’ve had time to cool down.” Clint smiled. “I was mad. God, Skye, I was so mad...but I was mad because I was worried about you and you just shrugged it off like we didn’t matter.”

“I was worried about _you_ ,” Skye whispered.

“I know,” Clint nodded. “You promised to listen though, so just shut up.”

“I didn’t promise,” she muttered rebelliously. He smirked and pulled a roll of duct tape from his jacket pocket.

“Do I need to use this?”

“Do I need to hurt you?” Skye retorted easily.

“Do I have to be the kitten herder?” Tasha sighed loudly.

“No,” Skye giggled shakily. “Clint, get to the point.”

“It’s taken me days to get to this point,” Clint continued. “We never give you time to do that. Tasha’s pointed out that we get to take off whenever we want. We can give ourselves the time to process and decompress and...well, we never give you the same chance. All of this is brand new to you and we keep fucking forgetting that.”

“We’re all operating on a steep learning curve,” Skye replied.

“I asked what we had to do to earn your trust,” Clint continued, glancing over at Tasha. “But we haven’t been doing a very good job of showing you that we trust _you_. It’s a two way street, Skye, and I’m sorry. I should have asked why we were out of that loop.”

“They can’t know Steven is here,” Skye whispered.

“You killed them. Why?”

“They threatened my family.”

“Any other reason?”

“Does there have to be?”

“No,” Tasha replied, brushing Skye’s hair back from her face. “And if there is another reason and you don’t want to tell us yet, that’s okay too.”

“I’m afraid to tell you,” she whispered, pulling her trembling bottom lip into her mouth. “There is another reason. There is...but I don’t think I can tell you yet.”

“You don’t need to be afraid of us,” Clint said softly, getting up off the floor. He squished himself into Skye’s free side and pulled her into a hug.

“I’m not afraid of you. I’m afraid of your reaction. Henry said...um, 47... _Henry_ ,” Skye stuttered when the assassin duo made a questioning noise, “he said I should tell you because I was freaking out anyways and then at least I would know that I was freaking out for a reason.”

“He sounds smart,” Clint grinned.

“So smart,” she agreed easily. “I will tell you. I will. I promise. I’m...I-I-I-I’m just not ready yet.”

“Okay, darlin’,” Clint nodded, pressing a kiss to her temple. “We’re here whenever you’re ready.”

“I didn’t want them telling you my secrets,” Skye confessed. “You need to hear them from me.”

“Yes, ma’am,” Clint nodded again, letting Tasha wrap her arms around her too.

“Can I ruin the moment?” Tasha asked, nuzzling Skye’s shoulder.

“Please,” Skye giggled.

“We need help.”

“I don’t think I’m qualified to give Clint the help he needs,” Skye told Tasha seriously. They both giggled while Clint whined in the background.

“You have a few days to two weeks to spare?” Tasha asked. “We’ve got a mission, but no one even remotely qualified to pull it off.”

“May could do it,” Clint grinned.

“May is too old and you know it,” Tasha replied dismissively.

“At the very least, you’ve got my interest,” Skye grinned.

“We need someone to infiltrate…”

“-Stop!” Clint giggled. “You can’t say it like that. She’ll say no.”

“Please, just tell me.”

“We need your beauty, your intelligence, your charm-” Clint grinned, fluttering his eyelashes.

“Sweet Jesus, just spit it out.”

“We need you and your language skills.” Tasha laughed. “In China.”

“Oh, so it’s between me and May?” Skye asked, rolling her eyes.

“It’d be easy. You just need to chat up a few ladies, learn a few routines…”

“Clint, what the fuck am I doing in China?” Skye asked, wincing.

“Beauty pageant?” Clint smirked.

“No.” Skye replied instantly. “No, no, no, _fuck_ no.”

“They’re using it as a cover for a human trafficking ring of girls,” Tasha added. “Young girls.”

“Ugh,” Skye moaned. “There’s really no one else?”

“No one who knows or can learn the dialect.”

“May?”

“May is lovely,” Clint grinned, “But she’s a little old for a beauty pageant. I think she's gonna be your mom for this mission, though.”

“You have all of Shield and you don’t have a single woman-”

“Skye, no offense, but if we had someone we wouldn’t be asking this of you.”

“Can this be a secret?” Skye grimaced. “Like, from the team? For real - they can’t know.”

“Aw, come on. That’s half the fun.”

“Clint!”

“I’ll try,” Clint agreed. “But I can’t promise it can remain a secret. It’s a publicized event, Skye!”

“Okay,” Skye sighed. “I feel a little blackmailed...to be honest. But, okay. I’ll do it.”

“Great. I’ll call Coulson and let him know.” Tasha smiled.

“Are we done?” Skye sighed. “I’m starving.”

“Oh, me too!” Clint grinned. He got up and pulled Skye over his shoulders in a fireman’s hold and sprinted from the room.

“Clint,” Skye giggled as they bounced down the hallway, “I’m gonna hurl all over you.”

“No, you won’t,” he scoffed, dropping her onto the couch in the main space.

“Better?” Bucky asked, fighting Steven with a plastic spatula.

“Not even remotely,” Skye grimaced at Clint. He just grinned and bounced over to Steve.

“Are you still mad at me, Stevie?” Clint asked, resting his chin on his shoulder.

“Don’t push it,” Steve muttered, snatching the spatula from Bucky so he could flip the pancakes that were starting to burn.

“{So you’re really going to do this?}” May asked, striding into the room with Coulson, Ward, and Trip.

“{Fuck. I forgot about those two,}” Skye replied, pulling a face.

“Enough with the secret languages!” Tony growled from the bar.

“It’s not secret,” May replied.

“It’s Chinese,” Coulson smirked.

“A dialect of it,” Skye sighed. “And you should all know that this is top secret. _Top Secret_ , guys.”

“Yeah, right after you tell us.” Tony grinned, swirling his scotch.

“No!” Skye moaned. “Starting now. No one knows. It’s a fucking secret or I’m not doing it.”

“You know you’re just making this more fun for them,” Tasha grinned, walking over to Coulson. “You better keep her safe or I’ll personally kick your ass…”

“Wait, you’re not coming?” Skye asked, turning towards Tasha.

“No, wifey,” she smiled. “A redhead would kind of stand out.”

“Don’t worry,” Coulson smiled.

“I’m not worried,” Skye huffed, crossing her arms.

“Shut up and let her eat,” Bucky interrupted, sliding a plate across the counter to her.

“When do we leave?” Skye asked, chopping up her pancakes with a little more aggression than was necessary.

“Not until morning,” May replied.

“Is it a dangerous mission?” Steve asked, setting out a stack of plates and assorted breakfast foods.

“Not for her,” Coulson smiled. “We’ll be doing the dirty work. Skye’s just giving us access that we couldn’t get otherwise.”

“She can’t get you access remotely?” Steve asked, raising a stern eyebrow.

“Nope,” Ward smirked.

“Just eat,” Bucky reminded Skye. “We’ve got you for the night.”

“How long is this mission and how exactly are you keeping her a secret from Shield?” Steve asked, his jaw ticking as he stared Coulson down.

“Depends how long we can keep her cover,” Coulson shrugged. “Two weeks, at the most.”

“Two _weeks_?” Steven asked, his jaw dropping.

“She gets to go with you for a two week mission and I have to stay back?” Jack asked, pouting.

“How are you keeping her a secret?” Steve asked again, pressing his fists angrily into the counter.

“Don’t break the kitchen,” Tony murmured, sliding a glass to Steve.

“I don’t want that,” Steve muttered, sliding it back without looking at it.

“Really? Cause it’s the good stuff.”

“Okay,” Skye grinned, reaching across the counter to grab the glass. She swallowed it in one gulp then coughed. “Shit, Tony. I thought that was all gone.”

“The alcohol is never gone,” Tony scoffed. “Never.”

“More, please. All of it. I think I need all of it to survive tonight.”

“I’ll tell you what,” Tony smirked, “You save me the hassle of hacking Shield and you can have all that’s left.”

“Fuck you, Tony.”

“Two weeks?” Steven asked again. “You can’t leave. You just got back.”

“Where’d you go?” Coulson asked.

“She needed a break from all of me,” Clint preened, flipping imaginary hair. Trip snorted and shook his head.

“Also, you’re in deep shit, Trip.” Steve added, swiveling a finger towards his friend. “Coulson, stop avoiding my question. How are you keeping her a secret? You can’t have her if you can’t keep her a secret.”

“Language, Cap,” Trip grinned. He shot Skye a sideways glance, “Hey, girl. You know why I’m in trouble?”

“Something about assholes?”

"Assholes?"

“Shield doesn’t know about her,” Coulson sighed. “We have free reign to do this mission as we see fit. They’re not going to know about her.”

“And when they start questioning where your access is coming from?”

“Fitz is perfectly capable of…”

“If Fitz can do it then you don’t need Skye,” Steve argued. “What aren’t you telling us?”

“Steve, I don’t want everyone to know. It’s not dangerous. But they’re right - it’s not something I can help with remotely,” Skye murmured. “You don’t need to worry about me.”

“See, now that was the wrong thing to say,” Bucky winced, pushing a plate of sausage towards her. The pancakes on her plate had long since disappeared.

Steve tossed the spatula onto the counter and growled, “You’re my girl. I’m always gonna worry about you.”

“Steve…” Skye murmured, watching him stalk from the room.

“You better go after him,” Bucky murmured. Skye got up and followed him from the room. Steven slid from his stool, but Bucky shook his head. “Naw, kid. Stay here.”

“But…”

“No,” Bucky replied firmly. “You need to stay or Clint will get your ice cream.”

“That’s cheating,” Steven frowned.

 

 

 

“Steve?” Skye asked softly, pressing the door to his room open slowly. Steve was sitting on the bed, his head in his hands.

“I lost my temper,” Steve muttered without looking up. “I’m sorry.”

“It’s okay,” Skye smiled, stepping into the room. “Are you mad?”

“No,” he replied, shaking his head. “I’m not. I’m just...frustrated. I like things to be in my control.” He picked his head up and shook his head at her with a wry smirk, “not sure why I ever thought you’d be something I can control.”

“It’s not dangerous,” Skye murmured, closing the door. She pushed herself onto his lap, nuzzling into his arms easily.

“I don’t like it,” Steve admitted. “I don’t like not knowing where you’re going. I don’t like that only Coulson’s team is going…”

“I won’t tell them you said that,” Skye whispered.

“Doll, I mean it,” Steve sighed, tightening his hold around her. “It’s stupid and selfish and controlling and I _know_ those things, but I also know that I’ve gotten used to having you here and I like that a whole fucking lot.”

“I’m not leaving forever,” Skye giggled, running her hand down the side of his face. “Would it make you feel better if I told you?”

“No,” Steve groaned. “Cause then I’ll feel like the asshole that forced you to tell me.”

“We’re going to China,” She smiled, pressing a kiss to his cheek. “They need me to be in a fucking beauty pageant and I can take a lot of things but I can’t deal with endless teasing from the team.”

“A beauty pageant?” Steve asked, fighting a smirk.

“Yes, Steve. A fucking beauty pageant. It’s a cover for a human trafficking ring and they don’t have someone who knows the dialect and is young enough to compete.”

“That’s why May’s out,” Steve nodded, still fighting to keep a straight face.

“Steve, you’re allowed to worry about me,” Skye smiled, nuzzling his face. “You’re just not allowed to control what I do.”

“Cause you’re my girl?” Steve grinned.

“Cause I’m your girl,” she confirmed.

“Does that make me your boy?”

“Ugh, no.” Skye moaned. “That makes me sound like a pedophile.”

“Boyfriend?”

“Calling you my boyfriend makes me feel like I'm 16 again,” She admitted in a teasing tone.

“Did you have a boy – what? I refuse to call him a man, Skye – at 16?” Steve asked, laughing at the expression on her face when he called her boyfriend a _boy_.

“Yeah,” Skye nodded slowly. Steve could see the seriousness dropping across her face as her features fell slightly.

“I bet he was a real heartbreaker,” Steve said softly, trying to figure out her mood. She just nodded slightly. He pressed a kiss to her lips and whispered, “Did he break your heart, doll?”

“Yeah,” Skye admitted. She swallowed and nodded slowly, reaffirming her words. “But it wasn't his fault,” she added softly. Her mouth twitched up on one side – her attempt at a smile – and ducked her head, attempting to hide her face behind her hair.

“He's probably old by now,” Steve offered quietly, making his voice deceptively light, “but I could still go kick his butt for you.”

“No, don't do that.” Skye replied, giggling. “Thank you, but I'm good.”

“I don't want you _good_ ,” Steve replied stubbornly. “I want you _great,_ I want you _fantastic_ , I want you _loved_...”

“I really underestimated your sap factor,” Skye interrupted dryly. Steve chuckled into her neck and pressed a kiss to her skin.

“Okay, so this whole beauty pageant thing,” Steve commented, bringing the conversation around again.

“I can see your stupid smirk, Steve.”

“Do you have to do the whole thing? Full participation? Do they have a swimsuit portion in China?”

“God, you’re an ass.”

“Hey, I’m just saying - I don’t know how I feel about you strutting your stuff to a room of-”

“Strutting my stuff?” Skye interrupted with a loud laugh. She shifted so her knees were pressed on either side of his hips. “I thought you liked my stuff.”

“Yeah, exactly,” Steve grinned. “I called dibs. It’s mine now.”

“Oh, it’s yours?” Skye snorted.

“Yeah,” Steve teased, pulling her down his thighs so there was no room between them. “My girl said we’re exclusive, so…”

“So…?”

“So, I refuse to share,” Steve murmured.

“You’re not sharing,” Skye snorted, rolling her eyes. “No one is touching me.”

“They’re gonna ogle and I’m just…” Steve pulled in a deep breath and let it out slowly. “I just wanna keep you for me. Just me.”

“Hey,” Skye said softly, pressing a kiss to his lips, “I promise, you don’t have to share. You’ll never have to share.”

“Never?”

“Never.” She reaffirmed. She wiggled her hips and grinned at him, breaking the tension in the room. “This might be the last time we’re alone for _two weeks_ , Steve.”

“Hmm, should I remind you what you’re going to be missing?” Steve grinned.

“Better make sure I’m not tempted to share,” Skye challenged.

“Do the thing. The thing with the door,” Steve growled, flipping her onto the bed.

“Jarvis, operation sexy times,” Skye giggled breathlessly.

 


	82. Shiny, we got to go!

 

 

“I’m trusting you here,” Steve told Trip the next morning, extending his hand. “She told me the general details. I know she can take care of herself but I fully expect you to be on her 100%.”

“On her?” Trip smirked. “Were you on her last night? You two didn’t make a reappearance.”

“Shut it, Agent Triplett,” Steve growled, fighting a satisfied smirk. “Just keep your eye on her.”

“Yes, sir!”

“Oh, yeah,” Steve frowned, smacking Trip along side his head, “That’s for teaching my kid about assholes.”

“I didn’t teach him about assholes!” Trip laughed. “I honestly have no idea what you’re talking about.”

“Steven heard Ward call you an asshole. Apparently,” Steve said, dropping his voice into a lower octave, “ _You’re not an asshole but you have one_.”

“Well, I mean, I do.” Trip nodded. “But you can’t blame me for that. I didn’t know he was there.”

“Just,” Steve sighed and ran his fingers through his hair. He glanced over at Skye, watching her kneel to whisper to Steven. “Look, I trust you. I do. But I don’t like that you’re going to be halfway around the world for two weeks.”

“Cap, two weeks is the absolute longest,” Trip grinned, gripping his shoulder. “We’ll have her back before your birthday.”

“I’m not worried about my birthday!”

“Look, the two weeks are a maximum. That’s _if_ she makes it through all of the stages. We don’t have anything fixed here - we don’t know who’s part of the ring and who’s not. We’re hoping for some time, but any access we get is going to be better than nothing.”

“Great, so I need to brace myself for Skye being Miss China?” Steve groaned.

“It’s not like that,” Trip laughed. “It’s more like Miss Zhuzhou. It’s a small pageant.”

“You two need to work on secret keeping,” Skye muttered.

“You told him, not me!” Trip defended quickly, tossing his hands up.

“Alright, Skye.” Coulson murmured, coming up on the trio. “Let’s go.”

“I need one minute,” Skye nodded. She waved Bucky and Jack to a corner, then pulled them both into a hug.

“You’re not going to be gone that long,” Bucky smiled, easily accepting her hug.

“Jack,” Skye said firmly, “you’re on Asset duty.”

“Oh, good.” Bucky sighed softly.

“Jack, I need your complete attention on this, okay?”

“You’ve got me 200%.”

“If it’s an issue, you’re gonna need to be me.” Skye said softly. “His code word is _cactus_ , Jack.”

“Oh, I gotcha.” Jack nodded, bumping his hip into Bucky’s. “I really don’t that it’s going to be an issue, but I’ve got you.”

“Thanks,” Bucky smiled, tossing his arm around Jack.

“You can call me whenever,” Skye added. “I can’t promise I’ll answer, but I’ll get back to you whenever I can.”

 

0-0-0-0-0

 

“You ready for this, girl?” Trip asked, smirking at her as she descended the ramp on the plane. They had spent the last day flying overseas and prepping Skye for her role. Working with May, she was taught the best answers to questions, the best demeanor, and traditional song and dance of the region.

“Fuck yes,” Skye replied distractedly, looking around the space.

“Let’s try that one again,” Coulson murmured, following her down the ramp. Skye glanced towards Trip and pulled a face. He just grinned and crossed his arms, waiting for her response. In character, Skye was nothing like the spunky girl he knew and it was hilarious for him to watch.

“Again,” May repeated.

“{Thank you for the opportunity of being here,}” Skye murmured, covering her mouth with her hand. She batted her eyelashes softly and made her entire demeanor softer and demure. She pressed her palms together and bowed towards Coulson, “{I hate you for making me do this, AC.}”

“{At least your demeanor is right,}” May sighed.

“{You’re not my favorite right now either,}” Skye muttered, losing the demure tone. “{We’re practically the same age, _mom_.}”

“{Ah, but you don’t look it,}” May grinned, pulling her down the ramp.

 

0-0-0-0-0

 

“I’ve got some news,” Tony informed the group over dinner.

“What kind of news?” Steve scowled.

“I’ll just…” Bucky murmured, pointing over his shoulder towards the stairs.

“No, no,” Tony dismissed, waving him off. “Actually, it’s about you.”

“Why did Skye have to be gone before you told him about this?” Steve asked, his scowl deepening. He didn’t like this.

“Because I just got confirmation and I knew she would want to stay, for Bucky,” Tony replied. “I hacked Shield. I know what Coulson needs help with - it’s important. If they were forced to bring in outside help, she needed to go.”

“What kind of news?” Bucky asked carefully.

“Tony found a building you spent some time at, as the Asset,” Clint offered.

“Clint and I just went to confirm that building is still there. Up for a trip?” Tasha added, smiling.

“I think I should wait for Skye,” Bucky murmured.

“What am I?” Jack huffed.

“You can’t promise you’ll be fast enough,” Bucky muttered.

“What am I missing?” Steve asked, leaning forward so he could see Jack better.

“Skye’s been workin’ with me,” Bucky informed him. “We have a...code word? I don’t know; it’s kind of like reverse programmin’. If I slip into Asset mode, she can snap me out of it.”

“I know the word and I can sound like Skye, so it’s a non-issue,” Jack grumbled.

“Hmm,” Steve nodded. He looked at Bucky and shrugged, “Jack’s better than he looks. He could stay away from you for long enough, if he needed to.”

“Besides, we can all go, if you want.” Tasha offered.

“The Asset can take all of you,” Bucky growled.

“But he hasn’t been around for a while,” Steven chirped.

“You don’t have to decide now,” Steve pointed out. “That building has been there for a while; it’s not going anywhere.”

“I’ll think about it,” Bucky nodded.

 

0-0-0-0-0

 

Skye frowned as she was escorted inside the building, glancing back over her shoulder as she did so. She cursed the flimsy sandals on her feet and the delicate dress around her shoulders. Being taken wasn’t part of the plan - especially on day one - but it was a means to an end. There was no faster way to find out where the girls were being taken. The girls taken with her, five others from the pageant, were crying silently behind their hands. It reminded her that she needed to look a little less fierce; she could feel the angry scowl on her face and worked to smooth her features. She had a tracking sticker stuck to her ribcage, but she wouldn’t activate it yet. First, she needed to make sure she was in the best position to help these girls.

She swallowed hard and marched forward slowly, taking time to inspect each passage before she allowed herself to proceed. The halls they passed were dusty and barren; no one had been there in quite some time. She had this stupid, overwhelming feeling that she shouldn’t be here but couldn’t quite place why. She paused and pushed the feeling down, then took another step forward, proceeding despite the unchecked fear uncurling in the pit of her stomach. She knew she could stop these men - there were only five of them, after all - but they alone knew where the girls were being kept. She stopped when she came to a door, buried behind a stack of boxes. Someone had chosen to hide that door. Why?

“{Keep walking,}” The man behind her grunted, pushing her forward.

“{Please, I just need a second,}” she murmured back, fighting to keep her act up.

“{Walk.}”

“{Come on,}” one of the girls murmured, pulling her forward. She clutched Skye’s hand in her own shaking one and wouldn’t release her. Skye forced her curiosity aside and allowed herself to be swept along with the other girls.

After a seemingly endless walk, the hallway ended with a double door. Two of the men with them unlocked the doors with two separate keys and pulled them open. Skye glanced down at her bare wrist, silently cursing Coulson for making her take the watch off. No, it didn’t go with her ensemble, but it sure would be handy right about now.

With the doors open, two of the girls with her started sobbing harder. She peered around the small group and bit back an angry gasp. The room was full of small cages, each holding either one or two young girls. They looked cold and were varying degrees of dirty, but they didn’t appear hurt or starved so she was silently grateful for that. It could have been worse.

“{Inside.}” The men ordered, poking their guns in her back. She shuffled forward and let herself be pushed to the ground. Now was not the time to fight back. First, she needed to figure out if these were all the girls. She needed to figure out how many men were involved - and how many were currently around.

One by one, they were lead to empty cages. A thorough (too thorough) pat down confirmed they had no weapons on them and then they were locked in. It was all she could do not to break the man’s fingers as they groped her breasts. He must have seen the anger in her eyes though, because he grinned and blew a kiss to her, “{Hmm, fire. I like it. I think I’ll break you first.}”

“{You can try,}” she retorted, deliberately letting her act slide just a touch. If the men were going after her it meant the other girls would be left alone.

“{Definitely first,}” he grinned. He turned to the other men and told them with a laugh, “{this one is going to be fun.}”

 

0-0-0-0-0

 

“She’s not answering,” Steven told Steve glumly, tossing his phone onto the couch.

“She’s on a mission,” Steve smiled, letting the boy curl up beside him. “Sometimes it’s not a good time to reply.”

“But it’s been _days_ ,” Steven retorted. “She couldn’t find time in three days?”

“Why don’t we call Trip and see if he answers?” Steve offered, pulling out his own phone.

“Are we going to bother him?”

“Nah. He won’t answer if they’re busy.”

 

“Shit.” Trip cursed, looking at his phone wearily. Coulson’s head whipped up and over from the surveillance photos he was peering over for the hundredth time. He winced and explained, “Steve’s calling.”

“Shit is right,” Ward frowned.

“Don’t answer that,” Coulson replied after a moment of hesitation. “Let it go to voicemail. You can call him back later.”

“Sir, I’ve said it before, but I’ll say it again - I think it’s a really bad idea to keep them out of the loop on this,” Trip informed Coulson.

“Noted,” Coulson nodded. “My order stands.”

“Sir, she’s been gone for three days,” Trip tried again. “If she could have, she would have broken out already or activated the tracer.”

“I agree with Trip,” Ward added.

“She’s probably staying to keep the other girls safe,” May informed the specialists.

“Exactly,” Trip sighed. “Girl’s got a complex. She’ll keep their attention on her, if she can.”

“If she’s even with the other girls,” Ward offered. “Maybe she’s waiting to be taken to the next location.”

“What if she activated the tracer but we can’t read it?” Fitz asked, walking in on the last part of the conversation. “If they’re underground, the signal could be weaker. We might have better luck covering the city with the receivers.”

“Go do that,” Coulson agreed, nodding to his specialists. “Fitz, when we get done with this mission, you and Jack are going to beef up that signal. Got it?”

“Yes, sir,” Fitz nodded. "If you want, I can get in contact with Jack and-"

"No," Coulson interrupted. "I don't think you can keep a secret from your science buddy. Wait until we've got Skye back - got it?"

"Yes, sir," Fitz frowned.

“Good,” Coulson smiled. “Now, let’s go find our girl before Steve finds out we’ve lost her.”

“I’m gonna be in so much trouble,” Trip grumbled as he walked away.

 

0-0-0-0-0

 

“Let’s go check out that buildin’,” Bucky said suddenly. He had been watching Steve pace back and forth for the last hour. Despite three missions for Shield, one Avenger mission, and Bucky trying his best to wear him out in the gym, Steve hadn’t stopped pacing.

“You wanted to wait for Skye,” Steve replied, pausing his pacing just long enough to reply.

“I think it’ll be okay. I’ll pull out if it gets to be too overwhelming,” Bucky countered.

“You don’t have to do this,” Steve argued. “I know you’re just trying to distract me.”

“Yeah? You gonna let me get your mind off her for a few hours? She can take care of herself,” Bucky smiled.

“Like she took care of herself when the retrieval team took her?” Steve growled. He was anxious, sleep deprived, and strung out. He shut his eyes for a beat and swallowed, recomposing himself. “Sorry.”

“I do want to see the buildin’,” Bucky replied. “I do. The curiosity is eatin’ away at me. Sure, I’d be more comfortable with Skye there, but you guys can make sure I keep my cool.”

“If you’re worried about losing it, then we shouldn’t go,” Steve sighed, tossing his hands up.

“Please, Stevie?” Bucky asked, fluttering his eyelashes at his friend. “Please, can we go see the buildin’?”

“You and Skye shouldn’t be allowed to spend time together,” Steve groaned. “Fine. Go round up the others.”

“Me too?” Steven asked, peeking out from the vent above their head.

“You can stay in the jet with me until they clear the buildin’,” Bucky nodded. The boy needed the distraction just as much as Steve did.

 

0-0-0-0-0

 

“{Stop singing that fucking song!}” The guard growled, smashing the butt of his rifle against her cage. Skye grinned and kept singing; it was the song May had taught her for the pageant. It was long and dull - and getting on even her nerves. It worked to distract the guards though. All their attention was on her, which prevented them from taking the other girls. She had activated her tracking sticker two days ago, but they must be under too much concrete for it to reach the surface. She needed out of her cage so she could escape long enough to put the sticker somewhere closer to the entrance. “{Stop singing that song or so help me…}” Skye cocked her head at the man, considering the option, then started the song up again. The man growled and snapped his fingers at another guard, “{Help me get her out of here. Time for some new tactics.}”

“{He doesn’t want them bruised,}” The other guard replied, coming over anyway.

“{I’ll use the soft rope,}” the first man countered.

“{You gonna share or are you just going to make me watch - cause if I just get to watch, I’m not helping.}”

“{Fine. I’ll share. But I get her first.}”

“{Just stop singing,}” a young girl to Skye’s left pleaded, looking scared. “{You can apologize and they might…}”

“{I’m not apologizing,}” Skye scoffed lightly. She smiled reassuringly at the fourteen year old girl, “{Don’t worry. I’ll be okay.}”

“{It’s bad enough when they’re not angry!}” the girl whispered back.

“{You’re not going to have to worry about that any more, okay?}”

“{Stop whispering!}” The guard shouted, wrenching the door open. He grabbed Skye by the hair and dragged her from the cage. “{Let’s see how you feel about singing after a few hours with us.}”

“{Psh, _hours_?}” Skye smirked, shaking her head. She let herself be lead from the room by her hair.

 

0-0-0-0-0

 

“It’s all clear, Bucky,” Steve said over the comms. “Doesn’t look like anyone’s been here in a very long while.”

“Can I come?” Steven asked.

“Yeah, you can come.” Steve agreed.

“There’s a section he’s going to have to stay out of,” Clint added.

“Okay,” Steven agreed. He took Bucky’s hand and let Jack lead them off the plane. Jack had strict orders to stick to Bucky like glue.

“We’re coming in now,” Bucky replied.

“I’ll meet you at the front hall,” Steve agreed.

“What is this place?” Jack asked, looking around the decrepit building. It was located in the Kunlun Mountain Range, China. There was nothing around but trees and more trees, which helped disguise the building. The entrance, which was really only a well hidden door, was broken off its hinges. Leaves and dirt scattered the entire front hallway.

“Not sure,” Steve replied. Tasha’s in the control room now, hoping to find some footage or digital files.

“Does this feel familiar?” Steven asked, smiling up at Bucky. He dropped the boy’s hand and wandered forward. “Bucky?”

“Shh,” Steve shushed quietly, pulling the boy to his side. Bucky’s eyes had glazed over and he wandered down the halls, taking twists and turns with confidence. He turned down a hallway that was peppered with old bullet holes. He stopped outside a door, opening it slowly. He stared inside for a minute, then went to the next door in the hallway and opened it even more slowly.

_“Are you here to keep me company?” A small boy asked, coming around the corner in shorts and a tank top. His head was shaved and his eyes were wide and innocent._

_“No, you require training.”_

_“Train? Like fighting? You’re going to teach me how to fight?” He bounced up and down with glee, “Oh, this is going to be perfect.”_

_“What’s goin’ to be perfect?”_

_“Taking them down. I promise, I’m going to be the best student you ever had.”_

“You okay?” Jack asked when Bucky’s eyes blinked quickly.

“I trained my boy here. This was his room,” Bucky admitted softly. He wished Skye was here to do this with him. He should have waited, distraction or not. He didn't want to do this alone.

“Are you okay?” Steve asked again.

“Yeah, ‘m okay,” Bucky nodded, his eyes glazing over again. He sat on the ratty mattress on the floor, hanging his his between his knees as memories assaulted him.

_It had only taken a day for him to fully understand the boy’s commitment to training – and what he meant by taking them down. They removed the Asset a few days a week, usually giving him tasks that would allow him to keep up on his own training as he worked with the boy on his. He had been wiping gun oil from his hands after the first time it happened. The Asset had met them at the boy’s door, having heard them coming down the hall, and took his unconscious body from their insensitive hands – not that they would see him being gentle with him either; he couldn't afford for them to see that._

_He noticed he was marked while setting him back onto his bed to rest. He looked at the small tattoo and shook his head. He was marked by his arm and he was marked by their ink. Always identifiable. In a moment of utter devastation, he could admit the hopelessness of their situation. There was no where they could go that they couldn't be found. Not that he was ever going to squash his hope by telling him that. The fact that he retained it this long was a miracle and he sure as hell wasn't going to be the one to take it from him._

_He had been off when he woke – pale and shaking – but refused to talk about it. As soon as he felt ready, he was clamoring to go train. To get better, so he could take them down. It wasn’t until the boy stripped himself from the medical gown that Bucky realized the boy was, in fact, a girl. She pulled her tank top over her head and shoved her chicken legs into the shorts supplied for her, then faced him with a defiant expression - waiting for him to argue. Waiting for any sort of indication that he didn’t think she could handle it._

_He barely knew the kid, but a surge of pride had welled up in his chest and he’d wordlessly left her room. After a beat, when he realized she wasn’t following, he glanced over his shoulder and waved her forward. She was bruised, battered, and had needle marks in places there shouldn’t be needle marks, but she had grinned this megawatt smile (that had Bucky surging forward again) and followed him to the gym. If she noticed he went a little easier on her than he normally would have, she didn’t say anything._

_He had moved in with her that night, even though he was assigned his own room next to hers, telling her he couldn't train her properly if she was exhausted. She spent too much of the night shivering to sleep. She had insisted it didn't matter. She insisted she was getting enough sleep, and Bucky couldn't find fault in her progress even in her exhausted state, but it didn't sit right with him. He had shaken off her dismissals, glared at the man that came to tell him to move back into his own quarters, and beat the pulp out of a guard that had made a crude comment about the arrangement. She was just a little girl. A little girl with no warm clothes or blankets and only a thin mattress on the cold, concrete floor. Honestly, it was a miracle she wasn't sick from it._

_By stacking their mattresses on top of each other and sharing their thin blankets, they had generated enough body heat between them to warm the small space under the blankets. His arrangement weren’t any better than hers. Her sharp elbows and cold fingers clutching at him as she slept soundly had been oddly familiar in a way that he couldn't place. He had shaken it off and curled around her to wrap her in heat as he drifted off to sleep. He remembered she had hummed against his chest and that he fell asleep sharing a tiny bit of that hope that she carried with her in such abundance._

Bucky got up in a daze and wandered from the room, chasing a familiar routine. He twisted through the halls, pausing in doorways where he remembered doing his own training, but not stopping until he reached a concrete room with a flickering light and training mats.

_The girl devoted herself to his teachings 110%. His other side, his Bucky side, slipped through more and more, until she commented on it. Not in any way that people normally talked to him. It wasn't polite or respectful. In fact, the amount of snark in her voice was definitely edging into disrespectful territory. For some reason, Bucky had really enjoyed that. He enjoyed that she wasn't afraid of him._

_“So, Shiny,” She had commented, launching herself at him in a kick/twist combo that would have knocked him flat if she weighed more than a bag of flour. She liked nicknames. He didn't have a name to give her, and she didn't have one to give him, so she was Girl and he was Shiny. She had looked so proud of herself the first time she called him it. A weird, warm tentacle of something alarmingly unfamiliar crept around his chest, hugging him tight as he watched her struggle to hide her proud smirk. No doubt that's why he didn't get around to correcting her behavior. Instead, his own joke slipped out, easy as air._

_“Is it because of my arm? Har Har,” Bucky smirked, knocking his flesh and bone hand against his metal arm._

_“Psh, would I pick something so trivial for something so important?” She had shot back, spinning back around to take advantage of his distraction. She ended up on his shoulders, holding his head in the correct location to break his neck. They both froze, acknowledging that she had the upper hand. Her grip started to loosen as she relaxed her hold on his head. “You're Shiny because you're good. Good people are Shiny. I know there's another voice. A mean voice. He's not Shiny. But he's not you. You need to remember that okay? You're Shiny. You're good. You're the only good here.”_

_The Asset had slammed back into control, flipping the girl from his shoulders and onto the exercise mats. He didn't look at her, couldn't look at her, so he strode from the room like he had a fire under his tail. He was anything but good._

_Since he had moved into her small room, it made for an awkward afternoon. The weird tension was only broken when she pulled back their mattress with a small, guilty smile, showing him where she had scratched Shiny into the concrete floor. He couldn't help but smile when she pointed at the words and then at him, and then she was in his arms – forcing a hug on him. That had reminded him of their first few days. Everyone else was afraid of him, but not this girl. Sure, she could be wary of him – when The Asset was agitated, but she treated him like a person. Like he was normal. He hadn't released her from the hug for a long, long while. Longer than he was willing to admit. She hadn't said anything about the prolonged contact; she just clung to him as tightly as he clung to her._

“Bucky?” Steve asked, watching him sway slightly. His eyes flicked over, but they were still glazed over and he pushed past Steve and Jack, heading back into the hall. He took a different route, finding a room where his own weapon trainings happened when another memory overtook him, punching him in the gut. He wandered down the hall, letting the memory overtake him.

_A year into their training, people had attacked the small facility. Bucky had seen little of the building, being in their custody as much as the girl was, but he had seen enough to recognize that their primary defense was camouflage. With the enemy inside, the facility had little in means of protecting itself. For once, Bucky and The Asset had been on the same page: protect the girl...protect the mission. He couldn't train her if she was dead. He needed to get her out. Now._

_By the time he got to her, having to fight men in black tactical gear every inch of the way to the room, she had already broken out of their room – but was surrounded by the enemy. She was fighting them off, and she was doing well, but she was tiny and eight years old and there were just too many of them. She looked up at him and all his protective instincts shot into overdrive as he watched her desperation melt into hope. Again._

_He couldn't help the reassuring smile he shot her way, fondly exasperated. She grinned and nodded like she knew exactly what he was thinking; she had gained confidence in herself over the last year and he was damn glad to see it now. The Asset took control of his movements and the men were too easy to remove from the equation. They were only flesh and bone, after all._

_“Shiny, we got to go!” She had shouted, pointing out another group of men coming around the corner. They raised their automatic weapons and pointed them towards him...towards her, and he knew there was no time._

_There was no cover, no where for them to go. Protect it._

_He turned and sprinted at her, catching her small frame and pulling her against his chest as the firing started. He remembered curling around her on the floor, protecting her shaking form with his own body, even as the hot metal pierced him over and over._

_No, protect_ _her_ _._

_She felt just as small in his arms as she had that first night._

_The gunshots stopped suddenly, and through the deafening ringing in his ears, he was aware of two things. First, the girl was screaming, clutching at his shirt and shaking him. He wondered why he wasn't doing anything to reassure her. This wasn't like her. She was strong. She didn't panic. His eyes flicked down and saw the blood on her hands, realizing all at once what was happening. Oh._

_Why did he feel so calm?_

_Second, the other team was still coming. And he couldn't protect her; his body was being supremely uncooperative. Her face hardened and she pulled free from his, now loose, grip. He couldn't turn to see what was happening behind him, but within minutes she was back, rolling him so he was flat on his back against the floor. Had she taken them all out? He never wanted that for her. She couldn't turn into him. But it was good that she could defend herself. She was going to need it._

_“Oh, Shiny.” She had cried, her hands and face covered in blood. Her hands were shaking and she was visibly distraught, but desperately trying to hide it. He wanted to ask if any of it was hers. He wanted to ask if she was hurt, but he was too far gone. It was all he had in him to keep his eyes focused on her. “Don't worry. Don't worry. You're going to be fine. You're fine,” She had rambled, trying to still her shaking hands. “I can fix this. I can fix this. Just, stay with me. Okay? I need you, Shiny.”_

_She moved to hover over his chest, trying to keep her weight off him as she bent closer to his face. He wanted to laugh and tell her he was beyond physical pain, that he was beyond needing to breathe, and could she just stop worrying and sit on him already? It was becoming harder for him to focus on her. He was stupidly glad that she stayed with him, even though that was selfish because she shouldn't have to watch this. But...he didn't want to die alone._

_The Asset had tried to take over; he had faded after taking down the first team. They both knew the girl had needed the shiny version of him; it was in both of their interests to complete their mission, so he drifted into the background of Bucky's mind. He was too far gone for the soldier to take over; he was enhanced, but he was still mortal. There wasn't enough left for him to control. With a snarl of disappointment and a stomach numbing realization, the soldier had fallen back again._

_He was done._

_He had failed._

_He didn't know if that had ever happened before, but it felt like...it felt like his world was crumbling around him. It felt like he was letting her down. She was safe, for now, but there were probably more enemy troops around and she was still stuck within the confines of the building. He couldn't help her anymore._

_She bent over and pressed her forehead to his, rubbing her thumb along his forehead as she muttered something over him. Either it wasn't a language he knew, or he was losing the ability to think. The latter was probably more true. Her thumb shook slightly, tracing between his eyebrows and up towards his hairline before following the curve of his head down to his temple. She was breathing on him and he swore he could feel her distress._

_The Asset growled at her emotional reaction to the situation. This wasn't the time to get emotional; especially not over him._

_She needed to run._

_She needed to get out._

_Now._

_The mystery of what she thought she was accomplishing almost distracted him from the moisture dripping onto his face, but he wasn't sure if it was blood or tears. He hoped it wasn't blood (he hoped it wasn't her blood), but why would it be tears? Why would she cry over him? Her shaking legs gave a little and she rested some weight on his chest, just for a second. His chest gave and he coughed a throatful of blood into her face. Ah, shit. That was nasty._

_“Sorry, doll,” he thought, surprised at the phrasing. Where had that come from? He wasn't sure what he was sorry for._

_For coughing blood on her._

_For dying on her._

_For being unable to help her any more._

_For leaving her alone._

_For being the one to crush the hope in her eyes._

_She didn't pause, just continued her muttering over him. He knew he should be worried about her, because what she was doing wasn't normal, but he just didn't have the energy. He felt himself slipping further, trying to focus on the soft pads of her fingers on his face instead of the spreading numbness - he allowed himself that small selfishness in his last moments._

_God, she was just a child. She shouldn't be here. She slipped in the blood surrounding them and fell on him – at least, it looked like she did. He didn't feel the impact. A small sob escaped her lips as she apologized softly, forcing herself over him again and continuing whatever she was doing._

_He had caught a flash of movement past her shoulder and his eye movement alerted her to the man behind her. She ran her thumb over his face one more time before flipping off him to attack the man. He shot her twice, center of mass, as she rushed him. A surprised cough escaped her lips. As she fell, he saw his metal hand twitch toward her, like there was anything he could do to save her now. She twisted, falling onto his chest with surprising lightness. Her eyes were on his; she blinked once and then never again. He was surprised to feel relief rush through his system with his last bit of consciousness._

_Her suffering was over._

_He didn't need to protect her any more._

_She was safe from them._

_Mission complete._

 

“Is he okay?” Clint asked, peering over Steve’s shoulder. Bucky was squatting against the wall, clutching his head and sobbing.

“I don’t know,” Steve admitted.

“I found some data,” Tasha informed them softly. “Someone tried to wipe the system but they missed some stuff. The last time this place was functional was in 1962. It was some kind of training facility. There isn’t a lot of information left.”

Steven pushed past Jack and Steve, unable to handle another second of Bucky’s crying. He wasn’t the Asset - he wouldn’t be crying if he were.

“Steven, get back here,” Steve whispered, trying to snag the boy’s shirt. He twisted and hurried to Bucky’s side, kneeling beside him.

“Bucky? Do you need some cuddles?” Steven asked softly, not touching his uncle. He was a sensitive boy - not stupid. Bucky didn’t reply. He just snagged the boy and pulled him into his chest, letting him wrap his arms around his neck. “It’s going to be okay, Bucky.”

 

 


	83. I know why you erased this

 

“Sick fuckers,” Skye muttered, looking at the two guards she had knocked out and tied up. She had wanted to kill them - for what they did to those girls, for what they had tried to do to her - but she knew Coulson would need all the information he could get. She might be saving this batch of girls, but no one seemed to know where the other girls had gone.

She felt like someone sucker punched her to the stomach and she heaved forward to clutch her trembling core. She didn’t know if it was these men, the girls she was trying to keep safe, the forsaken building that had prevented her from sleeping a single minute of her stay, or something else - but she suddenly lost her will to continue. She knew she had to get to the surface; she knew she had to get help for these girls...but all she felt was a cloak of sadness, of despair, settle on her shoulders. Well, she was no stranger to sadness. She was no stranger to facing what she needed to face, even when the task seemed impossible. She forced herself to straighten and walk out of the room, even though all she wanted to do was lay down. She tried to shake off her gloom, but it wouldn’t shift. If anything, it seemed to settle more firmly around her shoulders. Her throat burned with the force of trying to keep the sob from escaping her lips. She didn’t know why her eyes prickled with unshed tears, but she suddenly wished Coulson was here - now. She wanted out as fast as she could.

It only took her minutes to find her way to the surface, following footprints in the dust. They only ever used the one hallway and she couldn’t help but wonder what lay down the other barren halls. She reached into her stupidly thin dress and pulled her tracking sticker off her ribcage. She pressed a kiss to it and stuck it to the wall. She knew she was close enough to the entrance to leave, and dammit she wanted to, but she couldn’t leave these girls. She couldn’t leave the mystery of the building. Deciding to explore before returning to the girls, she hurried back down the hall. She knew just where she wanted to start.

 

0-0-0-0-0

 

“Bucky?” Steve asked, settling down next to him in the quinjet. He had yet to release Steven, even when Clint took off.

“Yeah?” Bucky asked, pulling his face out of Steven’s hair.

“Are you okay?”

“I don’t know,” he admitted, laughing slightly. “My boy isn’t a boy.”

“It was a girl?” Steve asked, perplexed.

“They only ever referred to her as _It_ , but I thought she was a boy. They shaved her hair and she was so young that…” Bucky paused and looked at Steve with sad eyes. “They were experimentin’ on her. That’s how I found out. They brought her back in a medical gown and she changed in front of me and…” Bucky’s face crumpled and tears welled in his eyes. “Steve, I was supposed to train her. Protect her. But I couldn’t protect her from them. I couldn’t protect her against their experiments. And then we were over-run and she just wanted to protect _me_ and...Stevie, she’s dead.”

“I’m sorry, Bucky,” Steve murmured, pulling his friend under his arm.

“How can I miss someone I only just now remember?” Bucky asked, rubbing his eyes against the torrent of memories that were still assaulting him. They had had a year together and it was all coming back to him now.

“She was important to you,” Steve replied softly. “You always miss people that are important to you.”

“I love you, Stevie - I do...but I wish Skye was here. I _need_ Skye here,” Bucky muttered before giving into his tears again.

“She always knows just what to say, huh?” Steve agreed, feeling useless. “We can call her.”

“She’s still not answering,” Steven whispered, still clutching Bucky’s neck.

“She’ll be back in a week or so,” Steve replied, wincing slightly.

 

0-0-0-0-0

 

“Took you long enough,” Skye muttered, ushering the teenage girls into a large van supplied by Shield. They would be checked over by medical and debriefed about their time in captivity before being sent back to their families. The five men that had guarded them were in a separate van, still knocked out from Skye’s attack when she heard Coulson’s team breach the front door.

“Jack and I are going to improve the signal strength,” Fitz winced. “It didn’t help that you were six floors underground. All this concrete was a good dampener.”

“Hey, you got us,” Skye offered, pulling Fitz into a hug. She could feel his anxiousness. “I’m not hurt. They’re out of there now. Don’t worry about it.”

“We’ll make it better,” Fitz promised. She forced a smile and nodded her agreement.

“I’d really like to go home now,” she murmured to Coulson. He studied her face for a moment, but then nodded.

“Hey, you got out of the pageant,” Trip grinned, tugging her under his arm. He dragged her to another van and climbed in with her. Fitz and Simmons were in the back, monitoring some screens. Ward climbed into one of the other vans with the girls. When she only blinked slowly, Trip frowned and pushed her hair from her face. “Hey, what’s going on with you girl?”

“I’m okay,” she replied, smiling. “I just haven’t slept for a few days.”

“Were you in this the whole time?” Trip asked, plucking at the thin, torn material on her shoulders. She pressed her lips together and nodded. “Shit, girl. Come here; Steve will never forgive me if I bring you back a popsicle.” He unstrapped his weapons and vest, and then draped his arm across her shoulders again. He had felt the chill of the cement room they found her in, and he knew she was more susceptible to the cold than he was.

“You wanna cuddle with me?” She asked, sounding surprised.

“Unless you’re uncomfortable,” Trip hastily backpedaled. She didn’t respond, just let herself relax against his side. Fitz shrugged off his sweater and offered it up to Trip. He grinned over his shoulder and covered her exposed side with the sweater. He pulled her as close as he could, letting her leech his heat. Before Coulson and May got in the van to take them back to the Bus, Skye was asleep.

“I assume it’s safe to call Steve back?” Trip asked softly. He suspected an earthquake wouldn’t wake her now, but he was in no rush to test that theory.

“Yeah, you can call Steve back,” Coulson nodded. He winced and rubbed his hand down his face. “He’s not going to be happy.”

“I’ll keep it brief,” Trip replied. “We’re heading back now, right?”

“Yes, Agent Triplett. We’ll head straight to the Tower to drop her off,” Coulson stated. Then he glanced at May and muttered, “and then we’re getting the hell out of dodge before he rips my head off.”   

 

0-0-0-0-0

 

“There’s something up with your girl,” Trip murmured to Steve a day later, curling his hand around Steve’s.

“Like what?” Steve asked, frowning. Skye shot the team a small smile and headed past them without a word.

“Skye?” Clint asked, watching her walk by.

“I just need a minute, okay?” She murmured, offering no more explanation.

“Skye,” Clint repeated, frowning.

“You promised,” she muttered, then stalked from the room.

“Leave her,” Tasha murmured, putting a hand on his shoulder. “You promised to give her time.”

“She just got off a mission where she had all that time,” Clint growled back.

“Leave her,” Steve repeated. “She’ll tell us when she’s ready.”

“Can I have a moment?” Jack asked, tugging on Steve’s elbow.

“Now?”

“Now.”

“Okay,” Steve agreed.

“Bucky?” Jack asked.

“You want me, too?” Bucky asked, frowning. He heard Trip’s soft admission and there was nothing more he wanted to do than track Skye down and make her talk.

“Please,” Jack asked, softly. Bucky glanced towards the door that she had disappeared through, but recalled all the times he wasn’t ready to talk and she had never made him. Figuring he owed her the same, he nodded and let Jack lead them from the group.

“What the freak are you three doing?” Tony asked, watching them walk from the room.

“Leave your sister alone for a while,” Steve called over his shoulder.

“Where are you going?!” Tony yelled.

“They don’t need us,” Bucky called back.

“Coulson needs to get back for debrief,” Steve added.

“That we do,” Coulson agreed. “Thanks for loaning us Skye.”

“You’re welcome?” Tasha asked.

“Yes, you’re welcome,” Tony agreed. “You owe us.”

“Eh, I disagree,” Coulson shrugged.

“I disagree on that,” Tony shrugged right back.

“We do really need to go, but thank you,” Coulson sighed.

“Hey! Baby Whisperer!” Trip shouted, “Call me!”

“I’m afraid Mr. Rogers is out of hearing range,” Jarvis replied.

“Fucking technology,” Trip sighed, shaking his head. “Just have him call me.”

“Yes, Agent Triplett,” Jarvis agreed.

 

0-0-0-0-0

 

“Want a sparring partner?” Tasha asked, stepping into the gym.

“No,” Skye growled, smashing another of Steve’s specially reinforced punching bags. It split beneath her knuckles and she fought back an annoyed yell.

“No talking required,” Tasha offered.

“No,” Skye repeated, kicking the bag to the side. Her shoulders slumped and she turned towards her friend. “Wifey, thank you. Really. But I really just want to fucking run right now and I’m resisting, but I just need some time. I’m not trying to be rude, but please, please, please...leave me alone.”

“You got it,” Tasha nodded. “If you change your mind…”

“Please, wifey-”

“I’m leaving,” Tasha murmured, backing out slowly.

 

0-0-0-0-0

 

“What do you have to show us?” Steve asked, watching as Jack walked straight into Steve’s bedroom and made himself comfortable in the middle of the bed. He pulled a laptop out of the pillows and patted the bed on either side of him.

“I can’t...there are no words...I just need to share this...burden?” Jack replied haltingly. Bucky did a double take, noticing how pale Jack was.

“This isn’t goin’ to be good, is it?”

Jack didn’t respond, he just shook his head. He was already fighting tears. Steve and Bucky exchanged a worried look and took their places beside Jack. There was an odd flash drive in the computer.

“What is this?” Steve asked, tapping the device.

“I’m really aware of the retrieval team,” Jack said, by way of explaining.

“You learned about them,” Steve nodded.

“We know as much about them as they know about us,” Jack whispered. “So I knew where to look, even when Tony gave up searching the Tower surveillance.”

“This is from the retrieval team?” Bucky asked, his face falling. Jack didn’t say anything, just hit play.

 

“You're not supposed to be watching that.” Skye said, her voice surprisingly harsh. Bucky, Steve, and Jack looked up at her from the computer that was sitting between them. They wore identical expressions of horror, sympathy, and guilt. “Where did you get that?”

“The retrieval team left it...” Jack offered slowly. He wiped a tear from his cheek. “I know why you erased this.”

“Yeah, to keep you from fucking seeing that.” Skye hissed. She dropped the small, sweaty towel she had carried back into the room and bolted. The three men sat frozen for half a second, then scrambled from the bed. Steve and Bucky hit the door at the same time, Jack just steps behind.

“Jarvis, where did she go?” Jack asked the AI.

“I'm not at liberty to disclose that information.” Jarvis replied curtly.

“Gym, Tasha's room,” Steve ordered, pointing to Jack and Bucky. “I'll check the main floor.”

The three sprinted off towards their assigned locations, calling loudly for Skye. Steve knew better than to take the elevator, Skye would trap him in it if she thought he was close. Instead he bolted for the stairs, feeling a remarkable feeling of deja vu as he threw himself down the stairs. He caught a flash of her hair as she exited the building. He scrambled after her, knowing he had to catch her quickly. She would win in a distance race, but his superior musculature meant he would win in a sprint.

“Skye, wait!” Steve yelled, running as fast as he could. Skye didn't hesitate, just dodged people on the sidewalk. Steve was gaining on her; people knew to get out of the way when Captain America was barreling towards them. Skye was still struggling through the crowd. Steve caught her by her elbow, snagging the loose material of her workout shirt. She twisted from his grip, flipping away from him to create distance.

“Leave me alone,” Skye huffed. Steve was startled to notice the tears pouring down her face. He took a tentative step forward, his hands outstretched in a placating gesture.

“Please,” Steve murmured. “Skye, don't run.”

“Leave me alone,” She whispered, averting her eyes when she noticed the crowd watching their interaction. Steve noticed the same thing and sighed. He hated being in the public eye, especially like this.

“Lets just talk, okay?” Steve said softly, extending his hand. “Somewhere private?” Skye didn't back away, so he took her hand and dragged her from the crowd. She bumped into someone on the sidewalk, so he pulled her closer. He could feel her crying against his side. He found a quiet bench in the nearby park and guided Skye towards it. “I'm sorry. We're sorry.”

“I didn't want you to watch it,” Skye cried, twisting within Steve's arms to bury her face in his shoulder.

“Not to throw Jack under the bus,” Steve whispered, pressing a kiss to the top of Skye's head, “But Bucky and I weren't sure what we were watching. Jack just said he had something to show us.”

“Totally throwing him under the bus,” Skye laughed wetly.

“Hmm, I'll apologize to him later.” Steve smiled.

“I removed it for a reason.” Skye muttered, bringing the conversation back on topic.

“I know.”

“I didn't want you to see that.”

“I know.”

Skye broke down, sobbing into Steve's shoulder. He wrapped himself around her, pulling her tightly to him. She made a half-hearted attempt to pull away, but Steve held her even tighter.

“I don't want you to have those images. I don't want you to have nightmares. I don't want them either.” Skye sobbed.

“Ignoring it isn't going to make it go away,” Steve sighed, brushing her hair back from her face. “Trust me. Ask Bucky.”

“I don't want to talk about it.” Skye replied, sniffing. She took a deep breath, and Steve felt the sobbing diminish.

“You don't have to. We won't make you.”

“I bet Jack is staging an intervention,” Skye chuckled. He laughed warmly and nodded his head. She was trying to break the mood and he let her. Aside from the retrieval team’s video, he knew she was working through something that happened on the mission. He just wasn’t sure what that was.

“We can't go back. Everyone will be sitting in a circle with their letter.”

“Clint will probably be wearing black, trying to be serious.”

“Tony will probably have bought you a pony by now.”

“That is every little girl's dream present.”

“Tasha probably broke into the bar and stole all the good vodka.”

“To share with me?”

“If you're lucky,” Steve chuckled. Skye raised her face from his shoulder.

“We could go get our own liquor.” Skye offered.

“If I get you drunk, will you talk to me?”

“I talk to you.”

“Not about the important things,” Steve replied, making his tone light intentionally.

“I'm not good at talking about that.” Skye said softly.

“You're good at secrets.” Steve nodded. “You're like Tasha.”

“How did she get better?”

“I don't know. I haven't known her for very long. I know she's better with Clint.” Steve shrugged. “You can ask her after the intervention.”

“I can challenge her to a drink off.” Skye grinned. “Maybe she'll be chatty when she's drunk.”

“Okay, plan. We go find some liquor, shout up to Thor so he can bring something for us...”

“...get some hay for my pony...”

“...and get french fries and ice cream.” Steve finished, smiling.

“I am a little hungry,” Skye smirked.

“I'm putting a pin in this conversation,” Steve smiled. He grabbed an imaginary pin and stabbed the air. “Boop.”

“Aw, you watched _Bolt,_ ” Skye grinned.

“You watched it with me!” Steve laughed. Skye hummed.

“Was I awake?”

“Probably not.” Steve conceded. Skye had a tendency to crash. Steve's phone went off; the loud internet modem sound drew the attention of a few people walking past. Skye giggled into Steve's shoulder. He sighed and dug his phone out, groaning at the screen. “Your brother. I don’t know why you changed this ringtone to everyone’s.”

“Which brother?” Skye giggled.

“The annoying one.” Steve sighed.

“That doesn't narrow it down!” Skye laughed.

“Tony.”

“Ask him what color my pony is.”

“Rogers,” Steve said into the phone. “Yeah, she's with me. She's fine... Yes, Tony.”

“What color is my pony?” Skye asked loudly.

“No, you probably don't want to know,” Steve replied to the question Skye couldn't hear. “We'll be back when we get back... Yes, Tony. I'll take care of her.” Steve pressed a button on his phone, ending the call.

“It's weird that he worries.” Skye commented.

“You don't need to tell me that.” Steve grinned, pressing a kiss to her forehead.

“Can I tell you something? Something unrelated...but kind of related anyway? I wanna test out this whole telling you more things...thing.” Skye asked, wringing her hands. Steve covered her hands with his.

“Of course.” Steve replied. “You can tell me anything.”

“You know, there's this drug that your body produces. DMT. Totally natural, but people synthesize it for recreational drug use. It slows down your perception of time. While you're high, you could feel like days have passed and only hours have.” Skye commented, picking at Steve's shirt.

“Okay?” Steve asked, adjusting his arm around her. He suddenly had the feeling he wouldn't like this revelation.

“Your brain normally produces like a cupful a day. But when you die, your brain is active for a few minutes and there is this giant release of DMT. Like a river of it compared to the cup.”

“I don't understand what you're getting at,” Steve admitted when Skye paused. She smiled sadly at Steve.

“It slows your perception. So those few minutes that your brain is still functioning, it feels like eternity. Every religion is right – whatever you believe is what will happen in your eternity. After all, your brain is creating it.”

“Skye...”

“This is my eternity.” Skye interrupted softly. “And it's a damn good one.”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Bolt is from Disney, and the information about DMT (which is a real thing!) is from http://wondergressive.com/death-solved-by-vestigial-gland/


	84. You think you're dead?

 

“You think you're dead?” Steve breathed. Skye smiled up at him though her eyes swam with unshed tears.

“I don't know any more,” she replied. She blinked and the tears spilled over. “My perfect eternity wouldn't have you seeing that video.”

“You think you're dead?” Steve repeated, dumbstruck.

“They kept putting stuff in me. My body rejected most of it but something worked. Gave me hallucinations. Nothing as nice as this...but they're smart. They could have made it better. When you came, they were preparing to dissect me. They wanted to know if the serum would regrow my organs. That's why I was restrained. They weren't sure the programming would hold through that much pain. They were going to do the programming anyway, but not right away. Bucky kind of forced their hand. They knew I needed to be under or I would help Bucky with my escape. So I’m either dead...or on a really good hallucinogen. Either way, this isn’t real,” Skye choked on a sob, “and I’ve been lying to myself because I just really wanted it to be real.”

“They were going to do it while you were awake?” Steve groaned, pulling her tighter. Skye wiggled herself onto his lap.

“I'm not sure this is real,” Skye confessed into his shoulder. “The last thing I remember for sure is bleeding out on that table. I’m afraid you all are the result of DMT saturation. I'm afraid you're all a hallucination, a side effect of whatever that orange stuff was, but I'm going with it because if you're not real, then I'm either dead or still in that lab. I was willing to do it for Jack, I didn't even have to think about making that sacrifice, but I don't want to die alone - so even if you're only in my head I'm keeping you.”

“You're not going to die. You're not in that lab,” Steve whispered, feeling her tears drip onto his neck. “I promise, this is real. We're real. I'm real.”

“I don't want to be alone.”

“Never,” Steve agreed, momentarily shocked by how much her confession sounded like Steven's.

He didn't know what to say, so he just held her. She wrapped her arms around his neck, adjusting so her cheek was resting on his collar bone. The sun started to set and still the two sat there.

“Think Tony shouted up to Thor?” Skye asked finally.

“I didn't see any lightening.” Steve replied with a small shrug.

“Damn,” Skye exhaled softly.

“Sorry, doll.” Steve replied pressing a kiss to her forehead. She felt his lips quirk up. “How worried do you think he is?”

“He's probably watching us right now,” Skye whispered conspiratorially. She twisted her head until she found a camera and waved to it. “Hi! Say hi, Steve.”

“Hi, Tony.” Steve grinned, wiggling his fingers at the camera. He smiled at Skye. “Ready to head back?”

“Yeah, I'm ready.” Skye nodded, smiling softly. They headed back to the Tower hand in hand, neither commenting on the public display of affection that both tended to stray away from. In the Tower they were affectionate enough, Skye especially, but never in public. She bumped her hip into Steve's thigh, “So, how'd I do?”

“With what?” Steve asked.

“The whole sharing deal.”

“I'm not going to lie...I didn't like that particular share. But I'm proud of you for opening up.” Steve smiled, pulling his hand free from hers and dropping it around her shoulders. He pressed a kiss to  the top of her head. “I kind of like the idea of spending eternity with you though.”

“Aw, you made the moment all sappy!” Skye groaned. Steve grinned and hoisted her over his shoulder, running for the Tower.

“Steven Grant Rogers! Put me down!” Skye giggled, making no effort to squirm free. Steve laughed and hurried past security, ignoring the grins the guards were hiding. He stepped into the elevator and bopped in place, still holding Skye firmly on his shoulder. “God, you suck.”

 

0-0-0-0-0

 

“You didn’t tell them?” Skye asked, hesitantly hopeful. Bucky and Jack shook their heads. “Why not?”

“You didn’t want _us_ watching it,” Jack replied softly. “We took…”

“You took,” Bucky corrected quickly.

“I took that choice from you by showing it to Bucky and Steve,” Jack shrugged, nodding up at Bucky. “If you want the rest of the team to see the footage, it’s your decision to make.”

“Really?”

“Really,” Jack smiled, holding out the odd flash drive to her. “It’s yours.”

“Thank you,” Skye replied, pulling free from Steve so she could launch herself at Jack. She tried to hold her tears back, but the entire day had been shitty and she couldn’t stop herself from crying softly into his shoulder.

“I think I broke her,” Jack whispered to the two other men, wincing with real concern.

“You didn’t break me,” she laughed softly. She tightened her arms around his shoulders, extending the hug.

“Are you sure?” Jack asked, starting to get antsy. “Cause this is crossing into sappy territory and you’re not even uncomfortable and-”

“I think we can make it more sappy,” Bucky grinned, wrapping his own arms around Skye and Jack. He threw back his head and released a long, shaky,  _very fake_ , sob.

“Help me,” Jack pleaded to Steve softly. Bucky lifted one eyebrow at his friend and Steve grinned. He bracketed Jack and Skye on the opposite side, and then joined Bucky in loud sobbing. Between their silliness and Jack’s obvious discomfort, Skye was giggling in no time.

“Hmm, that’s my girl,” Bucky smiled, pressing a kiss to the top of her head.

“Hey, she’s _my_ girl,” Steve argued quickly.

“I met her first,” Bucky shot back.

“That makes you more my man than Skye’s,” Jack offered with a coy smile. Steve groaned and dropped his face into Skye’s shoulder.

“Why?” Bucky asked.

“I met Steve before Skye did,” Jack shrugged. “Did you ever hear about that?”

“I heard about internet theories?” Bucky chuckled. “And I know he’s your boyfriend at Shield.”

“You didn’t tell him about our bet?” Jack grinned. Skye picked up her head and shook her head in denial.

“I don’t think it ever came up,” she replied.

“Okay, so Skye is a little competitive…” Jack began...

 

0-0-0-0-0

 

“You didn’t think we were real?” Steve asked later, once she had had a bath and was more or less a limp puddle in his arms. She had spoken to Bucky for a few minutes in private, but had refused the company of the other team members. She had caught Steven sneaking through the vents and took the time to reassure him that she was okay, but everyone knew she wanted space. Jack had even offered up his own room in case she wanted to sleep alone. Her panic resurfaced at the word, so he quickly dropped his offer.

There was some sniffing noises at the door of his room, but Jarvis had locked the room down. Steve wanted to give Skye the chance to break down in private, if she needed to. He knew Steven wanted in, but he would be okay until morning. Bucky reassured him that his boy would be in safe hands.

“I mean...you’re real, as a person. Just not _this_.” Skye mumbled.

“Why not?”

“Because there is no way I deserve something like this. There is too much good.”

“There’s a lot of bad, too, though.”

“No, not really.”

“Bucky has night terrors and slips into Asset mode.”

“But he’s free and we can help him through his stuff.”

“You got shot.”

“Bucky saved me.”

“Those kids aren’t being treated well at Shield.”

“Tony and I are building a house.”

“Ward can be an asshole.”

“But he’s fun to pick on.”

“You were kidnapped.”

“I was rescued.”

“I was blown up.”

“But the blood saved you.”

“Pepper got kidnapped.”

“For like an hour.”

“Tony’s heart was destroyed.”

“Tony’s heart is better than it’s been in years.”

“Skye…”

“Steve, you don’t understand,” Skye said firmly, propping herself up on her elbows. “I’ve never had this. It’s always been bad, followed by more bad, followed by more bad. If someone got taken, we didn’t get them back. Well, we didn’t get them back alive. Yes, bad stuff has happened - but it’s gotten better. I have actual friends. I have actual family. I have my best friend with me. I have this perfect specimen of a boyfriend. I have a home. Steve, I've never had any of that. That's why I thought this was fake. I don't know what good feels like.”

“I don’t think I’ve considered just how bad things have been for you,” Steve murmured. “Of course, we knew it was bad...but if you thought _this_ was fake because it’s too good…”

“I’ll tell you more, okay?”

“You don’t have to.”

“I know, but I’m also tired of keeping it all in. Bucky knows some of it, but I’m afraid of overloading him. He’s got his own bad to worry about. I’ve never been able to talk to Jack about it. I’ve tried to keep him as innocent as possible.”

“Whenever you feel like you’re ready to share, you let me know,” Steve offered, kissing her forehead. “You can’t overload me.”

“Can’t?” Skye snorted.

“Nah, super soldier, remember?”

“It’s just going to be little bits at a time,” Skye murmured sleepily. “I’ll break it up into bite sized pieces for you.”

He hummed his understanding - the bite sized pieces were more for her than for him, but he would take it anyway he could get it. He suspected there was a lot of bite sized pieces coming his way. After a few minutes of silence, he couldn’t help but vocalize a concern.

“You didn’t think I was real?” Steve asked softly. “Us? This?”

“We’ve never even fought, Steve.” Skye whispered.

“Is that a bad thing?”

“No,” Skye admitted. “But it didn’t do anything to convince me this was real.”

“Should we have a fight?” Steve asked, his lips twitching.

“Right now?” Skye whispered.

“No, I’m tired and I’d like to keep cuddling with my girlfriend who, _apparently_ , needs fights to be convinced things are real.”

“You could also just kiss me.”

“But that wouldn’t convince you,” Steve laughed.

“I’m convinced,” Skye giggled, crawling up his body. “Just fucking kiss me.”

“I could kiss you and then fuck you,” Steve mused playfully, “But I don’t think I’d want to fuck you and then kiss you. Seems a little rude.”

“I’ve been a terrible influence,” Skye moaned. “Shut up and prove to me you’re real.”

“Skye…” Steve whispered, the humor dropping from his features. “I don’t know how to convince you. I’ve just been...me. I’ve just been…”

“Perfect. You’ve just been perfect,” Skye admitted, tracing a finger down his cheek bone. “Steve...I love you. I’ve loved you for a while. God, such a long while...but I didn’t want to tell you and then have this be fake. I have my limits...and that would have broken me. I just...I love you so much.”

“I know,” Steve smiled, leaning up to kiss her. “You talk in your sleep, remember? Can I tell you something?”

“Yes?”

“Skylar Elizabeth Stark, I love the shit out of you.”

“Steven Grant Rogers, I love the shit out of you,” Skye grinned sleepily.

“Can I prove to you I’m real later?” Steve smiled, kissing her sleepily.

“You love me,” Skye nodded.

“I sure do.”

“Okay, Face Plant. Go to sleep. I love you.”

“I love you.”

“I love _you_.”

“I _love_ you.”

“ _I love you_.”

“I LOVE YOU,” Steve shouted. Skye broke down in giggles, but shortly after she was sleeping heavily on his chest.

 


	85. I died, too.

 

“I have a proposal for you,” Tony grinned, walking into Jack’s lab. The duo was taking a break, sitting side by side on their couch. Tony did a double take; he hadn’t realized Fitz was back in the Tower. He idly wondered if Coulson was aware.

“Oh, kinky.” Jack smirked, ignoring Fitz’ elbow in his side.

“Proposal, not proposition,” Tony smirked right back.

“What’s the proposal?” Fitz asked, munching on a pretzel.

“Group project?” Tony asked, sitting across from the pair.

“What are we building?” Jack asked, sitting forward. His attention was peaked.

“Skye stopped by this morning,” Tony replied by way of answering. “Steve’s birthday is coming up…”

“Ass vibrator.” Jack nodded, “yes, I approve. Oh, or anal beads?”

“Vibrating anal beads that sing the _Star Spangled Man_?” Fitz offered, grinning.

“You two...are...I don’t know what you are,” Tony admitted, laughing, “but I _love_ it. That can definitely be Steve’s present, but that wasn’t what I was going to say.”

“Oh, sorry,” Jack apologized. “I got carried away.”

“Skye stopped by…” Fitz prompted.

“Long...oh God, so long, story short, she’s worried about Bucky and fireworks.”

“PTSD triggers or programming triggers?” Fitz asked, immediately catching on.

“Probably PTSD,” Tony replied. “She was wondering if we could build him discrete headphones or earplugs...anything that would allow him to block out the fireworks enough to enjoy the show - and not worry Steve.”

“He loves the fireworks,” Fitz nodded.

“But he’ll cancel if he thinks it’s going to affect Bucky.” Jack nodded.

“We’ve got...a little less than a week.” Tony mused, “think we can pull this off?”

“A week?” Fitz scoffed, “we can definitely finish these in a week.”

“Then let’s get to work!”

“Jarvis, remind me to get Bucky to the lab later this morning. I want to try out the new polymer.”

 

0-0-0-0-0

 

“You okay now?” Clint asked as soon as Skye entered the room. He was making toast - grimacing when it popped out with Jack’s name on the side. He sighed and dangled the offending food at Jack, “you need to fix this.”

“Not worth it,” Jack denied quickly, smirking. Clint sighed and turned his attention back to Skye.

“Yeah, I’m okay,” she smiled.

“Actually okay or pretending to be okay?” Clint pressed. She rolled her eyes and snatched his toast. She smirked as she spread peanut butter on it, then walked away as she shoved a corner in her mouth.

“You know he’s just worried about you,” Bucky murmured, falling in step beside her.

“I know.”

“We’re all worried about you,” Bucky offered even more softly. She hesitated midstep.

“Why?” She asked, frowning.

“We know somethin’ happened on that mission with Coulson,” he informed her with a serious expression. “It’s not like you to ignore phone calls and text messages. It’s even more unlikely that the entirety of Coulson’s team was unavailable as well.”

“I got kidnapped for a teeny while,” Skye snorted, rolling her eyes. “Coulson didn’t want you guys fucking up his op so he didn’t let anyone talk to you. Apparently, they’re not convincing liars.”

“Kidnapped?” Bucky asked, stopping her with a hand on her elbow.

“By choice,” she sighed. “It was the most effective way to find the missing girls. It was perfectly safe. Relax.”

“Then why did you take off as soon as you got back?”

“Because I needed time to...process. I don’t know, Bucky. Shit. Just drop it.”

“Where are you goin’?”

“Gym,” she replied.

“Want company or no?”

“Whichever,” she shrugged.

“Солнышко, you’re worryin’ me,” Bucky sighed, dragging her to a stop. “What’s goin’ on in that brilliant brain of yours?”

“I just...realized something yesterday, that’s all,” she hedged.

“Somethin’ good or somethin’ bad?”

“I haven’t decided yet.”

“Солнышко.”

“I didn’t think this was real,” Skye sighed, throwing her hands up in frustration.

“I thought Steven and I were enough to ground you, when you thought the hallucinogen was-”

“I thought I died, when I bled out on that table,” she interrupted. “I mean, I did die...but I thought I stayed dead. I thought this was-” Skye ground to a halt, rubbing her palms against her eyes. “When you die, your brain releases this drug. The drug slows down time. The theory is that when you die, you’re suspended in time- kind of. You’re dead, but you don’t know it. Your brain creates-”

“An afterlife,” Bucky sighed, pulling her into his chest. “You thought you were dead and this is your version of heaven.”

“Yeah,” she nodded, clutching his shirt. Bucky was silent for a long minute, processing that bit of information.

“Well, I’m flattered,” he said finally. “Your heaven includes sleepin’ with me every couple nights.”

“You’re stupid,” Skye laughed, smacking his chest.

“Hmm, that’s debatable,” he laughed. “You’re the one who kept puttin’ me there.”

“Would you rather I didn’t?” She teased.

“No,” Bucky replied immediately. “Don’t kick me out.”

“Never.”

“Mr. Barnes, Sir is requesting your presence in his lab,” Jarvis chimed in.

“Perfect timing,” Skye laughed. “It was about to get sappy.”

“You think I need to worry about this?” Bucky asked, nodding up towards Jarvis’ voice.

“Nah,” she smirked. “I spoke to Tony this morning. I think you’re gonna like this.”

“Yep, I’m worryin’ about this,” he groaned. When she laughed and pulled away, he pulled her back and kissed the top of her head. “I’ll find you in the gym when Tony’s done torturin’ me?”

“Sure sure.”

 

0-0-0-0-0

 

“Whatcha doing?” Steve asked, watching Steven carry his puppy up the stairs.

“Shh,” Steven shushed. Steve grinned and let the door close softly behind him. He followed Steven up the stairs, glancing up when the boy did. He saw Skye jogging up the stairs and turned to Steven with a smirk.

“Are you stalking Skye?”

“No,” Steven muttered, clutching his puppy tightly. “Quick, come here.”

“What are you doing?” Steve asked, letting the boy drag him into a corner of the stairwell under the steps. Skye’s steps were soft as she came back down the stairs. She passed their hiding spot silently, focusing on her hand placement; she was flipped upside down - taking the stairs in a handstand position. Steven waited for another minute, then slipped past Steve to follow Skye down the stairs. Steve winced and followed. “How long has she been doing this?”

“I’m not sure,” Steven replied, following from a safe distance. “Long enough for Zeus to get tired.”

“Is that why you’re carrying him?”

“Yeah,” he nodded, looking up at Steve. “I was afraid she was under programming.”

“She’s not though, right?”

“No,” he replied softly. “I think she’s just thinking about something. I found her on her course a few weeks ago; she was doing the same run over and over. She told me not to worry - it was just her way of processing.”

“Skye!” Bucky shouted, slamming a door open between where Skye was and Steve and Steven were following her.

“What?” Skye shouted back. There was a soft thump when she dropped her feet to the concrete steps.

“Skylar Elizabeth!” Bucky shouted, running down the stairs.

“What?!”

“You’ve got to see this!”

“He sounds excited,” Steven grinned, shoving Zeus into Steve’s hands. He hurried down the steps, racing to catch up.

“Well, let’s go see what he’s excited about,” Steve told Zeus, taking the stairs three at a time.

“Bend,” Skye murmured, looking at something near Bucky’s midsection.

“Whoa!” Steven gasped, sliding around Bucky’s waist to see. “It looks real! Did Tony take your metal arm off?”

“No,” Bucky grinned, turning slightly to show Steve his arm. Steve’s mouth dropped open and he gaped at the perfection. “There’s too many neural connections embedded in my brain and in my arm. Basically, they can’t take the arm off - at least not yet. Tony made some polymer that will stick to the metal, but is flexible enough to bend.”

“This is so cool!” Steven grinned, bouncing up and down. “Now we can go outside without gloves. It kind of grabs attention when it’s so hot out.”

“It’s designed to look like my actual arm. Look, Stevie, it’s even got my freckle!”

“It’s a very cute freckle,” Skye smirked, running her finger over the polymer. “It feels like skin. Tony did a good job.”

“He said they’re working on embedding some new neural sensors, so I can feel with it.”

“Wait, you can’t feel your metal arm?” Steve frowned.

“I mean, kind of.” Bucky winced, trying to figure out how to explain it. “I can feel the movement. I know when I’m bending my elbow or flexing my fingers. But I don’t _feel_. It’s more like…”

“Pressure,” Skye offered helpfully.

“Yeah. If I’m carrying Steven, I can’t feel the texture of his clothes or the temperature of his skin. But I can feel the pressure of him on my arm. I can feel the pressure shift if he does.”

“Ah,” Steve nodded. “I’m sorry, I didn’t realize. I didn’t think to ask…”

“Shut up, Stevie.”

“Yeah, _Stevie_ ,” Steven added, grinning.

“Shush it, you,” Steve laughed, pulling him into a noogie.

“Why are you so sweaty?” Skye asked, looking over at Steven. His face was a little flushed from the stairs.

“I worked out with Zeus,” Steven answered smoothly. “He’s a little tired now.”

“Yeah he is,” Steve nodded. The puppy was nestled in the nook of his elbow, sleeping. “He’s drooling on me.”

“Good thing he’s cute,” Skye grinned, reaching over the rub the puppy’s head.

“Eh,” Steve shrugged, wincing slightly at the furry baby.

“Hey!” Steven gasped. “That’s my puppy!”

“We can blame Bucky,” Steve grinned. “I didn’t pick him.”

“He was gonna die, Steve!”

“ _He was gonna die, Steve!_ ” he mimicked.

“Oh, very mature,” Steven muttered, snatching his puppy and walking away.

“ _Oh, very mature_ ,” Steve grinned, following the boy out of the stairwell.

“You should have raised him better,” Skye laughed, nudging Bucky.

“Better?” Bucky groaned. “That is better! You should have seen him as a child!”

“Please, can we find pictures of you guys as children?” Skye begged, putting her chin on his shoulder.

“Sure,” Bucky agreed easily. “If we can find some.”

“Oh, we can find some.”

“You feeling a little better?” Bucky asked.

“Yeah.”

“You’ve been doing the stairs since I left you?”

“Maybe.”

“Your legs are going to be noodles,” Bucky sighed.

“Nah,” she shrugged. “I’ll take a bath.”

“Skye!” Jack shouted into the stairwell from several floors up.

“Jesus, people are needy today,” Skye muttered. She sighed and shouted back up at Jack, “Yeah?”

“My lab, now,” Jack shouted.

“Fuck,” Skye muttered. “Let’s go.”

 

“Skye,” May nodded. “Bucky, I’m going to ask you to leave.”

“What’s this about?” Skye frowned, looping her arm through his arm.

“It’s none of his concern,” May frowned right back.

“Is it about him?”

“No.”

“Who is it about?”

“Coulson.”

“Just fucking tell me. Bucky, you’re staying. I need some mental backup today.”

“Hey!” Jack grumbled.

“Aw, Jack,” Skye sighed.

“No, it’s fine. I’m just the kid. I don’t need to be anyone’s backup.” Jack snapped. He threw his hands up and stormed from the room. Skye dropped Bucky’s arm and headed after him. May reached out and closed her hand around her wrist.

“Let go of me,” Skye said softly, firmly.

“He’ll be fine. You know he’s dramatic,” May replied. Skye’s jaw snapped shut. Bucky pulled Skye to his side, giving May a stern look.

“Why don’t you tell us what’s going on with Coulson so we can go find him,” Bucky said softly. May frowned but released Skye.

“Look, I’m sorry about Jack.”

“Just tell me what’s going on with AC,” Skye sighed. She rubbed her forehead with the back of her hand.

“I’d really prefer it if he wasn’t here,” May said with a glare towards Bucky.

“And I’d really prefer it if he were,” Skye shot back. “Now, what’s going on with AC?”

“He doesn’t know,” May sighed. “He doesn’t know I’m here. He doesn’t know that I know.”

“Know what?!”

“The director put me on Coulson’s team to monitor him,” May frowned.

“Monitor him?” Skye frowned right back. What little good humor she had left slipped right from her body.

“Look, I know that you know about Tahiti. I know you know that we brought him back.”

“Why are you monitoring him?” She growled.

“Whoa, whoa,” May sighed, backing away from her. “We weren’t sure what the side effects would be. We knew...we knew that there would be side effects.”

“And how exactly did you know there would be side effects?” Bucky asked, holding Skye at his side as she started for May.

“Because it was a drug that Shield was investigating,” May sighed.

“If you don’t tell me everything - _now_ \- I am going to lose my shit,” Skye said softly. Her hands were shaking as she tried to hold back her anger.

“Please,” Bucky said softly. “Her temper isn’t something you want to see-”

“I’m right fucking here.”

“Shield has known about Centipede for a while now,” May sighed. “Years back, before it was even called Centipede, we raided a compound. Everything was super classified - I don’t know when. I don’t know why. But I know they found this drug. Centipede had some files - the drug was some miracle cure. So Shield took it. When we started running our own trials, the results were amazing. At first.”

“What happened,” Skye prompted when May trailed off.

“Look, most of this was before my time. All I know is that they kept shutting the trials down. Then a few years later, the trials would start back up. Coulson was in charge of the last batch of trials.”

“Coulson didn’t know about this drug,” Skye argued.

“He doesn’t remember, no.”

“So you stole that from him too?”

“I didn’t do it!” May yelled. “I wasn’t involved in any of this. I grieved my friend when he died. A few weeks later, I get a call. Coulson’s alive. He’s fine and he’s gonna be running his own team.”

“Did you know what side effects were you watching for?” Skye asked, forcing herself to take a breath.

“I knew what happened in the last trial,” May said softly. Her face went pale.

“Show me. Show me what he drew,” Skye whispered.

“How did you know he would draw?”

“Show me.”

“I don’t think it’s been going on long,” May admitted. “It starts out pretty minor. I caught him doodling in the dirt with the tip of his shoe in China. I didn’t think much of it. But then I found this and…”

May handed Skye a folded over piece of paper. There were some mission notes on it, but it was the circles and lines across the border that had her sitting down hard on Jack’s couch.

“This isn’t good, May.”

“I know,” May sighed. “I haven’t called it in to the director yet.”

“What’s the protocol if he gets worse?” Skye winced.

“They’ll erase his memory, first. That buys some time, but he wouldn’t be a Shield agent anymore. He wouldn’t be Phil. They would set him up with a whole new life.”

“And then?”

“Eventually he’ll fall into psychosis. There’s no coming back from this.”

“Don’t tell the director.”

“I have to.”

“Don’t. Bruce is working on it already. Give him some time.”

“I was thinking maybe, since your blood heals things…” May said hesitantly, stopping when Skye shook her head.

“It won’t work, May,” she whispered. “It might make things worse.”

“How would it make it worse?”

“A double dose of the serum might speed things up,” Skye admitted. She let her hair fall around her face and added in a hoarse whisper, “I died, too.”

“You got GH-325?” May asked softly.

“Well that confirms things,” Bucky sighed, pulling Skye into his chest. She was hiding herself, which meant she was more upset than she was letting on.

“What confirms things?”

“The scientists told Skye she got GH-325. We didn’t know exactly what Coulson got until you just told us,” Bucky murmured.

 


	86. Where do you think you've been all night?

 

“Skye?” Steve asked, poking his head inside the room. Bucky and Skye were on the couch, absently watching something on TV. Bucky’s arm was thrown around her shoulders, but she was sitting stiff and uncompromising despite the gesture.

“Hmm?” She asked, glancing over.

“You okay?”

“Pff, yeah,” she scoffed.

“Bucky?”

“Yeah, that’s a hard no,” Bucky muttered, shooting a worried look at Skye from the corner of his eye.

“What’s going on?”

“Everything,” she sighed. “I can’t believe I thought this was perfect.”

“Hey, talk to me,” Steve said softly, joining them on the couch.

“Yeah, talk to _him_ ,” Jack shouted angrily from his room. Steve glanced back at Skye just in time to see her recover from a wince.

“Jesus Christ, Jackson. Just get out here,” Bucky yelled, looking annoyed. He glanced over at Skye and shook his head. In a hushed tone he whispered, “your brother’s dramatics are gettin’ out of hand.”

“You don’t get to call me Jackson,” he growled, stomping out of his room.

“You wanna tell him or should I?” Bucky sighed, looking over at Skye.

“You can tell him about Coulson,” she replied, returning Bucky’s look. He pursed his lips and nodded.

“What’s going on with Coulson?” Jack asked, sitting on the coffee table in front of them. Skye clenched her palms together and shoved her hands between her thighs.

“What has Fitz told you, about Coulson’s history?” Bucky asked. Steve raised an eyebrow and settled in next to Skye. Something told him this wasn’t going to be good. He wasn’t sure if the _wrongness_ permeating from Skye was related to Coulson or if it was something more personal but he didn’t like it. Jack frowned and leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees.

“Shield lifer. Recruited the Avengers. Died right before the Battle of New York. Well, I mean, kind of died. That’s why he got the Bus and his own team. The director felt bad,” Jack summarized succulently. “I mean there’s more, a thousand tiny details, but somehow that’s not what you’re asking about - right?”

“He died,” Bucky nodded.

“Stabbed in the chest.”

“It sliced his heart in two,” Bucky replied, without missing a beat. Jack rolled his eyes.

“Even the magic blood couldn’t fix something like that.”

“It wasn’t magic blood. It was some sort of serum. He was dead for eight days, Jack. And that serum brought him back.”

“Is this some kind of sick joke, Skye?” Jack growled, turning on his sister. “Cause it’s not fucking funny.”

“He’s not lying to you,” she whispered, not meeting his eye.

“What kind of serum can fix a heart like that? What kind of serum can bring someone back to life after _eight days_? If Shield can figure out a serum like that, then Centipede could have figured out a serum like that. _We_ could have figured it out.”

“A bad one,” Bucky replied softly, glancing at Skye from the corner of his eye. “The symptoms are slow to show. But they’re startin’ to show in Coulson.”

“It’s been years since he died. Years. Why would they still be looking for symptoms?” Jack asked, his anger fading slightly.

“Because Shield has been doin’ experiments with the serum for years, off and on. They know what to look for because they’ve seen it all before, Jack.”

“What’s going to happen to him?” Jack asked, his face falling.

“We’re going to figure it out,” Skye murmured.

“What’s going to happen to him?” Jack insisted.

“He’s started drawin’,” Bucky replied. “Hypergraphia is what they’re callin’ it. He can’t control it. We don’t even think he knows he’s doin’ it, not yet at least.”

“It’s going to get worse?”

“The compulsion will increase,” Bucky nodded.

“Until?”

“Until we can fix it,” Skye growled.

“What if you can’t fix it?!” Jack gasped, covering his mouth in horror. “Coulson is like a dad to that team - like a dad to Fitz. Oh god, does Fitz know?”

“No, Fitz doesn’t know. Not about the serum, not about the side effects. We’d like to keep it that way,” Bucky murmured, releasing Skye to grip Jack’s hands. “Listen, we don’t need to alarm everyone.”

“We’ll fix it,” Skye agreed, her eyes firmly on her knees. “We have to fix it.”

“I need...I need…” Jack fumbled, running his hands through his hair anxiously. “I’m gonna go shower. Yeah, I’m gonna go shower and…” He sighed and floated his hand around his head, “...process.”

“What aren’t you telling him?” Steve asked after the shower could be heard running.

“Tony says the alcohol is never out,” Skye grinned. “Let’s go test that theory.”

“Skye!” Steve called when she pranced from the room. He frowned and turned to Bucky, “what isn’t she saying?”

“I think I would like to test out my metabolism against alcohol. God, I haven’t been drunk since...shit, I don’t know. The forties?”

“Bucky...please. What isn’t she saying?” Steve asked softly, reaching out to grab his hand as he got up.

“Stevie,” Bucky smiled, “if you need me to tell you that she’s not ready to share yet, then you don’t know your girl very well.”

“Just tell me I don’t have to worry,” Steve countered.

“I refuse to let this be the first problem Skye can’t solve,” Bucky smiled. “That’s the best I can offer you. Now, please, let’s go find some alcohol.”

 

0-0-0-0-0

 

“Remind me to thank Thor for this,” Skye giggled, leaning heavily into Steve's side.

“I already made you a note to remind you,” Steve smiled.

“Can we go to bed?” Skye asked, again.

“Yep.” Steve replied patiently. They were already in the elevator heading to their floor.

“You're amazing. Like perfect. You're perfect.” Skye drawled.

“Let's get you to bed,” Steve laughed, scooping her up. He carried her straight to the bathroom, knowing Skye would be annoyed in the morning if she didn't wash her face and brush her teeth. He set her down on the sink top and handed her her toothbrush.

“You put Bucky in bed, right?”

“Yes, Skye, Bucky is safe in bed,” Steve smirked.

“Good. I've been thinking.” Skye announced, after spitting out a mouthful of foam.

“Oh, no.” Steve grinned teasingly. He watched her while brushing his own teeth. He was a little buzzed, but had deliberately limited his consumption. Bucky, however, was out for the count. That alone had him worried; Skye and Bucky had both hit the Thor stash with reckless abandon. He simultaneously wanted to know what had them both so thrown and wanted to ignore all the problems away - for the night at least.

“Yeah. I'm gonna be better at telling you stuff.”

“The big stuff?” Steve asked, rinsing out his toothbrush.

“I am sick of keeping secrets. I've been doing it for...well, way too long. You can be my secret keeper.”

“You can start by telling me when your birthday is,” Steve offered, handing her a washcloth.

“That one is hard though.” Skye grumbled, washing her face.

“Why is that one hard?” Steve grinned, scooping her up and taking her from the bathroom.

“Cause I don't know when my birthday is.” Skye admitted. Steve frowned at that, but pressed forward anyway.

“But you have a general time frame, right?”

Steve and Skye changed into their sleeping clothes, which meant he stripped everything off but his boxers and shirt and Skye pulled on one of Steve's shirts.

“I was the kid from the sixties. The one Coulson mentioned.” Steve froze and processed her words. She climbed into bed and squirmed closer to his side of the bed. “Come on, Steve. It's cold.”

“Sorry, doll.” Steve muttered, forcing himself to move. Skye squirmed up to his side and wrapped herself around him.

“So, the nuns always said I was a summer baby,” Skye mumbled, rubbing her face against Steve's chest. “I was an infant when I was dropped off. It didn’t matter. I don’t like to celebrate it. I’m 53, Steve.”

“Hey, that only makes you half as old as me,” Steve replied after a minute. “So you don’t know when you were born?”

“Nope. Can I tell you something big? Something I've kept from Jack?”

“How did you keep a secret from Jack?” Steve smiled, pushing her hair away from her face so he could kiss her forehead.

“Hmm, I'm good at not answering questions I don't want to answer.” Skye mumbled, squirming so she was laying on top of Steve's chest. She crossed her arms and rested her chin on them, grinning sleepily at him.

“Surprisingly, that's something I already knew about you,” Steve chuckled. “What's your something big?”

“I trained at a facility,” Skye said softly. “Kind of like the kids...but not.”

“For Centipede?” Steve asked, startled into sitting upright. Skye grumbled when she fell off his chest, but pushed him back down and made herself comfortable again.

“It was different,” Skye replied, shaking her head.

“Is that why you're so good?” Steve asked, swallowing hard.

“Hmm, yes? But at the same time, no.”

“Doll...that doesn't make sense.”

“It's...complicated,” Skye replied, tugging her bottom lip into her mouth. She mulled over her thoughts, then popped her lip loose. “You know how I didn't want to do that IQ test for Tony?”

“Yeah?”

“It's cause I don't want him to feel bad,” Skye admitted. “Tony's smart. Like, crazy smart...but, I've taken a test before. Not really the same as what he wanted, but close enough.”

“You got a better score than him?” Steve grinned.

“Yeah,” Skye nodded shyly.

“By a lot?”

“Hard to say,” Skye shrugged. “The test isn't the same.”

“So yes?” Steve laughed. She was talking around the point, which was a dead give away. Skye shrugged and giggled against his chest.

“Can you take this off?” Skye asked, plucking at his shirt.

“You need more skin to skin?” He teased, lifting his upper body so he could pull his shirt off. Skye nodded and tugged her own shirt off, then pressed herself back to his chest. Steve wrapped an arm around her and shifted them both under the blankets. He pressed a kiss to the top of her head and smirked, “So, I'm dating a genius?”

“Is that okay?”

“Honestly, it doesn't really matter.” Steve replied softly. “You're still my girl.”

“Yeah?”

“Yeah,” Steve confirmed, tilting her chin up so he could kiss her. “Besides, I already knew you were crazy smart.” She grinned sleepily and pulled herself closer for another kiss. “What does that have to do with your training?”

“That's why I'm good at the fighting.”

“Yeah, doll, that doesn't explain anything,” Steve laughed. She could be like Tony – she just assumed people followed her train of thought, even if it wasn't clear what her train of thought was.

“I can _see_ what I need to do?” Skye said softly, her eyebrows furrowing. “Like, I can see the trajectory I need to take. There’s little lines, everywhere. I calculated it once. The physics is about as efficient as the most efficient possibility. So that's my brain's doing. But I was trained to _use_ that. I can make my body take those lines.”

“Jesus,” Steve muttered, pulling his head back so he could look at her. She was attempting to bury her face in his shoulder. “All the time?”

“Hmm, not if I'm alone and still,” she murmured, nuzzling into his warmth. “Right now, I don’t have any lines.” She smiled up at him, “but if you flipped me off you, I would know the best way to recover.”

“Is that why you hide sometimes?” Steve asked softly, caressing her jaw bone.

“My head gets loud,” Skye nodded, with a deep yawn.

“It probably doesn't help living with so many people,” Steve sighed. He didn't know how to make this particular issue better.

“'s okay,” Skye slurred. “Used to it.”

“Skye?” Steve asked, smiling softly as she struggled to stay awake long enough to finish the conversation. “Will you tell me what you’re leaving out about Coulson? I’m really worried about what you’re leaving out.”

“...oh, Steve. I’m not nearly drunk enough to tell you that,” Skye replied, wincing at him. “I meant it when I said I’ll be better about secrets...but I’m not done processing this one yet.”

“Okay, doll,” he agreed. “Can I ask a question? You don’t have to answer it if you don’t want to.”

“Shoot,” she grinned, trailing a fingertip across his chest. He squirmed slightly and pressed his hand over hers.

“It’s about 47.”

“Henry,” Skye corrected softly. “Please, can you call him Henry? He’s more than their experiment.”

“Can I ask a question about Henry?”

“You can _ask_ ,” she nodded. He smirked at her carefully constructed response. She wasn’t promising an answer.

“Steven said he trained with Delta. He started off in Gamma, but he survived when the rest didn’t.”

Skye was still on his chest, but when he didn’t immediately continue she glanced up with a wary expression. “Is there a question in there somewhere?”

“Jack was Delta, but he doesn’t know Henry.”

“The question?” She pressed. Steve hesitated, suddenly aware that there was more to this than he had first thought. She wasn’t willing to answer because she wasn’t sure what he wanted to know. His mind raced as he tried to connect pieces that he wasn’t even aware of. He wasn’t sure what he wanted to ask anymore.

“I thought...Steven said...Henry joined Delta’s group once he was the only one left from Gamma. Is that how you know him? Why doesn’t Jack know him then?”

“Henry didn’t _join_ Delta,” she replied softly. Her brow was furrowed as she considered his question. “He didn’t live with them. He didn’t train with them. He had some tests with them though. That’s why he’s in Delta’s file.”

“But Jack…”

“Steve, the tests aren’t something they want to remember. Jack doesn’t remember him because the tests usually involved being strapped down. Jack wouldn’t have been able to see who was around him.”

“Like you were strapped down?” Steve blurted out. Her expression blanked out and she nodded faintly. “Shit, sorry, doll. I didn’t mean to-”

“It’s okay, Steve. I know you’re curious. I just don’t know how to talk about this.” Skye interrupted easily. She smiled and stretched up for a kiss.

“How about we finish this in the morning?” Steve suggested softly. Skye nodded and let her eyes fall shut. Steve adjusted his hold on her, keeping her close.

“I love you, Steven Grant Rogers.” Skye hummed, sliding her hand into the waistband of his boxers at his hip. Steve hoped Jarvis was recording her confession, just so he could see the sleepy, satisfied smirk on her face. He was sure his own expression was pretty priceless. She loved him and he was never going to get tired of hearing her tell him so. Steve grinned and twisted so he was on his side and pulled Skye tightly to him.

“I love you, Skylar Elizabeth Stark.”

 

0-0-0-0-0

 

Steve had hoped that the alcohol in her system would keep her asleep for the night, but when he felt her shudder on him he knew he was in for a long night. The frightened tremble that had woke him quickly turned into sobbing, though she pressed her knuckles to her mouth to keep it silent.

“Doll?” Steve asked, trying to shift her. She moaned and jerked in a shaky breath. He caught a peek of her face and winced. She was still sleeping; she was silencing herself in her sleep. He shifted upright, pulling her against his chest as he propped himself up against the headboard. She didn’t respond - with words nor actions. He sighed and wrapped his arms around her a little tighter. “You’re okay,” he murmured into the top of her hair, “I’ve got you. You’re okay.”

“They’re not okay,” she sobbed. “Steven, it’s my fault they’re not alright.”

“Who?”

“Psi. They’re all dead because of _me_ ,” she choked out, burying her face in his neck. He wasn’t sure if she was awake yet or not, but the pain in her voice broke his heart. There was a light tap on the door and it cracked open an inch.

“Can I come in?” Bucky asked, from outside the door.

“Yeah, Buck. Come in,” Steve agreed easily. Bucky hesitated though and Steve grinned a little when he realized why. He glanced down at Skye’s naked torso pressed against his and stretched for the shirt she had discarded. He threaded Skye’s clammy limbs through the shirt and called out, “Bucky, she’s covered.”

“Took you long enough,” Bucky grumbled, pushing into the room quickly. He closed the door behind him with a soft click then hurried to the bed. He slid in beside Steve and added his own arm around Skye’s middle. She was still sobbing and had made no attempt to move. “She’s still sleepin’,” Bucky murmured, unwrapping Steve’s arm so he could press closer. Steve couldn’t help his worried frown from forming at the gesture. Bucky cradled Skye with one arm, but his other had slipped around Steve’s back. Steve dropped his arm around Bucky and held them both tightly.

“I killed them. Steven, I killed them.”

“You didn’t, doll.” Steve murmured. “I saw the video. You didn’t.”

“I did!” She cried out. “I was supposed to save them but I didn’t!”

“Just because you couldn’t save them doesn’t mean you killed them,” Steve whispered, tightening his grip on the two anxious people in his arms. “Centipede killed them. Mr. White killed them. You just happened to be there.”

“They wanted me,” she hissed sadly. “They don’t care about Jack, aside from wanting the pain it would cause me.”

“Why do they want you?” Steve asked, taking a shaky breath of his own. Bucky’s grip around him tightened and he buried his face in Skye’s neck.

“They’re mad at me,” she admitted, sitting up a little more. She sniffed and wiped her face, embarrassed.

“Doll?”

“Sorry, for crying on you,” she whispered.

“Why is Centipede mad at you?” Steve asked softly.

“I took Henry from them,” she replied, twisting in their arms so she was facing Bucky. She fisted both of their shirts in her hands and exhaled a tremulous sigh. “I won’t tell them where Henry is. They want Henry and they want me. They said I could save the kids. They said I could save Psi. They said that I was a selfish princess by not saving them.”

“Why did they think you could save them?”

“I don’t know,” she replied, shaking her head. “They wouldn’t untie me, so I couldn’t have even tried magic blood. I think...I think they were just trying to get under my skin.”

“They succeeded,” Bucky murmured.

“Yeah.” Skye agreed with one easy breath. “How long have you been here, Bucky? You were passed out when we went to bed.”

“Still feel a little drunk,” Bucky admitted drowsily, nuzzling into the warm embrace of Steve’s arm and Skye’s shoulder. His earlier panic was all but gone; all that remained was enough for him to be grateful for this closeness.

“I’m sorry I woke you,” she murmured, casting her eyes up to Steve.

“I’m not,” Steve reassured her. “I’m not Jack. You don’t have to hide your nightmares from me.”

“Would it be weird if we just went back to sleep?” she asked, rubbing her cheek sleepily against Steve’s bare chest. Her lips quirked up when she felt the light rumble of laughter against her face.

“I think Bucky’s already asleep.”

“Nuh uh,” he denied thickly.

“You’re about twenty seconds from drooling all over me.”

“Nuh uh!” she denied with a sleepy giggle. Steve grinned and pushed off the headboard, sliding his body back into a prone position. Bucky grumbled and pulled Skye closer, forcing her between their bodies instead of letting her fall naturally to Steve’s other side.

“We both know you’re not as okay as you’re pretending, doll,” Steve murmured into her shoulder, “and that’s okay, but we’re here when you’re ready to not be okay, too.”

“Hmm hmm,” Bucky hummed, pulling the blankets up to their shoulders. “We can handle whatever you throw at us.”

“Okay, Shiny.”

“Don’t call me that,” Bucky muttered before drifting off. Steve felt Skye stiffen in his arms and realized she didn’t know about Bucky’s newest revelation.

“He can explain in the morning,” he murmured soothingly. She relaxed forcefully and nodded her acceptance.

“The news I wasn't ready to share?” Skye whispered. "From today?"

"The thing that has to do with Coulson?"

"I think I was brought back with the same serum that brought Coulson back."

"Well, shit."

 

0-0-0-0-0

 

“Hey,” Jack smiled warily, sliding into the gym. Skye paused mid-stretch, looking just as wary as he was.

“Good morning, Jack Jack.”

“Mind if I join you?” He asked, offering up a small smile. Trained to see to the core of his actions, Skye could easily see the reconciliatory behavior. She popped off the ground with a smile.

“You’re always welcome to join me,” she murmured into his shoulder when they hugged.

“Even when you’re having adult time with Steve?” Jack teased.

“Yuck, Jack,” she moaned, smacking his chest. His shoulders shook with laughter and she pulled back with a smile. “I’m sorry about yesterday.”

“No, I’m sorry. I over-reacted. I mean, it’s just normal reacting for me...but you’ve been around other actual adults lately and-”

“Jack, I wasn’t trying to keep you out of the loop,” Skye interrupted. “We weren’t sure what serum Coulson had gotten, so we weren’t sure about the side effects. Besides, in the trials the symptoms always started sooner. I didn’t want to worry you when I didn’t even know if it was something we had to worry about.”

“I don’t like that Coulson got a serum,” Jack admitted. “Is it like the Centipede serum? Think we can just share a little magic blood and fix him?”

“We’re going to do everything in our power to fix this,” Skye replied. “I know how important he is to you, to Fitz, to your Shield team. Tai Chi?”

“You trying to shut me up?” Jack smirked.

“Dude, my head is loud,” Skye groaned. “I need to get my zen back.”

“What Thor’s liquor didn’t do that for you?”

“Har har, Jackson. I know you hit your own bottle just as hard. Since I’m a filthy hypocrite, I won’t say anything...but you know better than to mix alcohol with your medicines.”

“Hey! I’ve been doing a way better job of taking care of myself,” Jack huffed, slipping into the space next to his sister. They were quiet for a minute, focusing themselves before starting their fluid movements. After a moment of silence, he spoke again. “I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but I haven’t used magic blood in weeks. I’ve been eating better, most of the time, and I’ve avoided nearly all of my triggers.”

“Hmm, and Fitz keeps you calmer than I ever could?” She teased lightly.

“He makes me happy, sissy.”

“I know - and that makes _me_ happy. I’m glad you have him.”

“Even if that means I’m gone half the time?”

“Jack, you’re long overdue for an adult change. Lord knows you couldn’t have something like this before, but now you’ve got people looking out for you when I can’t. I’ve been lucky enough to have you to myself for 35 years. It’s time you got to add some people to your family.”

“You know you’re still my most important family though, right?” Jack asked, stilling. His hands fell to his sides and he looked over at her with concern etched on his features. “I’m not replacing you.”

“Jack, you know that you’re still my most important family too, right?” Skye replied, ignoring his question. Of course she knew she was important to him. “Things are complicated between Steve and Bucky and-”

“And Tony and Steven and Tasha and-”

“-our family is growing,” she interrupted right back. “That doesn’t mean it’s a bad thing.”

“I was jealous that Bucky knew and I didn’t,” he admitted.

“Bucky was there when I found out.” She shrugged slightly, “I probably wouldn’t have told him otherwise. At least, not right away.”

“I’m worried about you,” Jack admitted.

“Don’t worry about me.”

“See? That’s why I’m worried,” Jack teased softly. “I saw that video, Skye. You shouldn’t have had to go through that, but you shouldn’t be okay after that either.”

“See? This is why I didn’t want you seeing that video,” she muttered dully. “I’m fine, Jack.”

“You deleted that video rather than let us find it. You sacrificed your escape from that place so you could delete it. That tells me you’re not fine.”

“Steven helps,” Skye admitted. “I was scared of him at first, but he’s such a stereotypical Centipede kid that I couldn’t help but let him in my heart.”

“He’s lucky to have you,” Jack smiled, pulling her into a hug. “We were trying, like _really trying_ , when we thought you were dead...but, you’ve just got that touch. You made more progress with him in five minutes than we did in days and days.”

“Well, I had lots of practice,” she teased. “Someone tested me in all the worst ways already.”

“You mean all the best ways,” Jack preened.

“I failed all those children,” Skye admitted softly. “Logically, I know it wasn’t my fault. Logically, I know there wasn’t anything I could have done. Logically, I knew they were lost before I even got there. But knowing something logically isn’t the same as feeling it. I failed them, Jack, so it’s not an option to fail with Steven.”

“You’re not failing with him,” Jack smirked. “You didn’t see him before. He’s happy. He’s adjusted - I mean, mostly. He’s a little mature for his age but he’s also a genius.”

“Tony hasn’t tested him yet,” Skye replied with a smile.

“You think like can’t see like? I won’t play chess with him, Skye. Me.”

“Hmm,” She laughed, “I think I might have to try that out.”

“You can try whatever it is out on Ward,” Fitz muttered, strolling into the gym quickly. He walked straight for Jack, burying his face in his chest before Skye could respond.

“What did he do?” Skye asked, watching as Jack wrapped his arms around his slight frame protectively.

“He just outed us,” Fitz muttered. “To the whole team.”

“May and Trip knew already,” Skye replied softly, joining the hug. “Not that it makes it better, because it doesn’t. I’ll kick his ass for you.”

“Can I watch?” Fitz asked pitifully, peering up at Skye through the mass of limbs that surrounded him.

“You can help,” Skye offered, smirking. “Jarvis, I need Agent Ward to the gym. Now. Restrict all of his access to anything in the Tower until he’s here.”

“I think he was heading for a shower,” Fitz grinned.

“Too bad Jarvis can’t take his freaking towels,” Jack laughed.

“I’ll work on it,” she promised.

“Skylar Elizabeth!” Ward yelled, pounding through the door minutes later. “Really? This couldn’t have waited five minutes?”

“Nope,” Skye smirked, taking in his soapy appearance. There were suds in his hair, running down his torso. A towel was wrapped around his hips - and as three pairs of eyes slowly perused the exposed flesh - his hand tightened on it.

“Totally worth it,” Jack giggled.

“Oh, it’s going to get better,” Skye smirked.

“What’s this about?” Ward asked, trying to remain unruffled. He shifted his stance, trying to look like he was in control of the situation.

“You know what _really_ annoys me?” Skye asked, strolling towards Ward with a flirty smile and swinging hips.

“People who don’t do what you want?” Ward asked, shooting her a cocky smile. His eyes roamed up and down her own form, smirking when she raised an eyebrow at him. “Is that why you don’t like me? You can’t control me, Skye. I don’t fit in your little boxes?”

“I know how we can find out where you’d fit,” Skye smirked, grinning. She glanced down at his towel and reached out with a finger. Ward slapped her hand away and took a step back.

“I’m sure you’d just love that,” Ward laughed stiffly. “Unfortunately I don’t think Captain America would appreciate you comparing...boxes.”

“I don’t think the Captain would mind,” Skye laughed. She settled her stance and rolled her neck. “Steve might though - and that’s where you’re wrong.”

 

0-0-0-0-0

 

“Skye,” Coulson sighed, striding into the common room. Jack, Fitz, and Skye were eating ice cream while sitting on the counter. “The director is calling me, wondering why there are mostly nude pictures of Agent Ward finding their way around Headquarters. Thoughts?”

“He shared something that wasn’t his to share...so I shared something of his that wasn’t mine to share,” she shrugged, spooning a mouthful of ice cream into her mouth. Jack and Fitz grinned at her easy response - and her complete lack of guilt.

“Speaking of which,” Coulson frowned, turning to Fitz and Jack, “you really think we didn’t know? You’re less than subtle. Why wouldn’t you just tell us?”

“We were going to,” Fitz replied, dropping his spoon. Suddenly, this celebration felt...cold. “Sir, I asked Jack not to tell. It’s not that we don’t trust you - really, it’s not. We were just...new and I didn’t want to-”

“We wanted to share ourselves before we...shared ourselves,” Jack interjected. “We didn’t want to jinx anything.”

“Look, I understand,” Coulson smiled, coming into the kitchen to rest his hand on Fitz’s shoulder. “May and I talked about it ages ago…”

“Ha! You didn’t know! May had to tell you!” Skye giggled, squirming in her spot. “Oh my god, Coulson!”

“Skye, shush,” Coulson smirked, confirming her suspicions.

“Girl, that was low,” Trip grinned, strolling into the kitchen. “Why didn’t you invite me?”

“Agent Triplett!”

“What, sir? He knew that wasn’t his news to share. I specifically told him not to.”

“So I can send you in to explain that to the director?” Coulson retorted.

“Eh, no can do, sir. That is the job of the team lead.”

“Oh, that’s a fine card to play,” Coulson smirked. Trip grinned back, revealing his mouthful of white teeth.

“Sorry, sir. It’s out of my hands.”

“Don’t worry,” Bucky grinned, “This little problem is totally in my hands.”

“Fuck, Bucky!” Skye growled, trying to keep her ice cream from spilling as Bucky hoisted her over his shoulder. It ended up all over the counter. “Dammit! That’s my favorite! And put me down! I’m not a freaking rag doll.”

“Солнышко, growlin’ doesn’t work on me,” Bucky smiled, carrying her onto the elevator. He set her down and gave her a hug. “Sorry. Simmons was comin’ to talk to Jack and Fitz and she didn’t want you there to interfere.”

“They don’t need to apologize,” Skye huffed.

“You’re right, they don’t. But they do need to explain, and they need to hear her out, so just shut up and come see your stupid boyfriend.”

“Ouch, Bucky,” Steve frowned, crossing his arms at the entrance of the elevator.

“Oh, man. Terrible timin’,” Bucky smirked. Skye’s phone rang and she took a step out of the elevator.

“This is Skye,” she smiled, answering her phone. Bucky smiled from next to her; he had seen the number for the _old guy_ bar that Steve liked on the caller ID before she answered. “Hi Fred, I’ve been meaning to stop by.”

“From the bar?” Steve asked, looking up from his book. Bucky nodded and smiled, pushing back a little on the couch to get more comfortable. It creaked ominously and Steve shot him a pointed look.

“Sorry, Stevie. But it’s not all my fault. You all are just as tough on it as I am,” Bucky smirked. “Maybe Stark can design something a little more...heavy duty.”

“Or you can just stop doing that,” Steve retorted easily.

“Which one?” Skye asked softly, letting her hair fall around her face as she spoke. Bucky absentmindedly reached over to stop her from picking at her nails, but looked surprised when he grabbed her hand and realized it was shaking. “Yeah, Fred. I’m coming now… Yeah,” She chuckled wetly, “I’ll try.”

“Everything okay, doll?” Steve asked, setting aside his book. She didn’t lift her head right away, but when she did there were tears shining in her eyes.

“Can you guys come with me to the hospital?” She asked softly. “George doesn’t have much time left and he’s asking for Louise and I just...I don’t think I can do this alone. Please?”

“Of course, doll. You gonna change into your dress?”

Skye’s head fell, covering her face with hair. Her shoulders heaved and she took a shuddering breath. In an instant, two pairs of strong arms were wrapped around her. They let her hide for a minute, until she had herself together enough to push them away.

“I’m going to change,” She whispered. “I’ll be right back.”

She changed quickly, her entire demeanor was quiet. Her jaw was clenching and unclenching, but she refused to cry.

“I’ll drive,” Bucky offered softly. “Why don’t you sit in back with your girl?”

“Thanks, Bucky.” Steve nodded. He opened the door to the SUV for Skye, offering her his hand to help her in. She didn’t release his hand once she was inside so he slid in next to her. She didn’t put a seatbelt on and Steve didn’t push it, he just pulled her into his arms and ran his hand over her hair the entire way to the hospital.

She was visibly more composed as Steve and Bucky lead her inside. The nurses did a double take when they saw a small, fragile looking woman in an old fashioned dress being escorted in by two very large, very serious men.

“Can I help you?” A nurse asked nervously.

“Yes, ma’am,” Bucky replied, offering her a smile. Obviously, they were making her nervous. “We’re lookin’ for a friend of ours. George Leitner.”

“Ah, yes. They’re expecting you,” The nurse replied, smiling.

“They’re?” Steve asked.

“His family,” She replied. “Well, that’s what they described themselves as…”

“It’s everyone from the bar,” Skye offered softly. Steve nodded and slipped his arm around her waist.

“Room 207,” The nurse replied. “Take the elevator to the second floor; it’ll be on your left.”

“Thank you,” Bucky nodded, taking Skye’s hand. She didn’t say anything in the elevator but took deep breaths. The group from the bar were standing in the hall outside the room and smiled sadly at her as they approached. Fred walked over to her and pulled her away from Steve and Bucky.

“It’s his time, sweetheart.”

“Shit,” Skye muttered into his chest. Fred smiled kindly and wrapped his arms around her. “I need a minute. I can’t go in there crying.”

“It doesn’t have to be sad,” Fred said softly, resting his cheek on the top of her head. “He’s had a very long, very full life...but he’s done. He’s been so lonely, sweetheart.”

“I know,” Skye nodded, but her shoulders were shaking again.

“He’s been hurting; he’s ready.”

“I know,” Skye squeaked, nodding again. She took a deep shuddering breath but couldn’t get herself under control.

“He’s ready to be with Louise again,” Alan added, coming over when he saw how distressed she was. Skye wrenched away from Fred and took off down the hall, disappearing into the bathroom before Steve could catch her. Bucky caught his arm and pulled his friend back.

“Give her a minute,” Bucky muttered softly.

Five agonizing minutes later, Skye reemerged from the bathroom and strode towards them determinedly. She had pinned her hair up in the curls that George favored and all evidence of her crying was gone. She didn’t say anything to the group outside the room, just offered them a small (slightly brittle) smile and headed straight in to George.

“That’s our girl,” Alan smiled proudly.

“She’s a strong one.” Fred agreed. He looked over at the two super soldiers and offered them a small smile. “We’ve already said our goodbyes. I don’t know if he’s going to want to see you or not though.”

“That’s okay,” Steve nodded. He wouldn’t care much about Captain America on his deathbed either, especially not if his wife was there with him.

“Skye will let us know if they need anything,” Bucky agreed. The door to the room was half open and George’s soft laughter drifted into the hall.

“You always were one to make an entrance,” he told Skye. “You found your dress.”

“Sorry I’m late,” Skye replied.

“Let’s give them a little privacy, yeah?” One of the other men suggested, closing the door all but an inch.

 

“Sorry I’m late,” Skye smiled, slipping in closer to George’s frail body. They had completely detached him from his lines; he knew he was done and wanted to go without all the invasive needles and tubes.

“I sure love that dress on you,” George smiled faintly.

“Imagine that,” Skye grinned. “You did buy it for me after all.”

“Best money I ever spent,” George laughed. His face fell a little and he looked up at her from his bed. “Never thought it’d happen in a hospital,” he admitted softly. “Never thought I’d be wearing an assless dress, either.”

She couldn’t help the small, wet chuckle from escaping - though she forced back the tears. “Let’s get you out of that assless monstrosity.”

“What? You don’t wanna see my tushie?” George laughed.

“You know I love your cute little tushie,” Skye teased, “but I’d rather keep it to myself.”

“My second best suit is in the closet,” George admitted. “The guys brought it for me.”

“Then let’s get your tushie in that and I’ll break you out of here,” Skye smiled.

“Won’t make it far,” George admitted ruefully.

“I’ll break us onto the roof,” Skye adjusted easily. “The night is clear.”

“You’re too good to me, Louise,” George smiled. She turned to the closet quickly, wiping at the tear that fell before George could see it. She helped him into his _second best_ suit and tried to ignore why he couldn’t wear his _first best_ suit.

“Look at you, my handsome man.” Skye smiled, smoothing the lapels of his suit against his frail chest. The suit was a little baggy on him, but he still smiled proudly.

“How’s my hair look?” George asked shyly.

“Just dashing,” she teased, finger combing it aside. “Let’s get you to the roof, huh?”

“Might need some help.”

“I got you, Georgie. Ain’t gonna make you take no wheelchair,” Skye retorted, pulling him to his feet. She wrapped her arm around his waist, supporting all of his weight while giving him the impression of independence. George straightened up stubbornly; he was going to walk out of here on his own _dammit_ \- even if he knew it was all an allusion. Louise wouldn’t tell anyone.

The hall was clear when they emerged from the room, though Skye saw Steve poke his head around the far corner and point to the roof. He gave her an okay symbol with his fingers, letting her know it was open. She smiled gratefully and escorted the frail man in her arms up to the roof. The city was much too bright for many stars to shine, even though the night was clear - but the city was strangely peaceful and the night air was just the right amount of cool.

“One last dance, Louise?” George asked.

“Anything for you,” Skye smiled, kissing his forehead. She spun him in her arms, facing him towards her so they could dance. He didn’t pretend to take the lead; he was too tired. He just rested his head on her chest and let her sway their bodies in time to the song that she softly started singing.

_Love walked right in and drove the shadows away_

_Love walked right in and brought my sunniest day_

_One magic moment and my heart seemed to know that love said hello_

_Though not a word was spoken_

“Marrying you was the best thing I ever did,” George admitted softly. She was singing their wedding song. “People said we were rushing into it, but I just couldn’t go to war and leave you and...doll, I don’t regret it for a moment. I love you.”

Skye paused with her singing, her face falling with grief. He couldn’t see though, not with his head tucked under her chin. “People are stupid and you know I’ve never been one to listen to them. I loved our life together and I love you so much, Georgie.”

She took a calming breath and started singing again.

_One look, and I forgot the gloom of the past_

_One look and I had found my future at last_

_One look and I had found a world completely new_

_When love walked in with you_

“Think there’s a heaven?”

“Georgie, we both know I’ve been gone for a while…” Skye whispered softly, holding him closer to her as she felt him sag against her. He nodded faintly.

“Missed you so much, Louise.”

“I told you I’d wait for you,” Skye whispered, kissing the top of his head. “Where do you think you’ve been all night?”

_One magic moment and my heart seemed to know that love said hello_

_Though not a word was spoken_

 

_One look and I had found a world completely new_

_When love walked in with you_

 

 

 

When Steve and Bucky heard Skye stop singing, they eased the door open and peeked out. The look on her face had both of them pushing through the door. Hospital staff with a stretcher followed them out. Bucky removed George’s body from Skye’s arms and settled him gently on the stretcher. She walked over and fixed his hair, smiling sadly but fondly down at the small man that had passed with a faint smile on his lips. She kissed his forehead and waved the hospital staff off. Steve pulled Skye into his arms the second the door closed. She reached out for Bucky, pulling him to her as well. Bracketed between them, she finally let out the tears that she had been holding in.

Steve couldn’t be sure, but he felt like this crying was worse than the crying when he had rescued her from that second facility. Before, she had cried because she was hurt, because she was terrified, because she was confused. This crying, though? This was her heart hurting...and he couldn’t make it better.

“The guys are havin’ a memorial, tomorrow,” Bucky told her softly. “You’ll have to see if you’re up to goin’. They’ll let us know about the funeral arrangements.”

“He already planned it all out,” Skye admitted shakily. She was still crying, but at least the tears were silent now. She still couldn’t bring herself to pull away from Steve or Bucky though. She needed another minute before she had that kind of control over herself. Bucky just nodded against her shoulder.

“What do you need, doll?” Steve asked softly. “Home? A distraction?”

“The Tower, please.” Skye replied.

“We can stop and get some of that chocolate pudding stuff you and Tasha like so much,” Steve offered. Bucky chuckled against Skye’s shoulder.

“They’ve got a stash in the Tower,” he told Steve when he smacked him for laughing.

“Are you the reason why the stash keeps shrinking?” Skye giggled, taking the distraction gratefully.

“I have no idea what you’re talkin’ about,” Bucky replied loftily.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> George and Louise's wedding song is "Love Walked In" by George Gershwin, but Skye would sing it more like Ella Fitzgerald did.


	87. This is the best one yet

 

 

“I like your dress,” Steven said softly, rubbing anxiously at Zeus’ fur. He knew something was wrong, but he wasn’t sure what. Skye looked sad, but she was trying to hide it from him - and Bucky and Steve’s clinginess only supported that.

“Thanks, honey,” Skye smiled, pushing away from the super soldiers. “What are you still doing up?”

“It’s only 7:30, Skye. Besides, it was weird today. Ward was mad and went back to the airplane - don’t worry, you can show me what you did later,” Steven replied, smiling when she smirked. She knelt down in front of him and waited for him to finish. “Jemma yelled at Fitz and Jack, which is stupid because they obviously love each other and even someone blind could see that. May wouldn’t come out of her room, even if I spoke Mandarin to her...and you’re sad.” His face fell with the last statement and he looked her over, putting Zeus down so he could touch her face.

“It’s okay to be sad,” Skye whispered, reaching up to put her hand over his on her cheek.

“But I like it better when you’re happy.”

“Hmm, you make me happy,” she smiled. “Wanna learn some dances? I think Bucky and I can teach you some moves.”

“Hey, I’ve got moves,” Steve snorted from behind Skye.

“Yeah,” Bucky scoffed, faking a limp, “It’s the _oh, Steve, those are my toes!_ moves that everyone is so jealous about.”

“Oh, you think you’ve got moves?” Steve shot back.

“I _know_ I’ve got moves,” Bucky challenged, smirking.

“I think we can show them up,” Skye whispered to Steven. “But, I must insist on something besides pajamas.”

“Like a date?” Steven grinned. “Can we have another date?”

“Dancing date? Hell, yes.” Skye grinned, pressing a kiss to his cheek.

“Steve, can you come help me get ready for my date?” Steven asked, looking past Skye to him.

“You think you get to take _my girl_ on a date?” Steve scoffed, crossing his arms playfully.

“Don’t worry,” Steven replied in a dry tone that rivalled his Captain America voice. “If I was trying to steal your girl I would have asked Bucky to help me. We both know that he would have been more helpful, you know, in the whole _girl_ department.”

Bucky and Skye both turned to Steve with shocked and delighted expressions before bursting into laughter.

“Damn, Steve,” Skye giggled, “he gave it to you straight.”

“You, kid, are officially my favorite,” Bucky added, offering Steven knuckles with his newly covered metal fist.

“I keep forgetting about this,” Steven murmured, turning Bucky’s hand over.

“Date night!” Steve shouted. He scooped Steven up and hurried him into his room.

“He can see past your mask, you know,” Bucky murmured, pulling Skye up from her crouch.

“Yeah, but he’s also really good at making it go away,” she acknowledged. “There’s a bit of Thor’s liquor left. I don’t want to get drunk, but I think a shot or two might take this edge off in a rather pleasing way.”

“You’re definitely a Stark,” Bucky muttered. “You know alcohol won’t make things go away, right?”

“I’m not trying to make them go away,” she replied softly. “I’m just trying not to drown while I try to accept them.”

“Let us keep you afloat,” Bucky replied, gripping her hands. “Don’t turn into your brother.”

“I’m not going to turn into Tony,” she rebutted with a grin.

“Are we doin’ this dance date thing here?” Bucky asked, returning her grin. She knew his opinion on drowning feelings in alcohol - a lecture wouldn’t get him anywhere. Hell, it would probably just get him in the dog house. He couldn’t help his mental smirk as he considered that thought; she wasn’t _his_ , not like that, but he still didn’t want to be in her dog house. Ever. “Or are we movin’ it out to the common area?”

“Hmm, common area?”

“Can we invite the others?” Bucky asked. “You haven’t seen much of the others lately.”

“Hey, Jarvis? Can you inform anyone in the Tower that there will be an impromptu get together on the common floor? Everyone is welcome to join.”

“You’re goin’ to make Clint very happy,” Bucky smirked. “Wanna head up?”

“What? You don’t wanna change?”

“Psh, I ain’t tryin’ to impress anyone,” Bucky scoffed.

“We have to tell them about George, don’t we?” She asked softly, her eyes welling at the thought of the grumpy, affectionate old man.

“Yeah, Солнышко, we need to tell them about George,” Bucky nodded, pulling her into a hug. “They might want to attend the memorial tomorrow, even if you decide not to go.”

“I can’t _not_ go,” she chuckled sadly. “You’ll go with me, right?”

“See and here I thought you couldn’t ask stupid questions,” Bucky murmured into her hair. Her watery chuckle was worth it. He smiled and shook his head. “I think I’m gonna need something from you before we go, though.”

“A dance?”

“Uh, duh.” Bucky snorted. “But I was thinkin’ more along the lines of a haircut. I’m tired of being this mangy assassin that they’ve made me.”

“You’ve got it,” she nodded, pulling back to smile at him.

“Good. Now, let’s go find that shot of liquor.”

 

 

 

“What’s wrong?” Clint asked, sliding up next to Skye at the bar. She was carefully pouring herself one shot of Thor’s liquor. She didn’t want to get drunk, but she did want the most she could get out of that one shot. “Is this the George dress?”

“This is the George dress,” she nodded, shooting back the entire shot. “Just got back from the hospital. George died.” Her face crumpled and she shook her head, “shit, Clint. I should have said that better.”

“Sometimes the blunt truth is all we’ve got,” Clint smiled. “Gimme a hug and then we’re going to start this dance party.”

“Are you gonna stomp on my feet?”

“He’s not Steve,” Bucky chortled from his spot on the countertop. He had a beer in his hand and was swinging his feet lightly.

“Oh, damn,” Clint grinned. “Is he coming?”

“Yeah, he’s helping get Steven ready for a dancing date.”

“I couldn’t help him get ready cause then he might end up stealin’ Stevie’s girl,” Bucky grinned. “His words, not mine.”

“Oh, fuck. I really love that kid,” Clint laughed, throwing his head back. He reached over and poured Skye another shot, then poured himself a shot of whiskey. He tapped his shot glass against hers and smiled softly, “to George.”

“To George.”

They shot back their alcohol, then Clint was dragging her into a clear space. “Jarvis, play us something...fun.”

“Yes, Mr. Barton,” Jarvis replied.

There was a pause, then Taylor Swift’s ‘Shake it Off’ flooded the room. Skye threw her head back and laughed, but joined Clint in ridiculous dancing that refused to let her grief drown her.

Someone cleared their throat loudly and then Bucky was nudging Clint aside. Jarvis played an upbeat swing dance and Skye giggled when the room spun around her. She kept up easily, letting her racing heart distract her from the pain.

Tasha interjected at the end of Bucky’s song, shoving him onto the couch. A slow salsa song came on next and she couldn’t keep the grin off her face when Clint groaned loudly.

Tony made a face and shook his head at her, pointing to his glass. “I need more, first.”

Pepper stepped up next, teaching Skye a few steps before leading her through a sophisticated waltz.

“Excuse me,” Steven’s voice chirped out, sounding slightly annoyed. “I don’t know why everyone is dancing with _my_ date.”

Skye’s head whipped away from Pepper and cooed out loud at his appearance. He had on trousers, a loose button up white shirt, and suspenders. His hair was carefully sculpted to the side, like Steve always wore his. He smirked back at Steve, shoving his thumbs in his suspender straps, and muttered, “Good thing Bucky didn’t get me ready.”

“You’re gonna have to make sure you get a dance after your kid,” Skye teased, blowing a kiss to Steve. Steven reached out and grabbed the imaginary kiss and pressed it to his own cheek.

“Hmpf. We’ll see about that,” he muttered, shoving away from Steve. Skye bit her lip and extended her hand, briefly making eye contact with Steve over his head. Steve was standing there with his hands in his pockets, grinning at the pair of them. Seeing that there were no hurt feelings, she turned her attention back to the seven year old in front of her. He took her extended hand and kissed the back of her hand. “Bucky assured me you knew a few good swing dances,” he remarked conversationally. She tried to bite back her giggle at his serious tone but failed miserably.

“Yeah, honey, I know a few good swing dances,” she laughed, swinging him up into her arms for a proper hug. She pressed a real kiss to his cheek and smirked at him, “have you been learning a few moves with Bucky?”

“Maybe,” Steven replied, rolling his jaw to hide his own grin.

“You better show me!”

 

 

 

“Again,” Steven giggled, gently pushing Zeus out from underfoot at Skye threw her head back in a laugh.

“I’m tired!”

“One more time!” Steven shot back, grinning. “Please!”

“Stop with that face!” Skye sighed, giving in with easy humor. “And stop hanging out with Steve!”

“One more time and I’ll stop,” Steven bargained with a smirk.

“Tango it is,” Skye smirked back. “Jarvis, give us a beat.”

She bent practically in half, pressing her cheek to Steven’s as they went through the motions of the tango as dramatically as possible. They were both giggling like mad, trying to keep a straight face but failing. It didn’t help that they kept tripping over Zeus, who had caught their silly mood. Steve got up at the end of the song and headed their way.

“Mind if I cut in?”

“Sure,” Steven grinned, reaching for Skye’s hand. He pressed a kiss to the back of her knuckles and murmured, “thank you for the dance.”

“Damn, your kid’s got some moves,” Tasha joked.

“You’re welcome!” Bucky shouted from the bar, making both Skye and Steve stick their tongues out at him. Bucky grinned and returned his attention to Clint.

“Jarvis, slow it down for me, will ya?” Steve murmured, pulling Skye into his arms. Her face was flushed and her arms were damp with sweat, but he pressed a gentle kiss to her forehead. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a small rose with only two inches of stem and presented it to her with a small, shy smile.  

“For me?” She asked softly, blushing slightly. He was tempted to make a joke out of it, but he could sense her insecurity - even if he had no idea why she felt insecure in that moment.

“It reminded me of you,” he replied with a soft smile. She plucked it from his fingers and carefully tucked it behind her ear. “Small and beautiful, but strong and hardy - thorny to those who aren’t careful with it.”

“You calling me thorny?” she smiled.

“Never,” he grinned. He bent over to kiss her, but then pulled her into a slow dance around the space.  “How are you holding up, doll?”

“Better than I expected,” she replied honestly. “Fred was right. George lived a long life. He was ready to be with Louise again. Besides, it’s hard to be sad when I’m surrounded by so many people who care about me.”

“I’m glad you’ve got people like that now,” he smiled, pushing her away to twirl her slowly before pulling her back into his chest.

“Me too,” she said shyly, biting her lip. Her lips twitched and she blurted out, “you’re better at this than I’ve been lead to believe.”

“Damn, doll. I thought I’d make it all night without you teasing me about this.”

“I’m not teasing!” She giggled and put her head down on his shoulder. “I’m not.”

“I always knew _how_ to dance...technically. I mean, I knew all the moves. I just never had much stamina...or coordination...or someone to practice with…”

“Damn, now I feel bad for bringing it up,” she murmured, pressing a kiss to his exposed neck. “I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be sorry. I wasn’t terribly happy when I woke up in 2012; Peggy had lived her life and was dying. Bucky was gone. I had no one,” Steve admitted. He tightened his hold around her, pulling her as tight against him as he could. “I thought I would die when I crashed that plane. I hadn’t considered that I wouldn’t die,” he continued, ignoring the small shudder that went through her body. “But if I had died then... I wouldn’t have gotten to meet you. I wouldn’t have gotten to steal Steven away. I wouldn’t have gotten to be here for Bucky. Doll, all of the good things in my present are from you. All of them. I have never been happier in all of my way too many years.”

“I’m glad you found people. I’m glad you’re happy.”

“Doll, I know what it’s like to not have anything. I know what it’s like to have lost everyone important to you. I know what it’s like to not be satisfied with a situation, but if you can just push through...if you can just keep that chin up, good things are coming your way, too. One day you’re going to be able to look back and realize that through all the bad, you’ve found good - and that’s going to help erase enough of the bad to make it worth living.”

“Oh, Face Plant,” she whispered, dropping her arms around his neck. “I’ve already found my good. I’ve already found enough good to make it worth the bad.”

“Yeah, but you thought it was all in your head,” Steve rebutted softly. He smiled and pressed a kiss to her forehead, “but I’m glad you think we’re worth it.”

“Of course you’re worth it. But you have to know, as my secret keeper, that I will give up all of this good if I think for one second that you won’t survive any bad coming because of it. My happiness isn’t worth your pain.”

“It won’t come to that,” Steve replied, frowning. He caught Bucky’s eye from across the room and tried to hide the frown, but couldn’t. Bucky stood and crossed the room just as the song ended.

“Stevie, gimme my girl,” Bucky teased, poking his side until Steve couldn’t help but squirm away from it.

“She’s my girl,” Steve argued teasingly.

“Stop it,” Skye laughed, taking Bucky’s polymer covered hand to prevent him from poking Steve.

“Thank you for the dance,” Steve murmured, pressing a kiss to her cheek. “I’ll see you when this song is over, doll.”

“Maybe,” Bucky smirked, just because he knew it would rile Steve up.

“Stop it,” she giggled, shoving playfully at Bucky’s chest. Another slow song played over the speakers and Bucky dipped her slowly before drawing her up and correcting his dance posture. “You’re terrible.”

“But think how borin’ normal is,” Bucky smirked.

“You’ve been spending too much time with me,” Skye grinned, placing a hand on his shoulder and in his hand.

“Doesn’t feel like that recently,” Bucky murmured. “I found something out while you were on your mission and I haven’t had a chance to share it with you yet.”

“You can share it with me now,” she replied.

“Nah, not the time. It’s nothin’ urgent.”

“Does it have anything to do with why you asked me not to call you Shiny?”

“Let’s talk about it later,” Bucky replied easily. She frowned for a moment but accepted that he wasn’t going to tell her right then.

The corner of her mouth twitched up and she asked, “do I need to find a new hiding spot for my pudding?”

“See, after seein’ you and Stevie bein’ all gross and,” he fake retched, “lovey and,” he retched again, “together,” he grimaced and shook his head, “my mind immediately took me to a dirty place.” He grinned suddenly, watching her flush. “Why, Солнышко, is that a blush I see there?”

“No.”

“I’ve known Stevie for a long time,” he grinned, enjoying her discomfort, “and it’s fairly common knowledge, to those who know him, that he’s an ass guy.”

“Are you saying you want in on the... _chocolate pudding_?” She asked, trying hard to contain her smirk.

“What would you do if I said yes?” He replied, not bothering to hide his smirk.

“I might try to call your bluff,” she replied, her grin bursting free.

“And if that doesn’t work?”

“Steve!” Skye hollered over her shoulder, “come get me away from your stupid, pervert friend.”

“Clint, get away from her,” Steve sighed loudly, not bothering to turn from his conversation with Trip.

“What the fuck, man?” Clint yelled from the other end of the room. Steve turned and looked confused until he saw Skye’s finger pointing at Bucky.

“Dammit, Bucky. What did you do?”

“I was just askin’ about chocolate puddin’!” Bucky defended with an overly innocent expression.

“I think it’s my turn for a dance,” Trip smiled, pushing away from the couch that he was sitting on with Steve. He playfully shoved Bucky away and bowed to Skye. “Hey, girl.”

“Is that like...your line?” She teased, accepting his extended hand.

“Hey, hey, hey. No lines. Lines are for players. I ain’t like that,” he grinned. “Whatchu wanna dance to?”

“Jarvis, play us something Trip would like,” Skye called out with a smile.

 

 

 

“Can I have cuddles?” Steven asked sleepily. He was blanketing Skye’s chest with his body with his arms wrapped around her neck. They were lounging on the couch, too tired to dance but not ready to call it a night either. Steve had been sitting with them but Tony had called him away to show him something on his tablet. The hum of multiple conversations was pleasantly soothing and he happily soaked it in. Skye chuckled and kissed the top of his head.

“What do you call this?” She asked with a sleepy smile of her own.

“Cuddles,” he replied with a giggle. “But I meant when it’s bedtime.”

“You wanna sleep with us tonight?”

“Not if it’s not okay,” he replied quickly.

“You are welcome anytime. Is there a reason for extra cuddles or do you just want extra?”

“Sometimes I don’t sleep good,” he admitted softly, hiding his face under her chin.

“How come you don’t wake me up?”

“It’s not that bad.”

“If cuddles can fix it, then you better come get some cuddles,” she retorted. “I don’t care how small it is. I had a dream that a butterfly was chasing me. A butterfly. It was weird, but it made me feel really unsettled. Cuddles with Steve made it better. So trust me when I say there isn’t anything that’s _not too bad_ for cuddles to fix.”

“There’s a metal table and straps and I’m trying to get out and I can’t and there’s this scientist yelling at me and I don’t know what he wants and how can I give him what he wants if I don’t even know what it is?” Steven rambled quickly. His arms tightened around her neck and he nuzzled closer. “It’s weird because my tests weren’t like that. Not that I remember, at least. What if it’s not my experience? Or...what if it _is_? What if there’s chunks of time from there that I don’t even remember and they’re so terrible that my brain is making them go away to protect me and…”

“Shh, baby,” Skye hummed, rubbing soothing circles on his back. His nervous rambling turned into near hysterics and she could feel his heart pounding against her chest. Zeus whined and tried to climb up on the couch. Tony didn’t want the dog on the couch, but Skye reached down and pulled the puppy up anyway. He nosed his head under Steven’s arm and pushed as close as he could. “I’m going to be honest with you, because I would never lie to you and because I think you’re mature enough to hear this.” She took a breath and tightened her grip on him. “There probably are things you don’t remember. There are probably bad things that your brain is making go away to protect you. The tests were horrible...but we both know that there’s more to the tests than they put in your file. If they started you when you were five, which seems to be the average, you were in their care for two or three years. That’s a long, long time. I sincerely hope there are chunks of time that you don’t remember because I would rather have a gap in your memory than have you have those terrible memories in your head.”

“But Jack was in there for way longer than I was…”

“Yeah,” she acknowledged. “He was in for over five years, but just because his time was longer than yours doesn’t mean that it was any better or worse than yours. Besides, you’re seeing Jack after 35 years out. You didn’t know him when he was ten and I had just broken him out. Trust me, there are things that happened to you that I don’t want to know about...that I don’t want _you_ to know about. Sometimes ignorance is bliss.”

“So I’ll get better?”

“Better? Steven, there is nothing wrong with you. You had a terrible couple years, but you’re still strong, brave, _resilient_ … Baby, you’re so smart and funny and you always try to help the people around you. There is absolutely nothing wrong with you. Nothing.”

“But I’m still so scared,” Steven admitted in a shaky voice. “Steve said he put in paperwork to make me his, but I haven’t heard anything else about it. I don’t want to go back to Shield, but they want me back. I think it was worse there than at the facility because at least the scientists were supposed to be bad. Shield was supposed to be the good guys and they treated me like...like...like the gum on the bottom of their shoe.”

“You had the terrible luck of meeting some nasty agents,” Skye replied softly. “All of Shield isn’t like that. Clint, Tasha, and Steve are Shield. Coulson and his whole team are Shield. There might be some bad apples, but that’s also life. Nothing is going to be 100% good.”

“I didn’t think about that,” he nodded.

“And that paperwork that Steve put in? It’s adoption papers. He wants to adopt you. He wants you to be his kid _forever_. Sometimes it just takes a while for paperwork like that to be sorted...especially in your case. We aren’t sure where you were before you were put in the facility, so it’s kind of hard to make sure there isn’t family somewhere that wants to claim you.”

“But you’re my family,” Steven cried, lifting his head to look at her. “I don’t want any other family. I want this one. I _like_ this one.”

“Tomorrow, I’m going to see what I can do to make this paperwork thing go faster, okay?”

“If the paperwork goes okay, does that make Steve my dad?” He whispered. He glanced over at Steve before returning his attention to her. Her lips twitched up and she wiped away the tear that was still on his cheek.

“You think you need paperwork for that to happen?”

“Yes?”

“Oh, my silly boy,” she teased, pressing a kiss to his forehead, “I know Steve already considers you his son and I’m pretty sure you already consider him your dad.”

“He does? Really?” Steven asked softly. The cautious hope was written all over his face. It broke her heart and warmed her soul in the same breath.

“Of course he does. You think he keeps people around he doesn’t like?”

“Well, Ward is still here…” Steven replied, though his tone was trying to be joking. She grinned and shook her head.

“He keeps him around because he knows how much I like to wind him up,” she explained. When Steven grinned she got up off the couch, keeping him tight against her chest. “One last dance before bed?”

“Whatever you want,” Steven agreed, smiling.

“I need one more dance with my date,” she nodded.

“Okay,” he agreed easily. She didn’t request a song from Jarvis, just started singing the lullaby softly. He smiled and put his head down on her shoulder. “I like this song.”

“Me too, honey.”

“Are you ever going to tell me why you’re sad?” he asked when her voice caught on the lyrics.

“You know that time when I took Steve, Clint, Tasha, and Bucky out? You stayed with Tony and Pepper?”

“Yeah? When you had to break your husband out?”

“Exactly,” she nodded. “His name was George. He was very old and he served in the war with Steve. He was sick and sometimes his brain played tricks with his memories. He thought I was his wife, who died a few years ago.”

“It was nice of you to play along,” Steven murmured, shifting slightly even as Skye swung them in slow, easy circles.

“He died tonight,” she whispered. “He was very old and he was very lonely, but it still hurt to have to say goodbye. That’s why I’m sad.”

“One of my brothers from the facility said that death is only hard for the people who are left behind. Now George isn’t lonely and he gets to be with his wife again. I’m sorry that you have to hurt for him to be at peace.”

“You are may be the smartest, sweetest seven year old I’ve ever met,” she smiled. “Thank you for that.”

“ _May_ be?” Steven snorted sleepily. She grinned and kissed his forehead.

“There’s a memorial for him tomorrow. I know you never met him, but if you want you can come with us. I think Steve might even let you be my date, if we play our cards right.”

“You want to introduce me to your friends?”

“Of course!”

“I would love to go with you, whether Steve lets me be your date or not.”

“I think I’m gonna keep you forever,” she whispered.

He just hummed happily and shifted in her arms, "I guess that would be okay with me."

She smiled and started the lullaby over, singing the lyrics soft and low until she felt his breathing shift. She kept dancing slowly because she was afraid that he would wake and also because it soothed her. This was normal for her. This was what she was good at.

Steve came over with a soft smile and a slight shake of his head. “How come my namesake always gets the girl?”

“Cause he’s cuter than you,” she retorted easily, biting her lip to hide her smile.

“Ouch, doll,” Steve gasped, clutching his chest dramatically.

“Don’t ask questions you don’t want the answer to,” she replied.

“You ready for bed? You look dead on your feet and I’m ready to find some quiet.”

“I’m ready,” she nodded. “He wants to sleep with us though.”

“Nightmares?”

“Nightmares.”

“Okay,” Steve agreed easily, frowning slightly when he glanced down at the sleeping boy.

“He’s okay.”

“He could be better.”

“It takes time,” she reassured. “Didn’t you just tell me that you have to push through the bad to get to the good? He’s done with his bad, but that doesn’t mean he can just lock it away. He’s young and resilient. He’s going to be wonderful, but that isn’t going to happen tonight.”

“I trust you,” Steve smiled.

“I love you,” she replied with a little grin.

“Hulgh,” Bucky retched, walking by them.

“Stop it,” Skye giggled.

“Stop being all...lovey.”

“How about we let Steven warm the bed up and we work on making Bucky as uncomfortable as possible?” Steve asked, quirking an eyebrow at her. Her grin was bright but tinged with exhaustion. His grin fell and he ran a thumb over her cheekbone. He softly amended, “how about we warm the bed up together and I work on making you as comfortable as possible?”

“I’m not goin’ anywhere,” Bucky smirked artificially, “you can disgust me with your PDA another time. Gimme my nephew. You two head to bed. I’ve got him.”

“I’ve got him,” Skye denied softly. “He’s been having nightmares.”

“I can handle nightmares.”

“So can I.”

“Skye, I’m not tryin’ to-”

“Bucky, I need some time with my kid,” Steve interrupted with a smile.

“You should stop calling him your kid and start calling him your son,” Skye advised softly. “He’s worried about the paperwork.”

“Done.” Steve replied simply. He didn’t know what else to say to that. She smiled and buried a yawn in her shoulder.

“I’m taking Steven to bed. You two come down whenever you’re ready.”

“I’ll go with you,” Steve smiled. “I’ve got to get my son ready for bed.”

 

 

 

 

“I told him about George,” Skye whispered into the darkness that surrounded them. Steven was asleep beside her and she didn’t want to wake him. Steve’s arm around her waist tightened slightly, pulling her closer to his reassuring bulk. She pulled his hand up to her face and pressed a kiss to his palm. “He knew I was sad and I didn’t want to not tell him why I was sad. I keep telling him it’s okay to have emotions and that it’s okay to be sad...so I felt like a hypocrite by not telling him why I was sad.”

“What did he say?” Steve whispered back. He pressed a kiss to the back of her neck and pushed closer to her. He felt her smile against his palm that was cupping her cheek and couldn’t help his own smile.

“He said that death only hurts those left behind. If that isn’t just the most simple summary of death, I don’t know what is…”

“My son is pretty smart, huh?”

“You probably have another genius on your hands,” she admitted.

“Besides you?”

“We can have him tested...but Jack won’t play chess with him and that’s a good enough test for me.”

“Is chess Jack’s thing?”

“He’s deceptively good at long-term strategy,” she replied proudly. “He excels at chess. If he won’t play against Steven, it’s definitely telling.”

“I’ll have to be doubley sure to keep him occupied,” Steve winced. “Tony mentioned how much trouble geniuses can get into when they’re bored.”

“There are enough skills in the Tower to keep him occupied for now,” she laughed softly.

“And then the shit will hit the fan.”

“Language, Steve.”

He didn’t respond, just sighed deeply and shook his head. He pulled her closer and shifted until he found a comfortable spot. He felt her relax as she fell asleep and then quickly followed suit.

 

 

 

She jerked awake in his arms a few hours later, startling him awake. She sat up quickly and squirmed free from his hold and the blankets.

“Doll?” He asked sleepily, struggling to wake enough to realize what was happening. She didn’t respond, but slipped through the open door. He considered going after her but he heard Bucky’s jagged breathing a moment later and realized he must have had a nightmare. Deciding to give them a minute, he settled back into the pillows. He heard her voice murmuring to him, soft and low, but couldn’t catch the words. After a few minutes, Bucky’s jagged breathing evened out for the most part. Steve felt the corner of his mouth twitch up; Skye always knew what they needed. He was pushing himself up to go check on them when she pushed herself back into the room. She was dragging Bucky by his hand.

“Slide over?” She asked softly, nodding to the space she vacated earlier. Wordlessly he shifted, moving right next to Steven’s still sleeping form. She smiled and slid in next, pulling Bucky in with her. She moaned softly and burrowed into the blankets, “hmm, so warm.”

“Bucky, you okay?” Steve asked, peering around Skye’s slight form.

“Bed’s too big,” he replied after a beat. He still sounded out of it.

“This one isn’t,” Skye replied, tugging him closer.

Steven whimpered in his sleep and then jerked upright with a small shout, “don’t!”

“Shh, buddy. You’re okay,” Steve murmured, pulling his shaking frame back down against his chest.

“Don’t, please,” Steven whimpered again, burying his face in Steve’s shirt. His small hands fisted the material and soon he was crying.

“It’s okay,” Steve murmured, holding him tight. “You’re okay. You’re safe.”

“Don’t make me go back.”

“No, buddy. You don’t ever have to go back.”

“Don’t make me,” he mumbled, falling back asleep on Steve’s chest. Steve winced and glanced over at Skye; he wanted her opinion on his nightmare. He couldn’t help the little twitch of his lips when he saw she had fallen back asleep already. Bucky was pressed up close behind her, both of his arms wrapped around her.

“‘M not stealin’ ‘r,” Bucky mumbled into her neck.

“I know, Bucky. Relax. We’re all good,” he reassured. He was just about to tell him to go back to sleep, but a soft snore penetrated the quiet of the room and Steve couldn’t help but smile. The nightmare was as good as gone, if he was sleeping like that.

He exhaled slowly and tried to force himself to take his own advice but there was too much turmoil in his head for that. His kid… his _son_ and his best friend were having nightmares and he hated the helpless feeling that was clenching his chest. Skye was certain cuddles would fix everything, but some things needed to be actually worked out for progress to happen. He would have to ask Steven what his nightmares were about. He would have to talk to Bucky about his own night terrors - and maybe find someone to help him, professionally. He couldn’t be a prisoner for 70 years and expect cuddles to fix his head. He made a face in the dark; he could pretty accurately guess what Bucky’s reaction to that suggestion would be. That thought brought his attention back to the woman lying beside him. She was broken too, for all she tried to hide it. He would get them better. He would.

 

0-0-0-0-0

 

Steve was smiling as they strode down the sidewalk. It was his birthday and they were heading towards Tony’s ‘secret spot’ for watching fireworks. It had only been a few days since George died, but Skye had accepted the fact that her friend was gone and in a better place. At least, she appeared to accept it. With Skye, he could never be sure. After the night Bucky had crawled into their bed, he had woken to the unfamiliar weight of Steven sprawled out on his chest. Skye was tucked against Bucky with her forehead pressed against his sternum and his shirt clenched in her hands. Bucky had grumbled about the stretched out shirt, but everyone knew there was no heat behind his words.

Tony and Pepper had stolen Skye, Jack, and Steven for the morning, only bringing them back to the Tower after lunch had passed. Steven had run off the elevator with a giant grin on his face - _Steve, Tony and Skye built a_ **_house_**. _A whole house for my brothers! They’re not that far and Skye promised we can visit every day if we want and do you think it’s okay if we visit..._ Jack walked off the elevator with Skye tucked under his arm, playfully giving her a noogie - _I can’t believe you didn’t tell me you were building a whole freaking house, Skye!_ Everyone knew Skye was letting him get away with it, but then she grinned at Steve and admitted - _We’re gonna get the kids out after your birthday. The house will be done by then_. Tony was deliberately unbearable, of course, but had surprised Steve with his forward thinking - _don’t worry Capsicle, I made a room for you and Skye...cause we both know she’s gonna wanna keep an eye on those kids._ Tony ruined the moment Steve tried to express his gratitude, shouting loudly _Je-sus, Steve. Put the waterworks away!_

The team had gone to the memorial for George, but only Steve, Bucky, and Skye went to the funeral. They had had to go in disguise because George’s kids hadn’t wanted them there, but Skye had refused to listen. Alan, Fred, and the other guys from the bar had loved Steven and had taught him some card tricks. Steven let them win a few chess games, which amused Skye to no end. ( _Skye, it’s not_ **_their_ ** _fault they’re bad at chess_ ). The bar was busier than he had ever seen it, but the best part of the memorial was when Skye and Bucky showed up all the old timers with their swing dancing. He had rarely seen Bucky this relaxed. Even Tony’s smirk and needling elbow nudge hadn’t ruined Steve’s mood. He only wished Bucky looked so at ease now.

“Skye, are you sure he’s okay?” Steve asked softly, glancing at Bucky from the corner of his eye. His friend had grown progressively more tense the longer they were out. Bucky was a changed man; Skye had cut his ‘assassin locks’ off at his request. His hair was still a little longer than he had worn it in the 40s, but the care that he took styling his new do was familiar to Steve.

“There’s a lot of people,” Skye shrugged. “He’s okay. He wants to be here. He’ll probably sit between us if he gets too freaked out.”

“We can go back,” Steve offered quickly. “We don’t have to stay for…”

“Fireworks!” Steven groaned from Steve’s shoulders. “Steve, we can’t miss the fireworks!”

“Yeah, Steve, we _can’t_ miss the fireworks!” Skye teased.

“Let me know if that changes?” Steve asked softly.

“You haven’t changed for seventy years!” Bucky chuckled, slinging his arm around Skye’s shoulders.

“Oh, ha ha,” Steve muttered, bumping into Skye so she hip checked Bucky.

“We’re like dominoes!” Steven giggled.

“You havin' fun up there?” Bucky smiled.

“Yes.” Steven replied simply. “Steve says we’re gonna have a picnic and get all ready for the fireworks! He said there’s gonna be cake, cause it’s his birthday and he’s _old_ now. Bucky, he’s so _oooold_.”

“You know Bucky is older than Steve, right?” Skye grinned.

“No…” Steven drawled, then frowned and looked at Bucky. “You’re older than Steve? How?”

“I was born before him,” Bucky answered simply. Steven mulled that over for a second and then shrugged.

“Okay.”

“Hurry up, old timer!” Tony shouted from the head of their pack. The more obvious Avengers had enough of a disguise on to avoid unwanted attention, but Tony had refused to don one. He compromised by not wearing anything flashy, but he was still stopped occasionally.

“You’re older than I am, grandpa!” Steve shouted back. “Is that a patch of grey coming in?”

“Fuck you!”

“That’s my job!” Skye retorted, making Steve blush and Bucky grin.

“I hope we’re almost there,” Steve sighed.

  


 

 

“Here, Sweetheart,” Tony murmured, holding his hand out for her. She cocked her head at him, but opened her own hand. He deposited a case with two small, skin tone pieces of technology into her hand.

“Oh, my God. You’re the best!” Skye grinned, throwing herself at him in a hug. He laughed and returned the hug.

“Your brother and his boy toy helped,” Tony informed her quietly. “They should fit, but go double check.”

“You’re my favorite for _days_.” Skye grinned.

She pressed a kiss to his cheek and hurried to Bucky, who was sitting beside Steve, looking positively uncomfortable. Steven was running circles around the picnic area, twirling sparklers in the air with the children from Shield. Coulson and his team had shown up with them in tow, grinning. (Ward was noticeably absent). Coulson assured everyone there were agents discretely placed around the beach, ensuring no one could wander off or be taken. She plopped down behind Bucky on the blanket and reached over his shoulders to show him the pieces and whisper what they were for. Bucky visibly relaxed and twisted to look at Tony, shooting him a grateful expression that spoke louder than words. Tony just smiled and waved him off.

“You didn’t give her her pair,” Jack observed, bringing his drink over to where Tony and Pepper were talking.

“Figured you might want to,” Tony smiled, handing over another pair.

“I’m going to wait til dark,” Jack nodded, pocketing the case. “Hopefully she’ll actually wear them if they’re relatively secret. Thank you, by the way. I’ve never been able to help, but you’ve given me a way to do that.”

“Don’t get all mushy on me now,” Tony grimaced, backing away.

“Shut up, Anthony!”

 

 

 

“They’re going to sleep well tonight,” Bucky smiled, watching the kids. Steven was still playing with the other children, distributing glow sticks among the others. Some had crafted crowns out of the sticks, while others donned necklaces or bracelets. The beach was littered with the remains of elaborate sand castles and trenches that were left over from burying each other in the sand. Clint was still buried and was whining pitifully at Tasha, trying to convince her to free him from his sand prison.

“Sissy?” Jack asked, sitting next to her on their blanket. It was nearly full dark now and everyone was settling into their spots in preparation for the the fireworks. She was sitting behind Steve with her arms and legs wrapped around him. Her forehead was pressed between his shoulder blades and she was taking deep, slow breaths. Steve hadn’t noticed her distress, not with his attention on Steven, but Bucky kept shooting him anxious looks - having overheard the conversation he had with Tony. Skye twisted her head over to Jack and smiled.

“Hey, Jack Jack. What’s up?”

“Chicken butt,” he chortled, making her grin.

“God, you’re stupid.”

“But you love me.”

“Sometimes more, sometimes less,” Skye teased. “Do you need something, or are you coming to sit by us? We have room, bring Fitz.”

“He’s grabbing something from the car, but we probably will. Bruce and Simmons are talking about some nasty experiment and I think we might both hurl if we stay over there.”

“You’re more than welcome,” she giggled. “No hurling allowed.”

“I have something for you,” Jack admitted. Skye frowned and sat up a little straighter.

“Jack, you don’t have to ge-”

“Sissy, shut up,” Jack smirked, handing her the small case with her own ear pieces. He dropped his voice to a whisper, trying to keep Steve from overhearing, “you think we lived together for 35 years and it escaped my notice that you don’t like fireworks?”

“You didn’t have to do this…” Skye whispered, her voice cracking slightly.

“Oh, nuh uh,” Jack back peddled, “No tears. I’m getting my blanket.”

“There are no tears!” Skye shouted half-heartedly at his back.

“What’d he do?” Steve asked, half twisting back to see her better. “We can stick his hand in water tonight?”

“Oh, the 29 year old has jokes?” Skye teased, pressing a kiss to his jaw. “It’s all good. Don’t worry.”

“The fireworks are starting!” Steven shouted, running back for the blanket. There was a rush of children, all scrambling to find a place. There was good natured pushing and lots of laughing before they all settled into their spots. Steven took one look at Skye and plopped himself in Bucky’s lap.

“Put ‘em in,” Bucky murmured, adjusting his arms around the boy in his lap. She ducked her head, embarrassed at having been found out, but still inserted them into her ears. She could still hear what was going on around her - everything was just a little muffled and monotone. Jack and Fitz joined them a moment later, bringing drinks and their own blanket. Fitz leaned over and handed off two small, black bags to Skye and Bucky.

“Stop with the surprises,” Skye groused softly.

“They’ll help filter the bright bursts,” Fitz explained. “You still get the full firework experience, but without all the-”

“You’re never allowed out of my life,” Skye interrupted, pulling free from Steve to hug the pair of them.

“Or mine,” Jack smirked, kissing Fitz’s cheek. “When did you do this, sneaky?”

“Last minute,” Fitz replied with a shrug.

“Whatcha got there, doll?” Steve asked, watching the interaction with a soft smile.

“I WEAR MY SUNGLASSES AT NIGHT!” Skye sang at the top of her lungs, slipping the pair on. Bucky smirked and put his on as well, then joined her in shout-singing, “SO I CAN, SO I CAN, WATCH YOU WEAVE THEN BREATHE YOUR STORYLINES.”

“Damn, I don’t know that one,” Steve grinned, shaking his head at them.

“Only the cool kids do,” Bucky retorted, pursing his lips dramatically. Steve laughed and tried to respond, but the fireworks started at that moment. It took Skye all of ten seconds to realize that Steve was just as uncomfortable with the fireworks as they were. Pressed against his back, she could feel his muscles clench and tremble. She cursed her idiocracy; of course Steve would have as many issues with the fireworks as Bucky. With a regretful sigh, she pulled her ear pieces out and slipped them into Steve’s ears. He flinched at the unexpected contact, but then paused when he realized what she had done. He stayed frozen for a long beat, figuring out what the tech did when several more fireworks exploded overhead. He glanced back at Skye with an incredulous expression, then hurried to pull her in front of him.

“When did you do this, doll?” He breathed into her ear.

“I didn’t,” Skye replied, nodding towards the three engineers that had designed them. She felt his hum of understanding ripple down her side and smiled. He kissed her softly and sighed with relief. “Don’t miss your birthday fireworks,” she smirked, twisting against his chest so she could see the fireworks. It was dark enough that no one had seen their exchange. After another minute, she realized she was still feeling Steve flinch slightly. She pulled the glasses off and slid them over his face. “I was only wearing them so Bucky would wear his,” she murmured when he protested.

“Your brothers are fucking geniuses,” Steve grinned, relaxing entirely. He still saw the colors and the explosions, but between the muted explosions and the slightly dispersed flashes he was finding the entire experience much more enjoyable. Skye grinned and kissed him.

“Fitz helped with the ear pieces too, and the glasses are all him.” She pressed another kiss to his lips and murmured, “Happy birthday, Steve.”

“This is the best one yet,” he replied.

 

 

While walking back to the car after the fireworks Bucky took Steve’s elbow and made him walk slower, pulling them to the back of the group. Steven was asleep in Bucky’s arms; he had refused to give the boy up.

“My birthday present to you,” Bucky informed Steve in a low whisper, “is quiet time with your girl. I’ll cover for you both. I’ve got Steven. Don’t hurry back.”

“Hey!” Steve exclaimed when Bucky shoved him into an alley and kept walking. It took him a second but then he processed that Skye was standing in the dark with him.

“So, I’ve got this secret apartment that I think we should get lost in for a day or two,” she murmured, pressing herself up against his front. She kissed him long and slow, then pulled back slightly. “Thoughts?”

“You’re going to be the death of me,” he rasped before pulling her back into his arms. He kissed her and then murmured, “lead on, doll. I’m all yours.”

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> "Sunglasses at Night" Corey Hart


	88. Steven was raised there?

 

 

“Okay, so...I would like to be the first to say that I don’t want to know what you two have been up to for the last _two_ days,” Tony announced, spinning on his bar stool with a grin. Skye glanced over at Steve and grinned when she realized he was blushing. Tony laughed and glanced back at Bucky and Steven, who were busy mixing cookie batter. Bucky had a little smirk on his face, but he didn’t look up from the recipe book. Seeing no help from them, Tony swiveled towards Clint and Tasha, who were cleaning their guns on the kitchen table. “Anything from you two?”

“Did you have a good time?” Tasha asked, glancing up from her task.

“Yep,” Skye confirmed before skipping over to the kitchen. “Bucky, are those cookies safe to eat?”

“Hey! I’m a good mixer!” Steven huffed, smiling at her behind Tony’s back.

“Then I’m gonna need a sample of the goods,” she teased.

“After you have your sample, can I show you my room?” Steven grinned, bouncing on his toes. “Clint and Tasha finally got around to giving me their present.”

“Their present?”

“For my room. You helped me paint. Steve helped me decorate. Jack built me shelves. Tony helped me with my music space. Clint and Tasha...well, I’ll show you.”

“Deal, but I’m going to need an actual cookie,” she replied.

“Need to get your energy back up?” Bucky asked softly, raising an eyebrow at Steve.

“Might need two cookies,” Steve muttered softly.

“Atta boy,” Bucky laughed. Tony started retching over his drink and the whole room laughed at him.

“You should know we have a mission tomorrow,” Clint grinned, reassembling his gun.

“Okay,” Steve agreed, nodding. “Long one?”

“Nah, few hours...maybe a day. You know the drill.”

“Good, cause the house will be ready tomorrow. Skye and I can get the kids there while you guys are on your mission,” Tony offered, smiling at his sister.

“Yeah! Can I come too?” Steven cheered, looking at Skye hopefully.

“We can provide backup,” Bucky told the boy, smearing cookie batter on his cheek.

“Ew, Uncle Bucky!”

“I’ve got an errand to run,” Bucky told Skye, ignoring Steven’s outrage. “Is it okay if I leave the buildin’ for a few hours?”

“Like you need my permission,” she smirked, kissing his cheek.

“I kinda do,” Bucky winced, glancing up towards Jarvis’ nearest speaker.

“Of course you can leave,” she smiled. “Jarvis, you’re going to let Bucky leave to do his errands, right?”

“Of course, Ms. Skye,” Jarvis replied. She smiled at Bucky and tasted a cookie fresh from the oven.

“Oh. My. God,” she moaned, “these are perfection. Can you make these for me again? Please?”

“Like we made these for you,” Steven scoffed playfully. She shot him a weak glare but couldn’t find words to retort with.

“I’ll stick these in the oven,” Bucky smiled, elbowing the boy playfully. “Go show Steve and Skye your room.”

“Deal,” Steven grinned, swiping a cookie from the cooling rack on his way out of the kitchen. “Come on guys!”

“Hey Bucky, I have a question,” Tasha asked, even before Steven could drag Steve and Skye from the room.

“Shoot,” he replied, scooping the last of the cookie dough onto the cookie sheet.

“You know how your orders were _Train it. Protect it_?”

“Yeah,” he responded, cocking his head in thought. Skye hesitated at the edge of the room, wanting to hear where Tasha was going with this.

“Well, now that we know your kid was a girl, do you think it was Skye?”

“Centipede calls her It,” Tony nodded, musing the question over. Skye pulled free from Steven with an apologetic noise and headed back into the room.

“What am I missing here? Bucky, how do you know your kid is a girl?”

“We found the buildin’ that I trained her at,” Bucky replied with a frown.

“She called you _Shiny_ ,” Skye connected. “That’s why you don’t want me to call you Shiny anymore.”

“It’s been crazy lately and I couldn’t find a time to tell you…” Bucky admitted softly. “I’m sorry.”

“I’m not your girl, you know that right?” Skye asked, wrapping her arms around her guilt stricken friend.

“No, I know that. She’s dead.”

“Why can’t it be Skye?” Clint asked, slipping his last gun part back into place. “The whole magic blood thing could have saved her…”

“Tasha said the buildin’ was last operational in 1962,” Bucky shrugged.

“I was born in the summer of 1962,” Skye told Clint. She looked back up at Bucky and rubbed at the frown lines on his forehead. “I’m sorry I’ve been crazy lately and haven’t made time for you. Please, don’t feel bad.”

“We went when you were in China,” Bucky murmured.

“And I came back weird and then we had that flash drive issue,” Skye winced.

“Yeah, I still want to hear about that freak out,” Tony informed her. He crossed his arms and frowned at her as if waiting for her to spill. Bucky chuckled and shook his head at the younger Stark.

“Point is, Солнышко, you’ve had a hard couple days and my news wasn’t goin’ anywhere. She died in 1962 and the memories of the year that I trained her are still filterin’ back. Go let Steven show you his room and then we can talk about my girl.”

“Does she have a name?” Skye asked teasingly.

Bucky’s nose scrunched and he shook his head. “The scientists called her It. She didn’t have a name and I didn’t have one to give her...so she called me Shiny and I called her Girl.”

“Very creative,” Skye teased, pressing her lips together to force back her laughter.

“Shut it.” Bucky smirked right back.

“Skyeeeee,” Steven moaned from near the elevator, “I’m going to die if you don’t hurry up.”

“You’re so dramatic,” she moaned right back. She pressed a kiss to Bucky’s cheek and pulled free. “I wanna hear all about her later, okay?”

“You got it,” Bucky nodded. “Now go, before he dies. I’m gonna head out. We can talk when I get back.”

“Sk-” Steven started to moan again, but Steve hauled him up over his shoulder and he started laughing instead.

“You need to spend more time with less dramatic people than Clint and Jack,” Steve laughed, swatting the boy’s backside lightly.

“Let’s add Tony to that list,” Skye grinned.

“Hey!” Tony snorted as the elevator doors closed.

Skye turned to Steve with a soft frown and muttered, “you didn’t tell me you found Bucky’s kid.”

“I assumed he would tell you,” Steve shrugged.

“Plus, he was really sad and I think he needed some time to figure out his feelings,” Steven added.

“You took him with?” Skye asked, raising her eyes incredulously.

“Bucky needed me,” Steven chirped. She rolled her eyes with an exaggerated sigh and finally admitted defeat.

“It was his news, doll. Besides, he wasn’t hiding it. When you got back from your mission you took off right away. Jack showed us that flash drive. There was that Coulson thing...and then George died,” Steve reminded her.

“And then it was your birthday and he wouldn’t bring up anything that wasn’t happy,” Skye nodded.

“You’ve had a hard couple days,” Steve reminded her.

“I think your birthday more than made up for all that,” she smirked.

“Are you talking about sex?” Steven asked, still hanging over Steve’s shoulder. Steve flamed over and all but ran to Steven’s room when the elevator opened.

“Why don’t you show us your new room...thing.”

“You _are_ talking about sex,” Steven grinned as he was set back on his feet. “Clint said he would build me my own bow if I convinced you to have the birds and the bees talk with me - and he could watch.”

“What can I offer you that’s better than that?” Steve asked, still red.

“I’ll top anything Steve can offer if Bucky and I get to watch,” Skye smirked, enjoying the embarrassment on Steve’s face.

Steve scowled and informed her, “you’re sleeping on the couch tonight.”

“That means no sex for you,” Steven sighed, patting Skye’s hand.

“Okay, I’m putting an end to this conversation,” Skye laughed. “It’s starting to cross some adult-child lines.”

“Okay, okay,” Steven laughed. “Lookit what Clint and Tasha did.”

“Whoa,” Steve hummed, stepping back from the wall to take in the art work. It was Steven, dressed in each of their Avenger uniforms. He was lifesize - taking up nearly the entire wall. Skye giggled and pointed to the piece of Steven dressed as the Black Widow. He was wearing a red wig and an expression that was definitely hers. Skye was surprised to realize she was on the wall as well, in the black tactical suit Clint and Tasha gave her. She was standing back to back with the Black Widow. As Captain America, Steven was crouched down, peering over the top of the shield. In Hawkeye’s purple suit, he was reaching back for an arrow.

“How long did you work on these?” She asked.

“A while,” Steven shrugged. “We had to make the suits first.”

“Wait, these are real? I thought you just did it up on the computer,” Steve frowned, taking a closer look.

“Yeah, I have the costumes in my closet. Iron Man was hard. Tony wouldn’t build me a suit, so Clint and I had to break into his lab and take a picture in one of his. Tasha scaled it down on the computer.”

“There’s no Hulk,” Skye smiled.

“Nope,” Steven agreed. “But there’s Dr. Banner; he’s cooler than the Hulk. Besides, Bruce doesn’t like him very much. I talked to Bucky about doing one for him, but he didn’t like the idea.”

“He doesn’t like the Winter Soldier,” Steve agreed.

“Yeah, so I just got a picture with him,” Steven smiled, pointing to a frame by his bed. “These are my heroes, but Bucky said the soldier isn’t a hero. My Uncle Bucky is though.”

“That’s my boy,” Steve smiled, ruffling his hair.

“So the next time I rip a hem-?”

“Oh, Skye, I got you,” Steven replied sassily.

 

0-0-0-0-0

 

“So, this is kind of bad timing but I think I found the place Steven was raised,” Tony admitted to Skye. She was sitting on the couch in the common room, waiting for Bucky to come back so she could talk to him about his girl.

“The place he was raised?” Skye repeated, her face falling. He had grown up with Centipede. She had been hoping he was a foster kid; at least that way he would have had a tiny bit of normalcy.

“You told me about Centipede raising those kids at the building you found,” Tony nodded, rubbing his thumbs together anxiously. “I was hoping Steven wasn’t one of them, wince he wasn’t on the hard drive you gave me, but the missing half of the youngest kids were raised at the building I just found. At least, that’s what the scientists said.”

“You’ve been talking to the scientists?”

“Bruce and Simmons may or may not have helped,” he smirked.

“And you didn’t invite me? You know I go visit the kids every couple days.”

“You would have hogged the conversation.”

“Let’s go. Let’s go now. I’ll get Steve.”

“I’ll get the spy twins,” Tony nodded. “What about Steven?”

“What about me?” The boy asked, strolling in at that exact moment. Zeus was a brown and black blur around his feet as he chased Steven’s feet as he walked.

“We’ve got a thing we need to take care of,” Skye replied, shooting Tony a quick look to keep him quiet.

“Pepper is in her office and Not-Doctor Bruce is in his lab. I’m okay staying by myself. I was gonna take Zeus to the garage and teach him to crawl,” he replied, shrugging. The puppy yipped at his name, which had Tony laughing behind them.

“You sure?” Skye asked, kneeling. “I don’t know how long we’ll be gone. Might be an hour or two, or it might be most of the day.”

“I’ll be okay,” Steven giggled. “I’m safe in the Tower and I’ll promise not to go into any labs. Besides, Bucky said his errand isn’t too long. He’ll be back soon.”

“Well, I’m sold,” Tony grinned. “Go get your gear on. Have Steve put his on too.”

“We’ll need gear?”

“It was heavily implied that there might be some… key players...hiding out.”

“Suit it is,” Skye nodded. She glanced back at Steven. “Wait here? We’ll be back in five minutes. You can head to the garage after we head out. Steve’ll want to say bye.”

“Okay!” He grinned.

“Five minutes, Tony,” she added, walking to the stairwell.

“Yeah, yeah,” he chuckled, heading the opposite way.

“Steve, gear up.” Skye announced, striding into the room and heading straight for the closet.

“Gear up for what?” He asked, looking at her from over the top of his sketch pad. He paused and then a slow smirk grew on his face. “You’re ready for more sex already?”

“Always,” she giggled, walking over to kiss him. She bopped his nose and shook her head, “but no. Tony thinks he found the building where Steven was raised and apparently there might be some rogue Centipede peoples there.”

“Where Steven was raised? What are you talking about?” Steve asked, even as he set his pad down and hurried to his own suit.

“Remember when I told you about finding out that half the youngest kids of each group were raised by Centipede?”

“Did you? Tell me this, I mean.”

“Yes? I thought so. The gist is that about half of the youngest kids from each group came from this building. It was about every four years a new kid would come. I mean, it’s an infant that they raised until they were four or five and then they were taken away. They were taken to be part of the newest group. That’s why they’re so hard on the youngest. The youngest were raised for it - trained since infancy to be better than the other kids. Steven wasn’t from that building...I was hoping-”

“You were hoping he was raised as an actual kid,” Steve sighed, rubbing his face. “You definitely didn’t tell me this.”

“I’m sorry,” she said softly.

“It’s fine. You’ve got a lot of secrets that you have to keep straight.” Steve all but growled, tugging his boots on.

“You sound mad,” she whispered, zipping herself up. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean for it to be a secret. Nothing about Steven should be a secret from you. I’ll meet you on the quinjet.”

“Shit,” Steve sighed, scrubbing his face angrily. Honestly, yes, he was a little mad. This was his kid they were talking about. He should have been in the loop. At the same time, though, he couldn’t fault her for not telling him. He doubted she did it on purpose and she had been through alot lately. He scrubbed the scowl from his face and grabbed his shield. They could talk it out on the quinjet; he needed to not be angry when he saw Steven.

 

 

“Are you okay?” Steven asked immediately, frowning at Steve. He sighed and forced a tired smile.

“Yeah, I’m good, buddy. I just need to wrap my head around this mission.”

“Are you sure? Cause Skye looked upset, too.”

“We’re both fine,” he nodded. “Give me a hug. Don’t get into trouble while we’re gone.”

“Bucky will be back soon and Bruce is in his lab. I’m going to work on training Zeus. I’ll be fine, I promise.” Steven smiled worriedly and wrapped Steve’s neck in a tight hug. “Be safe, okay?”

“Of course,” Steve smiled, pressing a kiss to the top of the boy’s head. “I’ll see you when we get back.”

“Let’s go, Capsicle!” Tony blared over the intercom.

“Gotta go,” Steve told the boy, rolling his eyes. Steven giggled and released him.

“Bye.”

 

 

“Tony, why don’t you fill them in?” Skye offered, putting earbuds in. “I need a minute.”

“Okay,” Tony frowned. He turned to his teammates, taking in Steve’s stiff posture and the Spy Twin’s confusion. “Skye gave me a drive a while back. She had found a building that was affiliated with Centipede. There were rooms designed for, well, children. Centipede was raising kids.”

“Shit,” Tasha cursed, glancing over at Skye.

“Every four-ish years an infant would be brought in, raised, trained, and then shipped off. Repeat that cycle.” Tony ran his fingers through his hair, frustrated with how he was laying this out. He knew he could do a better job but he was agitated just thinking about Steven being raised like that. “Skye compared the kids from that building to the groups. Of the youngest for each group, about half were raised from infancy.”

“That’s why they were harder on the youngest,” Tasha snarled. “Steven is one of those.”

“Steven wasn’t from the building Skye found.”

“What about the other half of the youngest?” Clint asked.

“That’s where we’re going now,” Tony replied. “Bruce and I have been wearing the scientists at Shield down and finally got this building. It was also implied that there might be more people affiliated with Centipede hiding out there.”

“Steven was raised there?” Clint asked softly, glancing at Steve. All he could do was raise a shoulder in response; he didn’t have any answers for his friend.

“We were hoping we would find him buried in the foster care files…” Tony admitted. “Skye didn’t want to believe that he was raised there. I didn’t want to believe that he was raised there.”

“Jack?” Tasha asked. “He’s the youngest of Delta.”

“No, I’ve seen pictures of him being raised with his parents,” Steve denied. “Jack wasn’t raised like that. Not until they brought him in, at least.”

“From what I can tell, they didn’t start raising them until after Delta broke out,” Tony replied. Steve softened, catching the expression on Skye’s face at that admission. She blamed herself for this. He sat next to Skye and tugged an earbud free from her ear.

“I’m not mad,” he told her softly, trying to keep their conversation private despite the close quarters. Her expression told him she didn’t believe that. He frowned a little and sighed. “I was a little mad, but I’m not mad now. I know you didn’t keep this from me on purpose. I was surprised and caught off guard and I didn’t think things through. It’s not your fault. The kids, being raised there, it’s not your fault.”

“They only started after I broke Delta out. It wasn’t intentional, but I did do this. It’s classic cause and effect.”

“You couldn’t possibly know-”

“It wasn’t something I thought about. I didn’t even consider the consequences of taking Delta. I was just so... _angry_ …” She took a small breath and exhaled it slowly. Steve saw the tears in her eyes and pulled her close. “I just needed to get them out. I just needed to get them as far away from there as I could and I fucked it up. I didn’t even save Delta - all they got from me was a life on the run and getting picked off one by one - but I fucked over so many other kids because I tried.”

"Question," Tony said loudly, seemingly oblivious to Skye's mood. Steve growled in annoyance but Skye jumped at the distraction. "So these kids start as infants, right?"

"Right?" Skye frowned, trying to follow his train of thought.

"You were dropped at the orphanage as an infant."

"Could you have come from there?" Tasha asked, her expression puzzled.

"I don't know," Skye shrugged.

"Nothing? We could look at your file from the orphanage," Tony offered. "There ought to be something in there that can help."

"My file is gone. There wasn't an electronic system back then, at least not that a poor orphanage would have been able to afford. All I know about my time there is what I remember," Skye replied. "Besides, they didn't start raising the kids until after Delta. Even if I was intended for that, the dates don't match up. I would have been 2 when Alpha was started, 6 when Beta started, 11 for Gamma... Those groups all had older kids. It doesn't make sense that I came from there."

“We’re here,” Clint called from near the hatch.

“Here goes nothing,” Skye smiled. It was forced and blaringly artificial and Steve couldn’t help but cringe.

“What’s important is that nothing else is going to happen to those kids,” Steve murmured into her hair. “We’ll get them moved into the sparkly new Stark house and we’ll raise them up right. We’ll stop them for good this time.”

“That’s what I thought, too.” She sighed. She pulled out of his embrace as Tony touched down. “I’m okay. I’ve got this.”

“Let’s go kick some butt, huh? That always makes you feel better,” Steve replied, offering her his hand.

“Yeah it does.”

 

0-0-0-0-0

 

“I’ve got ten restrained,” Tasha called over the coms. “Clint went after a few that squirted out.”

“I see them,” Tony called back. “Moving to intercept.”

“How’s the hacking going?” Tasha asked.

“She’s focused,” Steve replied, watching Skye’s back as she hacked into their servers. The rooms with cribs and child sized beds clarified the purpose of the building and forced Skye to retreat back into her shell.

“Everything okay?”

“Yeah,” Steve sighed. “She’s just a little thrown by all this.”

The fact that she wasn’t even retorting sarcastically to being talked about was a testament to that. Steve pivoted and checked the hall again when Skye gasped. She scrambled back from the computer, toppling the chair behind her. She tripped over it and fell to the ground, not even bothering to try and stop her fall. Her face was pale and her mouth was open in shock.

“Skye?” Steve asked, rushing to her side. Her eyes flicked up to his, revealing her complete panic. Then, in the blink of an eye, she was gone. Steve watched her hair flying behind her as she bolted from the room, making zero effort at being stealthy.

“What happened?” Tony asked over the comms. “Steve?”

“I don't know yet.” Steve muttered. “Skye's coming out, fast. Someone make sure she gets back to the plane?”

“I got her,” Tony called out a minute later. “Shit, she's really moving.”

“Tasha? Can you hear me?” Steve asked, heading to the computer Skye had been working on.

“Loud and clear.” Tasha replied.

“I'm going to need some help with this computer. It looks like Skye decrypted what we needed, but I don't know if she finished. Wanna talk me through this?”

“If you give me ten minutes, I can be there.” Tasha offered. Steve saw what Skye had seen, what Skye had flipped out over, and knew he had to protect this knowledge for her. At least, until he got the chance to talk to her about it.

“We don't have time for that,” Clint interjected. “Just found the system rigged to blow this place. One of the squirters activated it. We're going to need to get out of here, guys. Two minutes to detonation. There’s nothing to defuse - not that I can see at least.”

“Just talk me through this,” Steve repeated, firmly. Tasha sighed and did as asked, all while kicking some butt, if the sounds carrying over the connection were any indication.

 

 


	89. I will always come for you, baby.

 

 

“Skye?” Steve asked softly, knocking on the door. She didn't say anything, so he let himself in. She was rocking on their bed, clutching her knees. “Are you okay?” Steve winced and shook his head. “Sorry, that’s a stupid question.”

“What?” Skye replied, blinking slowly like she was coming out of a trance. She smiled at him, knowing full well he would see straight through it.

“I’m glad you didn’t run away,” Steve murmured, sitting down next to her.

“Gertrude is broken,” Skye admitted darkly. He swallowed hard; she thought about leaving. She _wanted_ to leave. He needed to fix this; he was sure he wouldn’t be able to sleep knowing she would take off the second it was a viable option again.

“I copied that data, before deleting it.” Steve said slowly, holding up her flashdrive. Skye swallowed hard and nodded. “I was thinking maybe we could talk about it before I hand it over to Tony?”

Skye swallowed hard and tightened her hold around her knees. Finally, she looked up at Steve, indecision warring in her eyes.

“Tell me it's not true.” She whispered.

“I can't do that.” Steve replied, nudging her side so she would give him some room. Once he was settled, she pressed herself into his side. He wrapped his arms around her and pressed a kiss to the top of her head. “But I know how we can see if it is...”

“A DNA test.” Skye said flatly.

“You know they're going to want to do it, after they see this.” Steve whispered.

“I don't know if I want to know.” Skye admitted.

“Did you know?” Steve asked. “That they took your eggs?”

“I'm not a chicken.” Skye chuckled, trying in vain to make a joke out of it. Steve didn't respond, just held her tighter. Finally, she sighed and nodded. “Bruce and Simmons told me, when you guys first got me back. I didn't worry about it; I just put it out of mind... It wasn't something that was important to me.”

“Okay, so...how do you feel about it now?” Steve asked gently. A wild sob erupted from Skye's chest, surprising both of them.

“I don't want to be a mom again.” Skye admitted, sobbing.

“Again?” Steve asked softly. She realized her slip and the sobbing came harder. Steve rocked her gently, rubbing his arm down her back. “It's okay. I've got you.”

“I want you to know that I didn't lie.” Skye said wetly, wiping her face on her sleeve. Since she was still in her uniform, the stiff fabric didn't absorb any of her tears. Steve reached back for a tissue off the bedside table and offered it to her. “Please don’t be mad. I didn’t lie.”

“You didn't lie about what?” Steve asked after she had gotten herself cleaned up and relatively calm. Skye sighed heavily and forced herself to sit up straight. She looked at Steve for a long moment, then frowned.

“I'm not Alpha, or Beta...or any of those groups.” Skye started. Steve nodded. He knew that already. “But...I did come from the facility.”

“You came from the facility?” Steve gaped. Skye nodded firmly. “But...I've seen your wrist.”

“I told you, I'm not from one of their groups.” Skye said softly, holding her head up high. Her entire body was tense, but she was holding her ground. “My tattoo is different. I didn't have a group. Group implies there were multiple people...I was alone. I was their first.”

“Their first?” Steve repeated, swallowing hard.

“My number is 01.” Skye shrugged. She tugged at the strap of her watch.

“But, your wrist...”

“These two numbers are my original tattoo.” Skye offered, extending her wrist. “It just worked out that I could turn this into binary. With my computer skills, no one thought twice about it. It just worked.”

“Shit...” Steve exhaled, running his hands through his hair. “So the training you had that taught you to use the lines - that was Centipede?”

“They weren’t Centipede then; I mean, it was the same people, the same organization - I just never heard them refer to themselves like that.”

“Is the serum the reason you can see the lines?” Steve asked in a near whisper. There was so much he wanted to know, so much he wanted to understand about his girl, but he was afraid of pushing too hard.

“I don’t think I was ever given a serum.” Skye replied. “I can’t guarantee that; I've never been able to find a file for myself. They never said anything about a serum. I was in there for such a long time though, Steve. Even I can’t keep it all straight in my head.”

“Even you?”

“I kind of remember everything,” she admitted softly.

Steve hesitated, licking his lips nervously. “Is that how you knew about Delta?”

“Yeah,” she nodded.

“Jack mentioned you being their angel,” Steve murmured, thinking back to the memorial service they had had for her in park. “That was you-”

“In a white medical gown, yeah,” she admitted with a wet, insincere chuckle. “They were always so out of it.”

“Okay, back to the mom thing...you said you couldn't do that again? What happened to your kid? Is it Jack? He said he called you mom once and that you freaked.”

She looked at Steve again, trying to decide what she was going to tell him. She sighed and tossed her hands up. “Shit, Steve. This is...”

“It's okay. Take your time,” Steve reassured her, extending his arms to her again. She remained where she was. After a beat, he dropped his arms, looking more concerned than before.

“Henry.” Skye said softly. “They said he was mine. I mean, I didn't carry him. I didn't even know about him until he was walking. By the time he was four, he was being prepped for Gamma.”

“47 Henry?”

“Yeah,” she nodded. “He didn’t stay with Gamma either. He didn’t transition well, so the scientists had to move him back in with me. He trained and was tested with Gamma, but he lived with me.”

“But you must have been just a kid,” Steve frowned. “You said on the jet that you were eleven when Gamma started.”

“Yeah, but he was mine. I never doubted them. I could see myself in him. Either way, it didn’t matter if he was biologically mine. I claimed him as mine. I raised him. I helped train him. I got him through his tests…” she dropped off into a shaky sob. “Even if he wasn’t mine, he was _mine_.”

“Okay, so let's get him here.” Steve said softly. “You know where he is. Let's go get him. He’s important to you - he shouldn't be alone...”

Skye's face fell, crumpling in complete despair. She fought for control over herself for several minutes before shrinking in on herself. To Steve, she looked like she had folded in, making herself half the size that she should have been.

“He's good where he is.” Skye said finally, her voice small and defeated.

“Skye.” Steve said firmly, ducking his head to get to her eye level. “We can keep him safe. We would all look out for him. Wouldn't it make you feel better to know that he's with you?”

“Steve,” Skye whispered, her voice cracking. “He's dead, okay? They pushed too hard and I couldn't save him.”

“But the blood...”

“It's mine.” Skye admitted. “It's always been mine.”

 

0-0-0-0-0

 

“Well, that settles things,” Bruce offered calmly, slipping gloves off his hands. “Congratulations.”

“Where's Steven?” Skye sighed, running her fingers through her hair. They were in Bruce’s lab, confirming the data on the drive.

“I don't know, I've been with you,” Steve smiled. “Hey, Jarvis? Where is Steven?”

“Steven is not currently in the building,” Jarvis replied.

“Who is he with?” Steve frowned, trying to mentally place the team.

“Agent Ward came for him.” Jarvis replied. Skye's face immediately fell into a harsh expression.

“Where did he take Steven?” She asked.

“GPS indicates Steven was taken to Shield Headquarters.”

“That little fucker.” Skye growled. She straightened her shoulders and rolled her jaw, forcing herself to stay calm. “I'm going. Now.”

“I'll drive you.”

“Yeah?”

“Yeah. I'm not sure the other drivers would appreciate you being on the road right now,” Steve replied softly. Skye's return grin was fierce and angry.

“Your director won't appreciate me either. Little asshole. Let's go. Let’s go _now_.”

“You got it, doll.” Steve nodded. He hid his anger better than she did; one of them needed to be in control of themselves.

 

0-0-0-0-0

 

Alarms were blaring within seconds of Skye and Steve storming through the front doors. They were both still in their tactical gear from the mission and had matching expressions of determination and anger. Skye’s mood was as black as the storm brewing outside. Steve raised his eyebrow at the agents that quickly surrounded them, weapons at the ready.

“Bit preemptive guys.” Steve frowned at the agents, slipping into Captain America mode. “You really don't want to get between us and Steven.”

“Jarvis, scan the building. I want his location.” Skye muttered into her watch. Steve rose an eyebrow at that. She smirked and asked, “what?”

“I should have known better,” Steve replied, fighting a smirk.

“I don't think we should fight Captain America,” One agent remarked. There were soft murmurs of agreement, but the guns didn't lower.

“Steven is located on the third floor.” Jarvis replied a second later.

“Third floor it is,” Steve nodded, leading Skye towards the stairs. Fury would try to lock them in the elevator if they took it. The agents didn't try to stop them.

“How do you know where he is?” Steve asked softly as they ascended the stairs.

“He’s got one of my watches,” she admitted. She quirked a little smile at him, “don’t worry; Jack and Fitz are making more. You guys will all get one. His was just done faster. I was worried about him.”

They stepped out onto the third floor and another full squad of agents stood between them and Steven. He was crying, but desperately trying not to. His expression was equal parts pissed, betrayed, stubborn, and terrified. He had not had a good afternoon. Steve took a half step forward so he was slightly in front of Skye. He needed that advantage if Skye decided to do something irrational.

“We've come to collect Steven,” Steve called out. He could see the Director standing near Steven, though several agents stood between them.

“That's your director?” Skye asked softly. Steve nodded, not taking his eyes off Steven. “He thinks hiding behind Steven's going to save him?” Skye chortled sarcastically and side-stepped Steve to address the agents. “Move aside and you won't get hurt.”

“Orders are orders,” One agent replied stiffly. He was afraid. He knew what Captain America could do, but he had also heard rumors about his girlfriend. The Strike Team sent to retrieve the boy hadn't come back in good shape. Even Agent Ward knew to be on his best behavior around her – and by best behavior, they meant giving her what she wanted. That was the terrifying part. Agent Ward wasn’t well liked, but he was respected for his skills. The semi-nude pictures of him that had spread like wildfire only reinforced the idea that the small woman wasn’t to be trifled with.

Then there was Director Fury's actions to take into account. The tech department had spent all morning trying to access the audio, video, and door controls for the Tower. Just when they finally thought they were making progress, an animated Hulk had launched onto half of the department's computers - and then wrecked chaos on the software. When the rest of the tech department tried to continue, animated Black Widow and Hawkeye let themselves into their computers. Within minutes the entire department was down. Fury had pursed his lips and called for Agent Ward. Fury had closed his door, but the shouting could still be heard from the hall. It wasn't just Fury yelling either; Agent Ward would have taken a suicide mission without complaint, so there were raised eyebrows when he emerged pale and shaking. It didn't help that the entire building had gone into lockdown the minute Agent Ward had gotten back with a screaming boy. He had handed the boy off stiffly and informed the Director that he was going off-grid for a while. Then Captain America and a small woman burst through the front doors like the building wasn't in lockdown.

So, yeah, he was afraid.

“Move.”

“Can't.”

“I want to speak to your director.” Skye demanded, stepping forward. Steve hurried to follow. He wasn’t worried about her - he was worried about the agents that were only following orders.

“You have no right to this child,” Director Fury announced, striding forward. His agents parted for him, gladly getting out of the way. Steve could see he was trying to be intimidating. It seemed to be working, too. Skye stopped dead in her tracks and Steve had to backtrack so he didn’t plow into her. Fury pressed his advantage, “I don't care who you think you are. You don't get to treat my agents like that...”

“I know you don't care about me, _Icky Nicky_.” Skye snarled sarcastically, reaching back and landing a solid right hook on his jaw. Fury went flying, landing hard on his back. Skye was shaking.

“Mar-” Fury asked from the ground, looking just as shell shocked as the rest of the men in the room.

“Don't _fucking_ call me that.” Skye interrupted.

“Skye?” Steve asked softly, coming up behind her. Her rage was at an entirely different level now. He thought he had seen her angry - but nothing could have prepared him for this.

“Is that what you're going by now?”

“Don't fucking talk to me,” Skye growled, jabbing a finger at him. Fury scrambled up from the ground, trying to retain his composure. “And I _do_ have a right to _my son_ \- so you can back the fuck up,” Skye snarled, pushing Fury back with a sharp jab to his chest before proceeding past him and his agents. Steven ran to her and jumped into her arms as soon as the path was clear. 

“I wasn't sure you were going to come for me,” Steven whispered into her neck. He buried his face in her reassuring warmth and wrapped his legs around her waist. He wasn’t scared of her, not even like this. She was mad _for_ him, not _at_ him.

“I will always come for you, baby. Always.”

 

0-0-0-0-0

 

“We have so much to talk about,” Steve told Skye quietly. He slipped his arm around her waist as they stepped into the elevator, despite the looks he knew they were getting. Steven reached out immediately and clamped down on the collar of his uniform, holding tightly to them both. In the privacy of the elevator, Skye relaxed slightly. She wiped tears from Steven's face, then pressed a kiss to his forehead. He hummed and rested his head on her.

“I know,” Skye admitted just as softly. She couldn't tell if he was angry. He seemed to sense her discomfort and squeezed her hip. She looked over at him and he gave her a soft smile. He put his other hand on Steven’s back, rubbing slow circles. Steven hummed and nuzzled closer to Skye.

“I'm going to need you to get me footage from that room,” Steve teased, his entire face lighting up. He smirked and pressed a kiss to her temple. All said, getting Steven back had been easier than he expected. He knew better than to press Skye for information about what just happened with Fury. That conversation would go a lot better once she had had a chance to calm down.

“Oh, it's going to be playing on a loop on the main floor,” Skye grinned. They both slipped a more serious expression on their faces when the elevator pinged at the ground floor. Steve pulled his arm loose and lightly tugged Steven's hand from his shirt. The agents were waiting for them. Skye sighed loudly. Maybe it had been too easy.

“Think they're stupid enough to start something?” Steve muttered, eying the guns. He didn't really think they would open fire, but who knew? “God, I want my shield.”

“Hey, fuck faces. This is my kid - so if you don't move your asses, I would be more than happy to help.” Skye called out loudly. Steven giggled lightly and gripped her tighter, but didn't comment on her language. “Your choice.”

“He's not her son,” Someone muttered. “Agent Rogers checked him out.”

“Agent Rogers checked him out because I was indisposed. This is my son and you have no right to detain him. Move.”

“You have no proof.”

“Contact Dr. Bruce Banner. He'll confirm it for you,” Skye retorted, rolling her eyes.

“The fucking _Hulk_?”

“Dude! Shut up!”

Director Fury appeared from a separate elevator, holding an ice pack onto his rapidly swelling face. “Skye, I wish you would reconsider.”

“Ridiculous Nicholas, you've gotten more ridiculous in your old age. Have your agents move or I'll _make_ them move. I recall you weren't too happy the last time I felt it was necessary to intervene on your behalf.”

“Ridiculous Nicholas,” Steven chuckled. There was a corresponding chuckle somewhere in the crowd of agents gathered, but Fury silenced that one with a single look.

“Reconsider.” Fury repeated, almost sounding like he was begging. Skye took a step away from him, trying to keep up her front. Steve and Steven could see, could _feel_ , her barely contained rage and horror, but the agents couldn’t.

“What's she supposed to be considering?” Steve asked, pulling her back to his side – audience be damned. Skye seemed to need the contact. She was shaking slightly as she pressed herself into his bulk.

“Stay,” He said softly. “Skye, _stay_. I thought you were dead. Stay.”

What the hell was even happening? Steven picked his head up, surprise marking his face, too. Skye looked torn between laughing hysterically and beating him to a pulp. The laughing won out. Steve could see that she was barely keeping control of herself, so he tightened his grip on her as the laughing turned hysterical.

“Doll, breathe.” Steve murmured, twisting Skye away from Fury. Skye pulled herself into his chest, taking a deep breath like he suggested. Steven hummed from between them, content despite the tension in the room. When he felt like she was reasonably calm, he asked, “What's going on?”

“He didn't protect them, Steve. He promised, but he didn't keep them safe.”

“Mar...”

“Don't fucking call me that.” Skye growled, cutting Fury off before he could finish the word. She pulled away from Steve and stabbed her finger at Fury as she told him, “If you make a fucking promise to a child, you keep it. If you can't do that, then you don't make the fucking promise.”

“Look, I'm sorry I couldn't keep you...”

“Those children deserve better.” Skye interrupted again. “Steven deserves better. No, we're not staying. Hell no. Steve, we need to go before I punch him again.”

“Okay, doll. Let's go home.” Steve replied easily.

The agents moved aside without a word from anyone.

“I want the rest of the kids ready for transport tomorrow, 8am.” Skye informed Director Fury. “I’m taking them off your hands.”

 

“Think we should tell her they already left?” Maria Hill asked, standing unobtrusively beside the director. Steve glanced warily back at the agents as he escorted the small woman and her son from the building. She had heard rumors, but seeing it in person was still a shock. Steve Rogers had found his place in the world.

“Hell no, woman. Get in contact with that bus. They need to be back here before she comes back in the morning.”

 

 


	90. Who the fuck is Mary Sue Poots?

 

 

“To say I'm confused would be the understatement of the century,” Steve admitted once they were heading back to the Tower. Skye was sitting in back with Steven. He had refused to let her go and Steve didn't blame him. He wasn't sure what Skye and Fury's history was, but his protective instincts were screaming that he wasn't going to like it.

“I know. I'm sorry.” Skye sighed, threading her fingers through Steven's hair. He was just silently watching. “You know how I told you I was the kid from the sixties?”

“Yeah?”

“He was my social worker, I mean…I thought he was my social worker.”

“Shield put you in the orphanage?”

“I guess? I don't know why. When Centipede came for me at the Brody’s house, I didn’t understand why my social worker showed up with guns. I didn’t know Shield was involved until I was being taken and Nicky showed up with a team wearing Shield patches. I don't really understand, still. Can we talk about this later, after I’ve had time to process this? I thought he died.”

“Sure thing, doll.” Steve smiled, catching her eye in the rear view mirror. He adjusted the mirror and looked back at Steven. “How are _you_ doing, buddy?”

“Good.” Steven smiled shyly.

“They didn't hurt you, did they?”

“No. One guy wanted to when I kicked him in his man bits, but the other agents wouldn't let him. Said your girlfriend would be pissed,” Steven giggled. He twisted in Skye's arms to grin up at her. “They're so scared of you.”

“They should be,” Skye nodded decisively. She grinned and tapped his nose. “No one gets between me and my kid.”

“You're serious?” Steven asked softly.

“Ran a DNA test and everything,” Steve confirmed with a grin.

“You’re my mom?”

“Yeppers.”

“I kind of thought you were just saying that.” Steven admitted. “Like when we had our first date, just us two, and you didn't correct that lady?”

“Oh, baby. I wouldn't joke about something like that.” Skye said softly. Steven grinned and clapped his hands excitedly, then realized something.

“Are you okay with this?” Steven asked, wincing. “Jack told me what happened when he called you mom once.”

Steve laughed from up front, but quickly cleared his throat, desperately trying to cover it. Skye rolled her eyes at him, making him laugh again.

“Honestly, it kind of shocked me. I didn't know.” Skye replied. “I freaked for a bit. Kind of a long bit - but it wasn't because of you. It was because I didn't know. It was because I didn't understand.”

“How could you have me without knowing?” Steven asked. Skye frowned and bobbled her head, considering how much she wanted to explain to a seven year old. He sighed loudly, “I'm not a kid. I mean...I am. But you can tell me the truth.”

“Oh, I wasn't going to lie,” Skye laughed. “It's just kind of...medical. How far has Bruce gotten?”

“I think I can pick up anything you can throw down.” Steven told Skye seriously. Skye laughed and ruffled his hair.

“We really need to get you away from Clint.”

“Oh, no.” Steve groaned loudly.

“What?” Skye asked immediately.

“Tony.” Steve said bluntly. “He's an uncle. His only _real_ uncle.”

“Bucky’s my _real_ uncle,” Steven argued softly.

“He’s your real uncle about as much as he’s my real brother,” Steve replied.

“We'll have to promote Clint,” Skye fake sighed, but she and Steven were both grinning. They knew why Steve was groaning. Tony was going to hold this over Clint's head forever.

“You going to tell him the other bit?” Steve asked softly.

“Hmm, wanna talk to the other bit first,” Skye winced.

“Secrets don't make friends, guys.” Steven reminded them. That forced a scowl out of Skye.

“ _Fucking Ward_.” She growled.

“The Director told him he had to. He wasn't happy about it.” Steven said softly, knowing why she was so mad. “He kept apologizing to me. I really think he feels bad about this, Skye.”

“I don't care,” Skye admitted. “He still did it.”

“After he dropped me off, he ran away. He told the Director not to call him for a while. He said he was going off grid,” Steven giggled.

“Maybe he has a shred of common sense,” Steve chuckled.

“Don't hurt him too bad,” Steven grinned.

“No promises,” Skye replied. “Steve, I'm starving.”

“How about we eat somewhere here?” Steve laughed. “It's nearly an hour to the Tower.”

“An hour? What? Why!”

“Skye, we were speeding the whole way down there.”

“So we can speed all the way back!”

“No.” Steve replied firmly.

“If we were on your motorcycle you would,” Skye grumbled.

“That's different. Steven isn't with us on the motorcycle.”

“I'm hungry too,” Steven interjected. “Let's eat here.”

Steve smiled. “What are we thinking for food?”

“I would be good with just about anything,” Skye admitted, pulling out her phone to look at options.

 

0-0-0-0-0

 

“Um, can I ask a question?” Steven asked softly, hesitantly. He waved Steve down when he grinned at him, “I know, I know, I just did.”

“Of course you can,” Skye replied easily.

“It's okay if the answer is no.” Steven offered. “I just want to know.”

“What's your question?” Skye asked.

“Um...” Steven swallowed hard and looked over at her, building up his courage. “Am I allowed to call you mom?”

Steve looked like he was expecting that question. He grinned at the pair of them, waiting for Skye's response. She pursed her lips and rocked her head side to side.

“Do you _want_ to call me mom?” She asked finally. Steven bit his lip but nodded slowly. Skye exhaled slowly, then shrugged, “Okay.”

“Okay?” Steven frowned.

“Okay, you can call me mom.” Skye shrugged again.

“Just like that?”

“Well, I mean, you are my son. Am I allowed to call you my son?”

“Hell yes!” Steven shouted, rocketing out of his seat to envelop her in a hug. Skye chuckled and tightened her hold around him, blinking back tears.

“I have one condition,” Skye said softly, “But that has more to do with me than with you.”

“A condition?” Steven asked, his smile slipping slightly.

“I need to talk to Jack before you call me mom in front of anyone besides Steve.”

“Is he going to be mad?” Steven winced. “I didn't think about how he would feel. I was just excited that you're mine.”

Skye groaned loudly, making Steve laugh.

“Just tell him,” Steve grinned.

“You're going to have to keep a secret.” Skye told the boy, sighing loudly. “I know you don't like to, but you're breaking my heart right now and I can't...”

“I can keep a secret,” Steven nodded.

“Jack is your brother.” Skye said softly. “He's mine too.”       

“He's my brother?”

“Half, technically...but, who cares?”

“Not me!” Steven grinned, wiggling in place. “Steve! I got a mom _and_ a brother!”

“How about that?” Steve grinned, pulling into the Tower's garage. The team was assembled in the garage, looking pissed. Bucky wasn’t there; he was still on his mysterious errand. Skye saw Jack standing with the Avengers with a worried frown and sighed.

“I didn't call.” Skye winced.

“I didn't think about it either,” Steve frowned. “Oops.”

“Okay, since he’s here, I'm going to steal Jack right away. Steven, will you go with Steve? I want to do this in private.”

“Okay, _mom_.” He grinned, practically squeeing with excitement.

“Remember,” Skye whispered, tapping her nose. “Secret.”

“Secret.” Steven nodded, tapping his nose back. “Can you explain this to me better sometime? We never had the medical conversation that you were worried about.”

“Yeah, baby.” Skye grinned, pressing a kiss to his head. “You can be there when we discuss this with the family. I'm sure they're going to want to have the same conversation.”

“They don't know?”

“We just found out while on the mission,” Skye replied. “Steve wanted to let me wrap my head around it before we shared the hard drive with the rest of the family.”

“Got it!” Steven agreed, then scrambled from the vehicle. He ran straight for Jack, giving him a really tight hug before releasing him and hugging everyone else. Skye tugged on Jack's shirt, pulling him towards the elevator while Steve got everyone else's attention.

“I need a shower and clothes,” Steve told the team as they walked away. “Let's schedule a family meeting in...an hour?”

“You need an _hour_ to shower?” Tony growled.

“Yep.” Steve grinned. “One hour, common floor. You’re not gonna want to miss this one.”

 

“What the hell is going on Skye?” Jack asked as she dragged him away.

“I don't really know how to tell you,” She admitted.

“Just tell me.”

“I'm not sure how you're going to take it.”

“Tell me.”

“We found something at the facility. Steve and I did.”

“Duh,” Jack groaned. That's why he was back. “Tony called and said you freaked out. He thought you came to me. Where did you go?”

“Had to get Steven back from Shield,” Skye admitted, but she hurried on, “That's not what I need to tell you though.”

“Skye, just spit it out,” Jack groaned, plopping down on his bed. Skye shut the door behind her, closing them in. “What did you find?”

“You know how you called me mom once?” Skye asked softly, sitting down next to him on his bed.

“Yeah. You freaked out. Kinda hard to forget.”

Skye waited for the other shoe to drop. She couldn't make her mouth form the words. Jack looked over at her expectantly, waiting for her to go on.

“Skye? What are you trying to tell me?” He asked. She winced and shot him a really big, really fake smile. “Wait. Are you...”

Skye nodded slowly, waiting for his reaction. She honestly had no clue what to expect and that scared the shit out of her.

“You're my mom?!” Jack practically shouted. Skye nodded again, watching tears form in his eyes. Shit. She heard the elevator ding and wondered if it was Steve and Steven, or if Bucky had returned to the Tower. She was going to need to talk with Bucky about this, too. He loved the boy as much as Steve and she did - he would need a title too - even if they were just making the _uncle_ title official. Shit, Steve - he would need a title too. This was a fucking mess. She needed to not think about Steve right now or she was going to break the fuck down. This was going to fuck up his adoption options with Steven. She forced herself back onto the issue on hand - Jack and his reaction. 

“Jack?” She pressed gently, “How do you feel about that?”

“But...I have parents?”

“Yes, you were raised by them...but biologically, you’re mine,” Skye whispered. “We can look into what happened with your parents, though. I’m curious too.”

“You did say they needed some help getting pregnant,” Jack mused.

“Jack? You never answered my question. How do you feel about this?”

“Thank fucking God!” Jack laughed, tossing himself at her. “I've thought of you as my mom since like forever.”

“Yeah?” Skye asked softly, wiping her cheeks dry. The ceiling was dripping salt water on her face (cause she certainly wasn't crying).

“Yeah. You’ve been in my life longer than they were. You found me pictures and stuff...but I don’t remember a lot about them. All my memories are with you. You raised me. Even if when we weren’t related by blood I thought of you as my mom. You helped me grow. You taught me. You shaped me.”

“So, you’re okay?”

“Am I allowed to call you mom now?” Jack asked, laughing wetly.

“Steven asked the same thing,” Skye whispered. Jack pulled back from her slowly, happy tears still streaming from his face.

“What'd you tell him? Wait...why did he ask that?”

“Told him he wasn't allowed to call me mom until I talked it over with his older brother,” Skye replied, then bit her lip. He had handled the first news well. She wasn't sure how he would feel about a brother. Jack processed her words then tossed himself back on the bed with a loud laugh.

“Fucking Tony Stark is our Uncle. He's going to be fucking obnoxious about this. Clint is going to be pissed.”

“You're okay with having a brother?” Skye asked, smiling softly.

“We decided I was his cool older brother already,” Jack admitted. “We bonded while you were gone.”

“Technically, you're half brothers.” Skye replied.

“Don't care. I have family. I have blood family. I was so jealous when you got Tony. I was jealous that you had actual, real family and I didn't.”

“You're my actual, real family,” Skye replied. “Long before I found out about this. Picking your family means way more than some blood relation. There’s no obligation - it’s just choice.”

“Sometimes,” Jack agreed. “But having picked someone and then finding out they're blood? Yeah, I'm pretty fucking happy.”

“That makes you a Stark,” Skye giggled.

“Can we please go see Tony?” Jack giggled. “And I need to find my brother.”

“Steven is your half brother. I’m your mom, but you have different paternal DNA. Steven's probably not far, though.” Skye smirked. “Hey Jarvis...”

“Jarvis said you're done!” Steven announced, throwing himself into the room and then at Jack.

“Hi brother!”

“Hi brother!”

“Hi Mom!” They both grinned, reaching over to pull Skye into the hug. Skye grumbled good naturedly.

“Is it too late to disown you both?” She teased.

“You're stuck with us.” Jack informed her.

“For.ev.er.” Steven giggled.

“Jarvis, call the team up to the common floor.”

“It hasn't been an hour Jack,” Skye laughed.

“Fuck it!” Jack grinned. “Steven and I want to tell Tony. Can we?”

“Sure,” Skye agreed.

“Let's go get Steve!” Steven grinned, scrambling to find good holds on Jack as he stood. Jack opened his door and they both shouted, “Steve!”

“Oh, no.” Steve laughed, still pulling clean clothes on.

“We're going to regret this,” Skye agreed, though she was smiling back. “They decided they want to tell Tony.”

“What are you promoting Clint to?” Steve grinned.

“Ugh, I forgot!” Skye moaned.

“He can be our Godfather,” Jack supplied. “I mean, I don't really need one...but if Steven gets one, I get one. Fair is fair.”

“Fair _is_ fair,” Steven agreed. Steve hid his grin behind his hand when Skye threw her hands up.

“If you get to tell Tony, I get to tell Clint that part,” Skye said finally.

“Deal.” Steven agreed. “Let's go!”

“This is either going to go very well or very poorly,” Skye whispered to Steve, heading for his side.

“How can it go poorly?” Steve replied, kissing her lightly when she frowned. “They're so happy; it's contagious.”

“Can we not tell them about Nicky yet?” Skye asked. “I haven't finished wrapping my head around it.”

“Sure, doll.” Steve agreed. He nudged Steven, “Hey, nothing about what happened at headquarters, okay?”

“Yes, sir!” Steven saluted, then broke down into giggles with Jack.

“I would like to point out that it hasn't been an hour,” Tony frowned, swirling his glass.

“You wanted it to be sooner anyway.” Steve retorted.

“Hey, hey, Uncle Tony?” Steven asked, dropping from Jack's back and scrambling to climb Tony. Jack smirked and joined the hug, pinning Tony between them. Clint was watching from the couch - his head cocked as he analyzed the weird behavior.

“Yes?” Tony asked, frowning slightly at the contact. This was unusual, even for them.

“ _Uncle_ Tony?” Steven tried again.

“How do you feel about sharing the Stark name a little more?” Jack asked.

Steven broke down into giggles, “I didn't even think about that!”

“What are you two going on about?” Tony asked, his frown definitely more pronounced.

“Steve and I found some information at the base that threw me for a loop,” Skye told Tony.

“Yeah, I know.” Tony frowned. “When do I get to hear about it?”

“They're _trying_ to tell you,” Skye shrugged, nodding towards Jack and Steven. She noticed Clint's expression of horror and plopped herself next to him on the couch. He had figured it out faster than Tony. “So, since the position of Uncle is now unfairly swayed in his favor, I was kind of hoping you would step up for the position of Godfather. Heavens knows I can't leave Tony in charge of them...”

“Fuck yes,” Clint accepted quickly, standing and whooping. Tasha walked in and frowned at the scene: Steve was standing by the elevator, his arms crossed but smiling. Tony, still wrapped up in his nephews, was frowning as he tried to figure out what was happening. Skye was laughing from the couch. Clint was doing some sort of happy dance around the center table.

“What did I miss?” She asked.

“I'm Godfather!” Clint shouted. “They're stuck with Tony cause of blood and all, but I got _picked_ for Godfather!”

Her eyes got wide and she quickly refocused her attention on Tony. Realizing that Clint was talking about Jack and Steven, her eyes shot over to Skye. She shrugged lightly.

“Turns out they didn't just steal my eggs, they used them.”

Steve caught the slight shift in Tasha's expression. The horror, the comprehension, the loss, and the sadness slipped across her features faster than she could slip her agent mask on. Steve settled next to Skye on the couch and nudged her lightly. “You should consider a godmother,” Steve said as quietly as he could, in case Skye didn't want her for their godmother for whatever reason. Skye, thank heavens, kept talking to Clint. She didn't give away Steve's concern. He smiled and pressed a kiss to her exposed neck. After a minute though, she pushed away from Clint with a horror struck expression.

“What?” Tasha asked, immediately catching the look.

“I just realized I am putting Clint in charge of my kids,” Skye mock whispered, shooting wide eyes over to her friend. Steve had to applaud her acting skills – she was way better at this than she let on. “Please, will you be their godmother? I can't subject them to a lifetime of Clint if something happens and I trust you to take all three of them in hand. Tasha, please? For me?”

“I would be a horrible godmother,” Tasha muttered.

“No, you wouldn't!” Skye argued. “Please? It's important to me.”

“Skye, no.”

“Aw, Tasha!” Jack moaned, looking over from their position around Tony.

“I thought you loved us?” Steven frowned.

“I’m their uncle?” Tony asked, frowning. For a genius, he was taking a long time to connect the dots.

“Okay, Clint, you can't be godfather.” Skye sighed, rubbing her temple. “I guess Tony will have to be biological uncle _and_ godfather.”

She leaned back against Steve and watched Clint overreact.

“Nat! Don't be selfish!” Clint gasped, launching himself across the room at her. “Think of the children. _The children_!”

“One of _those children_ is older than you are,” Tasha sighed. Clint just pouted more dramatically. Skye giggled silently against Steve, ducking her head to hide her grin. She knew she could get Tasha to come around. “Fiiiiine! God, you're all children.”

“Fuck. Yes.” Clint grinned, clenching his fist in victory. “Come to daddy!”

The entire room groaned in tandem.

“You just pushed it too far.” Tony grimaced. “That's coming from _me_. Skye, you should probably make Pepper godmother.”

“No, you can just marry her and make her their aunt. Tasha's godmother.” Skye said firmly.

“So they’re really yours?” Tony asked.

“I feel like we've gotten off track,” Steve sighed.

“The Tower is being over-run with Starks,” Bruce muttered, slipping into the room quietly. “You really shouldn't be surprised that we've lost point of the meeting.”

“The voice of reason,” Steve smiled. Jack abandoned Tony in favor of his favorite chair, and Steven hurried over to Skye’s lap. He grinned as he adjusted himself so she could hold him and so he could still be a part of this conversation. Clint made himself comfortable on Tasha, grinning at his new title. Even Tasha was trying to hide her proud smirk.

“Okay, so...mission.” Tony sighed, rubbing his palms together. “You found something and then you ran like hell.”

“I found some records,” Skye admitted, wiggling the flash drive that Steve had given her from the facility. Tony came over and took it from her, plugging it into an access port that projected the files onto one of his digital displays. She swallowed hard and reached for Steve’s hand. “They suggested that the youngest children of each group, are mine.”

“Youngest of Delta,” Jack nodded.

“Youngest of Chi,” Steven added.

“But when did they take your eggs?” Tony asked, pulling at his goatee. “You were 18 when you broke Jack out, but that puts you at 8 years old for having him.”

“Henry,” Steve gasped softly. “How?”

“I didn't carry Jack,” Skye told Tony, ignoring Steve’s soft words at her side. “I didn't carry either of them. I'm going to pass this over to Bruce? I think he can explain it better.”

“Are you okay?” Steve asked, pulling her onto his lap. She was trembling.

She nodded slightly and glanced at Steve. She whispered, “just a lot’s going to come out tonight and I don’t know how they’re going to take this…” Steven slipped from her lap and pressed against Steve’s side. Jack frowned at the expression on her face and came over to sit on Steve’s free side.

“There’s a lot of guess work going on here,” Bruce explained with a sigh. “There’s too much we don’t know. The science, though, is fairly simple. Women are born with all the eggs they will ever have. More than they’ll ever need. They’re immature - not ready for reproduction, but when stimulated with the correct hormones - follicle stimulating hormone and luteinizing hormone - the eggs can be brought to maturity. We know Skye doesn’t have eggs, but because of the scarring that Jemma and I found when we first got Skye back we can assume that she did, at one point.”

“So they stole Skye’s eggs...when?” Tony asked. “Because that’s still putting Skye at 8 for having Jack. Unless you lied about being 18 when you broke Delta out?”

“No, I was born in 1962,” Skye replied.

“Okay, so... how did they get her eggs before she was eight?”

“I think it’s time to tell them, Солнышко,” Bucky said softly, stepping into the room. “And what’s this about you having Jack?”

“They’re mine,” she replied absently.

“Солнышко?”

“Skye’s our mom,” Steven offered with a smile. “Mine and Jack’s.”

“Солнышко?”

“It’s true. Bruce did a DNA test to confirm,” Skye replied. Steve’s arms around her tightened as her trembling increased.

“Think it’s time to tell us what?” Clint asked, trying to get the group back on topic.

“Shit,” Tony sighed as the Avenger’s alarm rang through the room. “Fucking terrible timing!”

“I’m sitting this one out,” Steve told Tony firmly. He looked like he was going to argue, but saw the expression on his sister’s face and nodded.

“Yeah, you’re not going to do us any good. Archer, Spidey, suit up. Bruce, will you help run back end?”

“Of course,” Bruce agreed. He looked at Skye with a worried expression and told Steve, “go get her to bed. She looks like she’s about to pass out.”

“‘M okay,” she argued lightly. She shook her head and looked much more present. “I’m okay.”

“I’m goin’ to take Steven and Jack to…” Bucky glanced around, trying to come up with an excuse.

“-to help train Zeus to crawl,” Steven supplied helpfully.

“Yeah. That.” Jack nodded. “Steve, make her better.” He made a face and added, “just, no details for us, okay?”

“Jack,” Skye sighed.

“Love you, mom,” Jack smiled, pressing a kiss to her cheek.

“I love you too, mom,” Steven agreed, kissing her other cheek. He got up and jumped onto Bucky. He grinned at Bucky and whispered in a confiding tone, “she said I can call her mom.”

“I’m happy for you kid,” Bucky smiled. He took Jack by the elbow and dragged him from the room, shooting Skye a worried look over his shoulder.

“I’m going to Tony’s lab to keep tabs on their coms,” Bruce said awkwardly.

“Let us know if they need help,” Skye offered softly.

“If they need it,” Bruce agreed.

“Come on, doll. Let’s go cuddle.”

“You always know just what to say,” Skye hummed.  

 

0-0-0-0-0

 

“Can we talk this out?” Skye smiled, slipping into the room behind Steve.

“The whole Fury thing?” he replied. “I mean, yes, absolutely - if you’re ready to talk it out.”

“Probably should,” she sighed. “I’m gonna have to tell the team before they find out from someone else.”

“So, you were the kid from the sixties,” Steve prompted when she hesitated.

“Nicky was my social worker,” she shrugged. “For as long as I can remember, he was the one that would bring me back to the orphanage when the foster families decided I wasn’t a good fit. I guess, Centipede was looking for me. I still don’t know why, but I definitely didn’t know at the time. I just thought he was my social worker. Nicky never got a chance to explain it to me and my file from the orphanage was long gone by the time I got around to looking for it. I would give my left leg for that file. I would give _both_ my legs for that file.”

“Come get your cuddles,” Steve offered, watching her yawn.

“Hmm, okay,” she nodded. Curled up against his chest, she rambled about her childhood and Henry, pausing when she got to his death.

“Shh, doll. You don't have to tell me more about that.”

“I meant it when I said you didn’t have to kick his butt,” she laughed wetly.

“I don’t understand,” Steve replied.

“He was my boy when I was sixteen,” she smiled. “You threatened to kick his butt for breaking my heart.”

“Well, you were right when you said it wasn’t his fault,” Steve smiled back. “I’m so sorry you’ve had such a terrible past.”

“It wasn’t all terrible,” she argued. “Most of my best memories are with those kids.”

“On the jet earlier, you said that you didn’t help Delta. That all you gave them was a life on the run and being picked off one by one,” Steve replied. “I think that they would probably say the same. They had more than their share of bad, but I bet their best memories are with you, too.”

Steve waited for her to respond, but she didn’t. He shook his head slightly. He should have known better. His beautiful girl had some serious self-worth issues. Based on the jumbled memories that she had shared from her time at the orphanage and then later at the facility, he was surprised she didn’t have more issues. There had never been anything normal about her life. She had never had a home. She had never had a family - not unless he counted Delta. Staying at the Tower was the most selfish thing she had ever done - all of her decisions had been based on someone else’s welfare and happiness. She shifted against him and he realized she had fallen asleep. He smiled and pressed a kiss to her forehead. He was putting himself in charge of her welfare and happiness.

 

“How was your nap, doll?” Steve asked an hour later. She yawned and stretched against him, then froze. He could practically hear everything coming back to her.

“Shit. I need to go tell the team,” Skye groaned. She rubbed salt from her cheeks and ran her fingers through her hair. “They need to hear this from me. I really don’t want them to find out about me from Shield.”

“They’re not back yet,” Steve smiled.

“I’m gonna hit the gym for a bit, but then I’ll wait upstairs. I really don’t want them to hear this from someone else.”

“I’m gonna give you some space, but I’ll meet you upstairs? Have Jarvis tell me when you’re going up.”

“Thank you, for talking this out with me. I know it probably didn't make a lot of sense to you, but it helped. I think it’ll be easier the second time around.”

“Anytime, doll.”

 

0-0-0-0-0

 

“Steve, what’s wrong?” Bucky asked, slipping into his room. He had left the new brothers alone to bond and had sparred with Skye for an hour. She was angry - beyond angry - and sad; he knew he was the only one that was willing to fight 100% with her and she needed that outlet. He hadn’t expected to come back to their floor and find Stevie like this; he hadn’t heard his friend cry since he was a boy. Steve was in the corner, pressing his face into a pillow to muffle the sounds. He didn’t answer and Bucky’s concern grew. “Steve? Talk to me, please.”

“Skye’s not here, is she?”

“No, she’s in the gym.”

“I’m gonna lose him,” Steve replied after a moment. Bucky sat next to him and pulled him into a hug.

“Who are you goin’ to lose?”

“Steven! Skye’s his mom and that means I can’t adopt him and why would he want me anyway? She’s so much better with him than I am.”

“Punk, you think Skye’s gonna steal Steven from you?”

“It wouldn’t be stealing. He’s hers.”

“You’re so stupid,” Bucky muttered, tugging him closer.

“I’m not stupid!” Steve argued.

“You’re actin’ stupid,” Bucky amended, roughly wiping the salt tracks from Steve’s face. “Skye’s not goin’ to take your boy from you.”

“But I was going to adopt him. Now I can’t do that because she’s his mom. She has legal rights to him. She’s not going to revoke her rights so I can adopt him. She wouldn’t do that to Steven and I don’t want her to.”

“Steve,” Bucky chuckled.

“No, Bucky, she still wants to run. When she found out, she was going to run but Gertrude is still broken so she couldn’t. Next time she leaves, she’ll take him with her and I - I can’t imagine not having him in my life.”

“Stevie, there is more than one way to ensure he’ll stay in your life.”

“Nothing permanent. It’s all contingent on Skye staying here.”

“Fuckin’ A, Stevie. Will you listen to me?” Bucky growled, tightening his hold on Steve.

“I’m listening,” Steve muttered when he realized he had no other choice.

“There’s more than one way to adopt Steven,” Bucky explained deliberately.

“Okay, now you’re the one not listening,” Steve growled. “Did you not hear me? Skye has legal rights. He’s her blood. She would have to revoke legal rights in order for me to adopt him and I don’t want her to do that.”

“True,” Bucky conceded, “but what if there was another legal matter that could solve that issue - without her revokin’ any rights?”

“What kind of legal matter?” Steve asked, his brow furrowed in confusion. Bucky grinned and messed up his blonde hair.

“You want to keep Steven...but what about Skye? Do you want to keep her?”

“Keep her?” Steve frowned. “She’s not a possession, jerk.”

“Let me rephrase,” Bucky chuckled. “How long do you want her to be your girl?”

“I...I guess I don’t know,” Steve said softly. He paused and considered the question carefully. “She makes me happy. She loves everything that’s important to me. She gets me - she understands Steve Rogers is not the same person as Captain America - and she makes sure that I _can_ be Steve. She’s strong and can stand her ground, which can be hard around me and the people I work and live with. She always sees the good in things; even after what she’s been through, she’s still so...hopeful. Buck, I love her. I can’t imagine not having her for my girl.”

“There’s a legal matter that would solve that issue, too.” Bucky smirked. “If you can get her, you get Steven, too.” Steve froze, processing his words, then started laughing.

" _If I can get her_?"

"Yeah," Bucky laughed along with him, "our girl has standards."

"Which is why she isn't dating you..." Steve retorted.

Bucky laughed again then tightened his hold around his friend. “This was so much easier when you were smaller.”

“Sorry, jerk,” Steve laughed, shoving his friend.

“No problem, punk.”

 

0-0-0-0-0

 

“Who the _fuck_ is Mary Sue Poots?” Tony asked angrily, taking long strides to reach her quickly. He slammed a folder on the table in front of his sister. Steve and Steven were frozen on the couch opposite Skye; Steven had been teaching him chords on the guitar. Clint and Tasha walked into the room a beat after Tony, still in their mission gear. They had just gotten back.

“Oh, fuck,” Bucky gasped into the tense silence. He launched himself across the room towards her, but she was already replying in a lighter-than-air whisper.

“Mary Sue?” She asked, blinking slowly at Tony and then down at the envelope. Her disbelief morphed into anger and her eyes snapped up at him. Bucky slammed into her side, tackling her to the couch, right as Skye started pushing off it.

“Wait, wait,” Bucky told Skye, trying to talk her down. “It’s not his fault.”

“Who gave you that?” She screamed, clawing at Bucky in a desperate attempt to get free. “Who had it?”

“Who is Mary Sue?” Tony yelled right back.

“Shut up!” Bucky shouted over his shoulder as he started to lose his advantage over Skye.

“Where did you get that!”

“Who _the fuck_ is Mary Sue, Skye?” Tony pressed, ignoring Bucky’s warning.

“Steven, stay back,” Steve warned, holding the boy’s shoulders to keep him in place. They would be in the way.

“Get out,” Bucky hissed, shooting Steve a desperate look. His eyes flicked to Steven and Steve understood; Steven shouldn’t see this. Steve hated leaving, but taking care of his boy was important. “Tony, stop. Let her explain.”

“Who is Mary Sue!” Tony shouted. He stomped his foot and returned Skye’s angry glare. “Fucking talk, Skye, because I’m realizing that I don’t know _shit_ about you. Just like you wanted. You know _everything_ about us and we know about three things about you. Now, I’m going to ask again and I better get a fucking answer because things are changing around here. Starting now - answer me or _get the fuck out of my Tower_. So, let’s try this again. Who. the fuck. is Mary Sue?” Trapped between Bucky and the couch, Skye was yelling angrily but the screams turned to tears the instant she processed Tony’s threat.

“Me,” Skye whispered, tapping her chest lightly. “ _I’m Mary Sue_.”

Her tears collapsed into sobs and she clutched at Bucky, using him to ground her. Bucky glared back at Tony, giving him the dirtiest look he could manage. He scooped Skye off the couch, snatched the envelope from Tony, and carried her to elevator without breaking eye contact with Tony. He _dared_ Tony to be stupid enough to try something. Clint stepped forward and gripped Tony’s shoulder, keeping him from following. Tony shrugged his hand off and stormed off the opposite direction.

The doors reopened at Steve’s floor a moment later and Steve gasped. He had Steven in his arms, trying to calm the crying boy. He didn’t expect Skye to be crying. What had he missed?

“Can I see her?” Steven sobbed, tugging at his shirt to get his attention. “Can I see Mom?”

“We’ll join you,” Bucky answered, crossing the room quickly.

“Mom?” Steven cried, trying to weasel his way under her arm. “Mommy?”

“That’s not gonna help right now, kid,” Bucky winced. Skye’s crying picked up again and Steven’s face fell. “Skye, it’s okay I got it. It’s right here.”

“What if I don’t like what it says?” Skye replied shakily.

“It’s just paper. Don’t change nothin’,” Bucky replied calmly.

“I just...all the sudden I don’t know if I want to know,” Skye admitted.

“So don’t,” Steve chimed in when Bucky remained silent. “We can put it away. Keep it safe. You read it when you’re ready, doll.”

“You don’t even know what’s in it!” Skye half-laughed.

“Don’t need to,” Steve replied steadily.

“It’s me.”

“What’s you?”

“Mary Sue. That’s me. Was me, I mean.”

“Mary Sue, huh?” Steve asked lightly, his mind flashing back to the conversation he had had with Skye about her real name. Her face pinched for a moment, but then she let the smile slip free and, after another moment, giggled slightly.

“Shut up, Steve.”

“Mary Sue Poots,” He teased, reaching over to caress her chin. She grimaced and flushed, so he hurried to add, “Looks like we were both right.”

“Both?” Skye asked, taking his distraction with gratitude.

“It was Mary, mostly. And it _is_ a shit name.”

“The worst,” Skye agreed, laughing. “If anyone calls me that name, they’re signing their own death warrant.”

“You’re still our Skye,” Bucky smiled, pressing a kiss to the top of her head.

“You’re still my favoritest mommy,” Steven added with an innocent expression that had Skye snorting.

“I still love you,” Steve said softly, leaning in to kiss her.

“Yuck, guys,” Bucky groaned. He threw his head back in disgust, trying to remove himself from the make out session happening on his lap. Steve chuckled and adjusted, shifting both Skye and himself so he could brace himself on either side of Bucky’s hips. Skye giggled against Steve’s lips when she caught on. Bucky caught on about the same time and groaned extra loudly. “Guys! There’s a perfectly good room over there,” he whined, waving his free arm towards their room.

“But it’s just so warm here,” Skye murmured.

“Can you stop for me then?” Jack asked, his voice deadpan. Steve broke the kiss to glance over at Jack. He was standing by the elevator, gripping Fitz’s hand and dripping onto the floor.

“Is it raining?” Steven gasped, twisting free and rushing for his room so he could look out the window.

“Guys, really?” Jack asked, wincing.

“It’s uncomfortable as motherfuckin’ hell,” Bucky informed them.

“Can’t help it,” Steve smirked, glancing over at Jack again. “I am a... _motherfucker_ after all.”

There was a long beat of silence and then Fitz was laughing. Jack’s mouth was just hanging open in shock and Fitz had to remind him to breathe. Skye was bouncing beneath him, vibrating with her own laughter and Bucky’s.

“Look how proud he is,” Bucky snorted, shaking his head at Skye.

“He should be proud,” Skye agreed.

“Stop!” Jack shouted.

“He’s really-”

“Stop!”

“-quite talented-”

“Skye!”

“-with his-”

“No…”

“- _motherfucker_.” Skye finished finally, uttering the words with a low voice.

“Mooooooom,” Jack groaned, pulling at his face as he sank dramatically to the floor.

“Since when do you get shy about sexual innuendos?” Steve asked, smirking.

“I’m traumatized, Steve!” Jack huffed. “I’m her child!”

“Why don’t you take your brother out puddle jumping?” Steve suggested when Skye shifted to hide her face from Jack.

“Puddle jumping?” Steven asked, popping his head around the corner. “Can we Jack Jack?”

“Yes!” Fitz agreed easily. “Hurry, change quick.”

“Can Zeus come?”

“Who else is going to protect us from the storm?” Fitz retorted.

“Zeus!” Steven called, whistling. The brown missile scrambled from under the couch and hurried towards him. Minutes later, they were rushing back out of the room, eagerly pushing Jack onto the elevator.

“Солнышко?”

“I think I need to go talk to my brother,” Skye whispered.

“Take some time and look at this first,” Bucky told her, shaking his head. “Tony needs time to cool down and you’ve been lookin’ for this your whole life.”

“Do you really think he would have kicked me out?” She asked softly, wincing when her voice cracked.

“He said _what_?” Steve asked, whipping his head around.

“It was an empty threat,” Bucky reassured her.

“ _He threatened to kick you out?_ ” Steve growled. “Why?”

“I wasn’t answering him,” she murmured.

“If he kicks you out, ever, I would leave with you,” Steve told her, shifting so he was at eye level with her. “Steven and I would choose you over him any day. Don’t let him threaten you with that. Not ever.”

“Psh, I’m stayin’,” Bucky said dryly. He exaggerated a frown and glanced around the room. “I would have the whole floor.”

Skye giggled wetly and smacked his chest. “You’re stupid.”

“You’re stupid if you need me to tell you I’m not stayin’ here without you,” Bucky retorted. She smiled at him and looked at the folder in her hands.

“Can you stay?” She asked softly. “Both of you?”

“Course, doll.”

“That was a stupid question.”

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> First: I give props to theheartcollector and Frenchinconnu for calling things early on - you both guessed that Steven was her child. I think I need to work on making my foreshadowing a little less obvious!
> 
> Second: I over simplified the whole egg maturing process, but I think it's still true enough to work. Roll with it people.
> 
> Also, going through my messages trying to figure out who had called it, I realized just how much I SUCK at responding to kudos. Thank you so much for all your support, kind words, and constructive criticism. I don't always say it, but I appreciate everything you give me.


	91. The beginning is a good place to start

 

Skye had Jarvis stop the elevator before it reached Tony. She took a deep breath and shook out her hands. She worked her tongue around her mouth, trying to summon some moisture. “Okay, Jarvis,” she murmured. The door opened and she nearly went back when she saw the expression on Tony’s face. She licked her lips nervously and approached his work bench.

“You know how we were talking about the orphanage before?” Skye asked softly, fiddling with the file.

“I'm not really in the mood.” Tony frowned.

“Look, I know you're mad. I'm trying to fix that. Please, let me fix it.” Skye begged.

“I'm not in the mood.” Tony repeated angrily. His expression was completely closed off and she could see that she wasn’t going to get through to him. She bit back a sob and placed the file on the table in front of him. Then she ran, cursing her inability to hide her tears. Tony turned his back on his sister and the file. He meant it when he said he wasn't in the mood. She was still lying - still keeping things from them. He was her brother, damn it. She should trust _him_ with it at the very least.

Less than twenty minutes later, Steve stormed into the lab. His anger was clear on his features, but it was the tone of his voice that really alerted Tony to his fuck up.

“She's trying to fix this.” Steve growled, slamming his fist down on Tony's work table. It cracked under his knuckles.

“Capsicle, I'm not in the fucking mood for your protectiveness.” Tony growled back, trying (and failing) to match the anger in Steve's voice.

“I don't care about your mood.” Steve retorted. “Do you know how hard it was for her to tell you even the little bit she did?”

“I'm her brother!”

“Jack is more of her brother than you are and he doesn't know _any_ of it, so get over your pity fest and look at what she's trying to show you.”

“I don't care right now!” Tony shouted.

“You never wondered why she was so against those kids staying at Shield? You never wondered about her childhood? Did you even look into the orphanage?”

“Fuck off, Cap!” Tony shouted.

“You're acting like a child.” Steve snarled. “Get over your insecurities and read the damn file.”

Steve turned and stalked from the lab, grumbling about stupid geniuses with no people skills.

“I'll read it when I damn well please!” Tony shouted. He ignored the fact that the elevator door had already closed on Steve. (He wasn't a coward...it was just bad timing.)

He managed to avoid looking at the file for a full five minutes before curiosity got the better of him. He sighed and pulled it towards him.

 

His anger dissipated quickly. By the end of the file, he could understand why Skye might keep this from people. Tears for Skye's childhood were streaming down his face. He knew why he couldn't find anything about Skye on the internet – she had stolen it all.

Her file from the orphanage - every page handwritten. (Why was everything handwritten?) Abandoned a few months after birth. No birth certificate, no note, no name. There were a few pictures (one per year, by the looks of it) that looked more like mug shots than pictures of a little girl's childhood. Skye wasn't smiling in any of them.

The three full pages of foster families _Mary Sue Poots_ had been placed with, all before she turned five. Tony sighed and rubbed his face. What a shit name to give a kid. No wonder she changed it.

Behavior reports from the nuns that ran the orphanage. She had been labeled as defiant, angry, and unsuitable. Unsuitable for what, Tony could only imagine. Unsuitable for a family? One page from the file had the words _hopeless case_ underlined in red. There was a follow up note, written in small, neat print, detailing her ‘uncontrollable fits’ that often got her sent back to the orphanage early.

The next pages were filled with disciplinary forms. Punishments were detailed out on the papers, for every little issue that arose. Skye obviously didn't meet the nuns strict expectations. She spent a lot of time in “solitary” for fighting, not eating properly, not being respectful, for throwing a fit, for being sent back to the orphanage. Reduced meals were implemented after she was caught raiding the kitchen – after spending a full two days locked in her room. She was four.

Newspaper clippings of the Brody's, proudly announcing the newest member of their family – a very small Skye. She was beaming in the picture, clutching both of their hands. She looked like she couldn't quite believe what was happening.

Other clippings, detailing the gruesome murder of her new family. The girl missing but presumed dead.

And finally, one redacted Shield file.

It said everything and nothing. Shield had been involved. But they had taken all of their knowledge with them when they redacted the file. Tony rubbed his face tiredly; this was what was wrong with Shield.

Another folder was at the back of the file. He opened it and flipped through the Shield documents. The first one was a big enough shock that he almost didn’t read on.

Tony learned that the nuns weren’t privy to Shield’s tampering - at least not right away. After Skye had been sent back from her 50th foster placement (when she was two and a half), the nuns had wanted to stop sending her out into foster placements. It was becoming too hard to find families willing to take her. Skye’s social worker had deemed it necessary to inform the nun in charge of the orphanage about her protective detail, which was in place to keep her moving and safe. Even after it came to light, nothing about Skye’s care changed - besides Skye having to travel farther and farther from the orphanage to find families willing to accept a destructive child into their homes.

Tony growled in his throat and flipped to the next page - he understood having anger issues. He understood being defiant because no matter what, things weren’t likely to change. He knew better than most that you don’t isolate those children - you give them a little extra. His own behavior hadn’t started improving until Pepper came into his life - and it didn’t show any significant improvement until he had a whole team of friends in his life.

The next document detailed a Shield mission to retrieve a child from a known hostile facility. The mission had been successful - but at a cost. The entire team had died retrieving the child. The backup unit found a single agent in the woods surrounding the facility, clutching a naked infant that was covered in blood. Subsequent papers detailed the hostile group searching for the infant, the infant’s placement in an orphanage, and detailed reports from each failed foster placement. Medical reports from especially bad foster placements. Tony read through one medical report before he slammed the folder shut, unable to read any further. There was still half of the Shield folder to go through, but it could wait. He had seen enough to know that her time in foster care had not been a pleasant one.

“Shit.” Tony sighed, pulling at his hair hard enough to yank some out. He shoved out of his chair and headed for the elevator. “Jarvis, where is she?”

“It may not be in your best interest to seek Ms. Stark out right now.” Jarvis informed him.

“Where is she?”

“Stairwell. Two floors above the garage.”

“Thank you.” Tony told his AI, slamming the door open to the stairwell. He heard the voices before he saw them. Skye wasn't crying anymore, but the tear tracks and puffy eyes indicated she had just gotten herself under control. Clint was sitting next to Skye, telling her a story that was making her laugh wetly. Bucky was pacing the short distance between floors. Steve was sitting behind her, his hands on her shoulders. Tony cleared his throat lightly and attempted some humor. “What a sausage party.”

“You are the stupidest fucking genius I've ever met.” Bucky growled angrily. The Russian accent was always more prominent when Bucky was angry. Tony eyeballed his clenched metal fist and took a subtle step away from him.

“Bucky.” Steve called warningly. Bucky's jaw clenched and unclenched as he took a step back.

“Obviously you got the Stark smarts,” Clint murmured to Skye. He pointed to Tony with his head. “Doofus got the y chromosome.”

“Can I talk to Skye?” Tony sighed. He may deserve all the snark they were giving, but that didn't mean he had to like it. “Alone?”

“-there is seriously something loose in your god damned skull...”

“...no people skills, I swear...”

“...and then I'll shove it up your ass.” Three male voices called out instantly. Bucky finished a beat after the other two, so his words were the ones that hung in the air. Skye tried to hold back her laughter. She was confused and MAD and vulnerable and ANGRY and insecure and FURIOUS at the idiot in front of her. She glanced at Clint though and that was her undoing.

“I applaud your commitment to my virtues.” Skye giggled helplessly at Bucky. It took him a beat, but then the anger on his features slipped away and a sarcastic smirk took its place.

“Has Stevie tried to... _stick it up your ass?_ ” Bucky smirked at Steve. “I bet he would be all about those virtues.”

“Yeah, but you were the one offering.” Skye retorted, leaning back into Steve's chest. She could tell by his additional body heat that he was blushing. Steve chuckled and wrapped his arms around her upper body. Trust Bucky to find a way to break the tension, even if he was the butt of the joke.

“God, Skye. You were right.” Tony huffed. “It's like herding fucking kittens. You three get out of my fucking stairwell right fucking now.”

“Private conversation with us in exchange for a private conversation with her.” Bucky smirked, stepping up to Tony with his arms crossed.

“If you're going to hurt me, I want my conversation with her first.” Tony bargained firmly. Bucky turned to Steve, his jaw hanging open incredulously. He barked out a short laugh.

“Did you hear that punk? He thinks he's in the position to bargain.”

“Bit overkill guys,” Skye muttered softly before shooting Tony a shy smile. “They're not going to hurt you.”

“Much.” Clint added, cracking his knuckles.

“Jesus Christ.” Tony muttered, throwing up his hands. “I really fucking fucked up, okay? But I read the fucking file and now I would really like to talk to my sister about it – if that's okay with everyone.”

Clint cleared his throat to speak, but Steve slapped his hand over his mouth quickly.

“Our conversation first.” Steve informed him. He paused, waiting expectantly for Tony to argue. When he didn't, the four left the stairwell together.

 

“Here's the deal.” Bucky started, stepping close to Tony...too close. “Skye? She's family – and I take protectin’ my family very, very seriously.”

“She's my family too.” Tony snarked unwisely. “By blood, which trumps all of your relationshipy bull.”

“Do you have any idea how you made her feel?” Clint stepped in, pushing Bucky back. “She's got three pages of fosters. Three. Let me put that in perspective for you. I was in the system for way longer than her. My paper – _singular_ paper – was only a third full. You got rejected by _one_ parent. Can you imagine how it would feel to be rejected by that many families? And then you threaten to throw her out? What the fuck is wrong with you?”

“Look, I didn't know at the time!” Tony huffed. “I'm not a mind reader.”

“But you wouldn't let her explain.” Steve interjected. “You of all people should understand the motivations behind her secret keeping. Besides, the stuff from that folder, she didn’t know until tonight. She’s been looking for that file her _entire_ life. That folder is what happened to her before she was five; she doesn’t remember much. She didn’t know about it to tell you - do you understand why we’re so mad?”

“Everything you're telling me right now I know. You're pissed. I hurt her. You'll hurt me if I ever do it again. I read the fucking file. I understand now, so move.”

“Okay,” Steve nodded, backing away. Clint shot him a warning glare and followed Steve. Bucky hesitated for a moment, then leaned in to breathe in Tony's ear.

“The Winter Soldier is even more protective of her than I am.”

Bucky gave him a pointed look and followed Steve and Clint down the hall.

“We'll be watching.” Clint called, making Bucky chuckle darkly.

 

“Jesus.” Tony sighed, sitting down on the stairs next to Skye. She shot him a weary smile.

“Sorry. I think they're a little over protective.”

“You think?” Tony snorted.

“Teenie bit.” Skye nodded.

“I'm sorry.” Tony said softly, pulling her into a hug. “I'm stupid and insensitive and insecure and I should have listened.”

“You read it?” Skye asked softly, hiding her face in his chest.

“Most of it, yeah,” Tony nodded. “And I'm so sorry you had to go through that,  sweetheart.”

“It's okay.” Skye shrugged. “I don’t remember all of it; I was too young. The other stuff, well, I came to terms with it...most of it...years ago. Steve says it explains more about me than I would like to admit.”

“Like why you don't want to stay.” Tony nodded.

“No one has ever wanted me to stay.”

“We want you. Always.” Tony looked ashamed of himself and added, “I didn’t mean it when I said you should leave the Tower. I was mad and...it’s no excuse. I’m sorry.”

“I don't want anyone getting hurt over me.” Skye whispered.

“We can take care of ourselves and of you.” Tony reassured.

“It's hard to convince myself that's true.” Skye admitted.

“Where'd you go?” Tony asked after a minute. “When the Brody's were killed, you went missing. Where'd you go?”

“Shield was trying to protect me. I was the kid from the sixties.”

“You were...” Tony sighed and ran his hand through his hair.

“I guess I was under Shield protection before the Brody's.” Skye shrugged. “I just didn't know it. That's why I had so many foster homes; they kept me moving. Nicky was the agent assigned to protect me. I didn’t know that until the night we were attacked at the Brody’s. I always thought Nicky was my social worker.”

“Nicky?” Tony chuckled.

“I called him Icky Nicky cause I kind of hated him. He always tried to say the right thing, but I could always tell he was mad at me. He tried to stop the Brody’s from adopting me.”

“He obviously failed.”

“Yeah, I kinda threw a fit. I don’t really think that changed his mind, but I don’t know what else would have.”

“Can we start from the beginning?” Tony asked, his brain racing to connect the dots that he didn’t have.

“Can we do this with the others?” Skye asked softly. “It would be easier if you guys all knew. I don't want to explain it more than once.”

“Sure thing,” Tony agreed, even though he wanted to be in the know. Skye smiled gratefully at him, finally pulling her face out of his chest. “Jarvis, can you have everyone meet us in the common area?”

“Yes, Sir.”

  


“Okay, I really don’t know where to start,” Skye admitted, twisting her hands nervously. Her entire family, her entire _world_ , was sitting on the couch, all staring expectantly at her. Steven leaned down and whispered a command to Zeus, smiling when Zeus scurried over to Skye and whined at her feet. She smiled a little and picked the puppy up. Bucky and Steve were closest, but were giving her space to do this alone. It was important that it came from her.

“The beginning is a good place to start,” Steven told her, smiling shyly. Fitz and Jack were tangled on a corner of the couch. Jack looked like he was about to be ill; she had gone to great lengths to hide her past and now she was going to lay it all out for them. This wasn’t going to be good.

“That it is,” Skye nodded. Steven climbed into Steve’s lap and waited for her to continue. “Um, so I don’t know when or where I was born,” Skye offered with a shrug. She smiled a little and glanced at Tony. Pepper had come back from work during their conversation in the stairwell, so she was slightly confused but listening intently. “The earliest recordings of me are from the night I was dropped off at St. Agnes. It was an orphanage; they were located here, in New York. Anyway, the nuns knew I was young, a newborn, so they gave me a summer birthday and named me Mary Sue Poots.” She grimaced a little at the name and Clint chuckled. Skye quirked a smile his way before continuing, “Sister Mary Sue had passed the night before and they felt like they should replace their friend. I don’t know, honestly. Most of what I know about my childhood is what I can remember from it happening and from hearing the nuns talk. I guess they wanted a Mary Sue with a kind, patient soul - like the friend they lost. But lil ol’ me? Well, that wasn’t me. I was in trouble constantly. I couldn’t figure out the rules of the orphanage, I couldn’t figure out the rules of the foster homes, I couldn’t figure out how to meet the expectations that were placed on me. Even when I tried my best, I still failed. It was easier to not try because it wouldn’t matter anyway. The sisters kept telling me that I should at least pretend to be kind, to be patient. That if I did it enough, it would become habit. They were always disappointed when I got sent back early from the foster homes, which was _always_. All I knew about myself was that I wasn’t a good fit.”

She hesitated and threaded her fingers through the puppy’s hair. She wasn’t sure where to go from there. Her time at St. Agnes and the foster homes held enough stories to fill an entire shelf of books, but she didn’t know if she could delve into those.

“Then you got sent to the Brody’s house,” Bucky chimed in, smiling. He saw the struggle on her face; he always saw everything.

“Yeah, the Brodys,” Skye nodded, smiling back. “I was ecstatic. They were everything a kid could have wanted in parents. Mrs. Brody never got angry. She believed that cuddles made everything better - and that ice cream was always an acceptable choice when a cuddle needed a little _something extra_ ,” Skye smiled fondly, rubbing Zeus’s fur. Steven grinned over at Steve at that.

“See? Cuddles make everything better,” he mouthed to him. Steve grinned back and nodded. Steven wriggled into Steve’s lap, giving him a hug. Skye smiled at their silent interaction and continued her story.

“Between the orphanage and the foster homes, I had never had...the kind touch was foreign to me. Cuddles were completely new to me. I lived with them for two months before they asked if I’d like to join their family. It was my longest foster placement.” Clint made a low sound in the back of his throat and pushed under Tasha’s arm. Skye ducked her head and licked her lips, choosing to ignore the expression on his face. She forced a smile and continued, “I figured I had finally learned how to lie convincingly - I thought they believed my scheme: stay on my best behavior and become the perfect fit. I wanted it. I wanted them. I wanted it more than I had ever wanted anything, but when they asked me, I panicked. Being good was hard work and I knew myself well enough to know I wouldn’t be able to pull it off long term. I…” Skye hesitated, searching for the perfect word. “I flipped the fuck out.” She laughed a little when Steven covered Steve’s mouth and shushed him.

“I figured I better show them the bad. It would hurt less to get kicked out earlier rather than later - and dammit, if they were going to send me back, then I was going out in style.”

“Sounds like someone else I know,” Clint muttered, raising an eyebrow at Steven. Steven smirked and stuck his tongue out.

“I take after my momma.”

“What’d they do?” Jack asked.

“They just smiled and helped me understand my consequences. For two whole weeks, they would ask me if I’d made up my mind yet - _because they loved me imperfections and all_ , even when I thought I had finally pushed the limits of their patience.” Skye smiled and buried her face in Zeus’ fur. She needlessly admitted, “I was good at that. Pushing people to their limits.”

“Imagine that,” Tony muttered. Pepper backhanded him and shook her head at him.

“Like you have any room to talk. That is a documented Stark skill,” Pepper muttered.

“Mr. Brody figured it out first,” Skye smirked. “He confronted me, asking for the truth. When I explained trying so hard to be good, Mr. Brody laughed. I remember I was pissed because I had shared something personal and he laughed at me. He quickly pulled me into this massive hug and apologized, even though he was still laughing a little bit. He was a broad guy,” Skye explained, illustrating the width of his shoulders with her hands, getting lost in the memory. She wrapped her arms around the puppy and continued in a soft voice, “He was strong. I remember that.

“It used to scare me - I don’t think I talked directly to him for the first week I was in their house - but his kindness was impossible to miss. He kissed my head and said, _Baby, we knew that from day one. But why in the world would we choose anyone else? Normal is boring and you are_ **_not_ ** _boring._ I remember that hug. Feeling like I finally found someone that got _me_. In that hug, I felt safe for the first time. I felt _wanted_ for the first time.  

“Mrs. Brody was listening and brought me a new pair of rainboots. They asked me again if I wanted to be part of their family and I couldn’t even answer. I just nodded my head for like five minutes straight.” She smiled to show she was exaggerating and continued, “Mr. Brody helped me pull on the boots and then pulled on his own, matching - blue, polka dotted rainboots. He took me out to play in the rain.”

Skye paused then, licking her lips. The puppy squirmed free from Skye’s arms and she let him go without really thinking about it. She didn’t know where to go from there. She didn’t know how to admit her role in what happened next.

“The Brodys adopted Skye. Playin’ in the rain was their thing. One night, Mr. Brody took Skye to play in the storm,” Bucky continued, giving Skye a moment to compose herself. She smiled gratefully. “There was a team hidin’ outside; they had no idea. The storm flashed and through the storm, Skye thought the crack she heard was lightnin’.”

“They shot him,” Clint winced.

“He didn’t tell me. He sent me to the house, pretending like he needed his flashlight. I found the flashlight and returned to find a group of men in black standing over Mr. Brody. I remember being angry at him, later - much later - because we could have gotten inside. We could have gotten to safety. He was hurt, but he wasn’t dead. He looked over at me with this _look_ and I knew that he knew what was coming. I wasn’t supposed to come back. I wasn’t supposed to see. I knew that, even at five years old. But it was too late. They put a gun to his head and I watched as they-”

“I screamed and they saw me,” Skye whispered, pressing her hands against either side of her face and closed her eyes as the memories of that night flooded her again. She didn’t want to see her family’s expressions at that moment. She could barely hold her own emotions in check; she couldn’t handle theirs too. She pushed on, desperate to finish.“They chased me. Caught me. Mrs. Brody came for me, screaming. I thought she was mad at me cause I got her husband killed. She smashed the man holding me with this short little baseball bat. I got free and ran. She risked her life for me and I just ran… I realized that just fast enough to be able to whip around and see her face as they shot her.

“That’s when my social worker showed up,” Skye huffed. She finally opened her eyes, but her eyes were filled with unshed tears and she didn’t see her family around her. “Well, I thought he was my social worker. He always came to check on me and to bring me back to the orphanage when I wasn’t a good fit with a foster family. It was the first time I saw him in weeks and he came at me with a gun. To say I was surprised was...well, it’s an understatement. There was a team of people in black behind him and I thought they were coming for me too; I thought they were with the guys that killed the Brodys. They had guns and I couldn’t see their faces and they were coming right at me. I was scared and confused and didn’t notice the patches on their jackets right away. I saw the guns and the men in black and I panicked and ran…”

“Shield,” Fitz whispered.

Skye didn’t respond to that; she swallowed hard and took a second to compose herself. “Anyway, the other team was coming for me and Nicky didn’t have time to explain things. He didn’t explain that he was a good guy. He didn’t explain why we had to go. He just tackled me into the mud and the other - the bad - team showed up, surrounded us, and started shooting. People were falling, yelling, dying. Because of me. Because of a five year old little nobody with an attitude problem. The Shield agents were dying all around us and I didn’t understand. I didn’t understand why everyone was dying; I didn’t understand why they were there; I didn’t understand why so many people wanted me all the sudden when I had felt like a burden my entire life. I was scared and angry and...I panicked. I saw the SUV Nicky was trying to get me into; he just kept yelling at me, telling me he could protect me - that he could keep me safe... but I didn’t trust that he was trying to help and I knew we wouldn’t have made it to the SUV anyway...” She swallowed hard. Her eyes had fallen shut during her retelling and her eyes were flicking quickly beneath her lids. She took a jagged breath and brought trembling fingers up to her mouth. “He was trying to help, all those agents were trying to help, but...I didn’t see that. I just saw people dying and I couldn’t stand having them die because of me - whether they were good or bad. I made Nicky promise to make sure no one else died because of me. I got free from him and he got shot. The last memory I have of the outside is of Nicky’s bloody head, and then it’s just...”

“No fucking wonder you didn’t want the kids with Shield,” Tasha sighed. “You said before you were born in ‘62. You were the kid from the sixties?”

“Yeah,” Skye nodded.

“Nicky?” Clint murmured, searching his brain. “I don’t remember a Nicky...Nick...Nicholas...on the wall from that time?”

“He’s not on the wall,” Skye shrugged. She glanced at Steve and smirked. “He’s in charge of the wall now.”

“Nicky is Director Fury?” Clint gasped. “No.”

“Yes,” Skye shrugged. Pepper started laughing from beside Tony. Skye quirked an odd smile and added, “he had both eyes and hair when I knew him.”

“Oh, we’re discussing this later!” Clint chortled.

“I think I was his first assignment. If not his first, then one of his first. He always seemed flustered,” Skye smirked. “Though that may have just been me.”

“He promised to keep you safe,” Steve sighed. “He said he could protect you. That’s why you don’t believe us when we tell you.”

“It’s not that I don’t believe you or that I don’t trust you,” Skye replied firmly. “It’s just that I know what they’re capable of. I know what they’re willing to do. You’re limited by your morality; they just don’t care about things like that.”

“And after that night?” Tasha asked, looking sad. “Who took you? Who was after you?”

“Centipede,” Skye replied. “But I don’t think they called themselves that at the time.”

“I thought you weren’t part of the groups?” Clint asked, frowning.

“I wasn’t,” Skye winced, glancing towards Steve. He smiled reassuringly. “I didn’t have a group,” she admitted, taking her watch off. She flashed her tattoo quickly, then covered all but the original zero and one. “I was alone. I was their first. I just got a number - 01.”

“Fuck,” Tony exhaled. There was choked sobbing and the sound of Fitz comforting Jack.

“That’s how you knew about us,” Jack cried. “I thought it was because of 47.”

“It was,” Skye agreed. “When I was taken, I spent a long time by myself. It was just endless concrete walls and scientists in white robes. I did a lot of training and I had a lot of tests. I don’t think I got serum, though. They were always more interested in what they could take out of me than what they could put into me.”

Tasha blanched and got up quickly. She brought a bottle of vodka back to the couch and indicated Skye should continue. Clint pulled her under his arm, stealing a swig from the bottle. His face was a little ashen, but he was playing it strong for Tasha.

“I don’t remember much about that time. I mean, I remember it all, but it all just kind of blurred together in my head. Each day was the same. Each day followed the same pattern - training, _me fighting for control_ , more training, _me fighting for control_ , training, me fighting for anything other than a _fucking_ ham sandwich, me losing that argument...me choosing not to eat, them trying to force me, to bribe me, anything - to get me to eat, and then tests until I passed out. I wasn’t happy to be there - they took the only family I had ever had, even if it was only for a few months - and I remember being ridiculously satisfied with each tiny bit of control I could get and even more satisfied when I was stubborn enough to make the scientists throw their hands up in frustration.”

“Imagine that,” Bucky smirked. It was fake, but the tension in the room was overwhelming and he was beginning to feel a panic attack coming on. If he was feeling like that, he could only imagine how she was feeling. He leaned against Steve and let his friend and his nephew envelop him in their arms.

“Then one night, the scientists told me I passed. They knocked me out and when I woke I was in a different room, a different building, with a very upset baby.”

“A baby?” Tasha muttered softly. She smiled a little and nodded.

“One of the scientists came in and explained that the child was mine - that I was his mother. It didn’t make sense, even then it didn’t make any semblance of sense, but I believed them. I didn’t know how it worked, having a child; I had never had a mother so why couldn’t I be one? I could see myself in him - especially as he grew. It didn’t matter if it was true or not; in the end, I wasn’t alone anymore. Even if he wasn’t my child, he was mine.”

“Whoa, whoa, whoa.” Tony interjected, shaking his head. “How old were you when this happened?”

“I don’t really know. I’m estimating with times and ages here,” Skye replied. “I was so young when I was taken that the concept of time wasn’t something I had mastered - and when you’re in a concrete room it’s hard to judge how many days passed...especially when the tests knocked me out and I had to guess how long I was out based on how thirsty I was or how haggard Henry looked.”

“You named him Henry,” Tasha smiled. “He was the baby?”

“It was Mr. Brody’s middle name,” Skye replied. “It was close enough that it had meaning, but not so close that I reminded myself daily that he was dead because of me.”

“Because of _them_ ,” Bucky growled.

“Okay, so how old were you _approximately_?” Tony asked again.

“Henry was probably around one, he was just mastering walking, and I was eight or nine? Less than ten years old.”

“And you believed that he was your child?” Clint frowned.

“Yeah,” she smiled. “I mean, I don’t know that I ever believed that he was mine biologically, but I guess I just needed...someone. He was my someone.”

“Bruce did say they stole your eggs, probably. If they made Jack with your eggs, it’s possible they used them for Henry, too.” Fitz offered. “Henry can’t have been much older than Jack, not if he was in Gamma.”

“It doesn’t matter. It never mattered,” Skye shrugged. “Anyway, I had Henry. I had to help train him and I still had my own training. We were a part of tests...some of them we did alone but others we had to do together. But I got to raise him - so it wasn’t all just training and tests. I tried to incorporate as much good as I could, based on my own shitty childhood. I tried to give him memories that would compensate for all the bad.

“I didn’t realize right away that there was more than one motivation for giving me Henry - I was just happy I wasn’t alone. I didn’t notice my demands shifting away from my own selfish need for control to things for him. I didn’t realize they were manipulating my behavior by doing things to him. I was hard to control, even on the best of days, but I was putty in their hands when Henry was at stake. When I figured it out, it didn’t matter. I was too far gone. His welfare was more important than mine; from day one he was more important than me. He got hot meals. He was always dressed well enough to keep him warm. He got extra rest after tests or especially long days of training. I was just a kid, but I had never been treated as one, so I never thought of myself as one.” She winced and continued before anyone could comment, “They were especially interested in our blood. They had kids tied up sometimes and they’d pump our blood into them. Sometimes they were saved; sometimes they weren’t. I didn’t know it at the time, but those kids were part of Beta. When he was big enough, they took him away to join Gamma. Alpha and Beta had already failed, but I didn’t know about them. I thought it was just the two of us.

“When he joined Gamma, he became 47. He was taken from me one day and when I got to see him again he was crying because the fresh tattoo on his baby skin was so sore. I wasn’t supposed to call him Henry anymore. They removed his humanity; they made him a number. They made him an experiment, even more than he had been before. He was already extraordinary by any standard, but he wasn’t good enough for them. They gave him the serum and moved him in with the rest of Gamma.

“Henry didn’t transition well. He had never been with other kids. He had only ever had me; I was his buffer. As fucked up as his childhood was it was his normal. I was always careful not to let him know about the outside world. It would have only made him miserable; it was better that he didn’t know what he was missing. He was blissfully ignorant, but then he had to join Gamma and suddenly he didn’t have that anymore. In a day, his entire world had been flipped upside down. I wasn’t there to make sure he was warm, to make sure he was fed, to make sure he could cope with what had happened during the day. The kids he was with made him aware of what he was missing. All of the sudden, he realized that his life wasn’t normal. All of the sudden, he realized that there was a whole other world out there that he didn’t know about. Suddenly he realized that he was a prisoner of a science experiment. He was so little, both in age and physical size, and he reacted the only way he knew how.

“He shut down. He wouldn’t train. He wouldn’t eat. He was the youngest of the group and they didn’t accept him. The first day of training, which happened before Gamma polluted his head with stories of the outside, the only day he actually trained showed he was better than the other kids. He knew all the scientists and they made it abundantly clear that they knew him. He was an outsider; Gamma resented him. They picked on him. They all remembered the outside world, remembered their parents or foster parents, but he didn’t. I was a secret, even from the other kids. In short, he couldn’t bond with them. He couldn’t be convinced to do anything - eat, train, sleep... When the scientists realized how bad things were with Henry, they brought him back to me.

“The first time I saw him after he had joined Gamma, he was suffering from side effects from the serum, hadn’t eaten in weeks, and was bruised from the scientists trying to motivate him to train. He looked like a cancer patient; he had no hair and his face was all skin and no muscle… His skin was pink and it looked like he had been burned. I didn’t know about the serum; I didn’t know the bruises were...I didn’t know that Centipede had done _that_ to him. We hadn’t even heard of the serum at that point. He was so bad off, emotionally and physically, that I would have agreed to just about anything to get him back. They offered him back to me, at a price.

“We compromised. I could get him back, but I had to be more willing to do what they asked of me. I didn’t know where he had gone; I was worried and devastated... and I had resorted to my previous behaviors. He could live with me but he still had to train with Gamma. He still had to be part of their tests - no matter what I offered, I couldn’t win that for him. I had to do more tests and commit to my training - I was old enough to start assimilating. I didn’t think about why they were teaching me to blend in with normals...but after seeing what the newest generations went through, I think they were training me for missions. I would have been a shitty soldier if I couldn’t complete my tasks because I didn’t know how to blend in.” Skye paused, realizing she had gotten off track. She sucked her bottom lip into her mouth and collected herself again. She hadn’t ever spoken about Henry like this and it was harder than she expected.

“Anyway, I got Henry back at the end of the day. It worked. He started eating again. He started training again. He adjusted to his new situation and re-established his normal. He was brilliant like that; he always found the good through all the bad. He excelled. The scientists were in a win-win situation. They got me to train, test, and stop fighting them at every turn - and they got Henry to survive - to thrive. I knew that; I knew the scientists got what they wanted, but I also got what I wanted. I got my kid back. Soon, the scientists were comparing all of the other children to Henry. That didn’t help him fit in, but it didn’t bother him as much because he wasn’t living with them anymore. That fact didn’t win him any points with Gamma either: they didn’t know he had extra training and extra tests. They just thought he got the night off when the scientists pulled him from whatever they had been doing.

“He endured. Henry came back to me every night - to our cold, little, _shitty_ four concrete wall room - and every day he would give me this giant hug, no matter how bad his day had been, tell me how glad he was to be back with me, and ask if we could cuddle.” She smiled, lost in memory. “I didn’t have a lot of resources...I had _zero_ resources...so he was raised believing cuddles could fix anything. He was raised without knowing he was different; he didn’t have any frame of reference to compare himself to.. He was raised knowing that I loved him no matter what. We stole spoons from Henry’s meal trays and used the handles to decorate our room. At first the scientists were mad to see the concrete all scratched up, but they couldn’t do anything to stop us. They knew when to concede small things for us.

“We both knew if we didn’t cooperate that we would be separated again. We made do with what we had - each other. I was just happy to have him back. He had been gone for almost a month and I had been alone again; it was harder to be alone after having him with me every day for years. The first night he was back was the first time I realized that it didn’t matter what the scientists had told us; he was important to me, whether he was my son or not. He had never referred to me as his mom - I had never used the word and he didn’t know what it meant...but after spending time with Gamma, the other kids had taught him what a mom was. He called me mom from that day forward and I didn’t have the heart to correct him. It made him happy to realize he had something in common with the other kids. When Gamma failed, Henry alone survived. The scientists were ecstatic, so they placed him in Delta.”

“We didn’t have a 47,” Jack argued instantly.

“He didn’t live with you. He didn’t train with you. He was too advanced; Delta would have held him back. He got your serum and he tested with you though,” Skye explained. Jack nodded slowly. He didn’t remember much about the tests; just the pain. They were always strapped down so they couldn’t see each other.

“Together yet alone,” Jack murmured. Skye nodded sadly.

“He got two doses of serum?” Bruce asked, cocking his head as he considered that bit of information.

“The serum Delta received was considerably better than the previous serums,” Skye nodded. “There were still some side effects, but not as bad as the other groups had gotten.”

“And you knew it would get better,” Bruce finished. She nodded and clasped her fingers together.

“Then one night, Henry came back especially bad.” Skye swallowed and glanced at Bucky, needing moral support for the next bit. He smiled sadly and nodded. Here’s where the anger would come. “He was quieter than usual and he just wanted to sleep. I knew my blood could fix things, so I gave Henry some and then went to Delta. It had always worked before and I had no reason to think this time would be any different.”

“The magic blood was always yours?!” Tony yelled. She winced at his tone, but nodded her agreement. She kept her eyes on Bucky; she didn’t want to see how everyone was taking it. He smiled reassuringly and she relaxed slightly; even if everyone else was mad at her, she still had Bucky. He couldn’t replace everyone, but having him was a whole lot better than having no one - and _everyone_ was who she was in danger of losing.

“I figured it out when they were trying to save kids from Beta. If they used just my blood it would work. If they used both of our blood it would work, better sometimes - but the kids that weren’t saved only got Henry’s blood.” There was a stunned silence that Skye took advantage of, pressing on with her story before the anger could build. For better or for worse, she needed this out there. They needed to know the full truth so they could make their decision about her - she owed them that much. If they hated her after this, she would find a way to survive - but they had to know the truth. “Delta was bad off, too, but they were so worried. They kept telling me I needed to find the kid who wouldn’t stop screaming.” Skye paused to blink back tears and to gauge how Jack was taking it. He was pale, but listening intently. She swallowed hard and licked her lips. “There was only one kid who would have tested with Delta, but wasn’t with them then. I was done with Delta anyway - they always got bags of blood. It didn’t take me long to hook them all up. When I saw their fear - when I saw that they were shaken right down to their bones - I couldn’t get back to Henry fast enough. He was pale and shaking… I gave him more blood but I could tell it wasn’t working. He was so afraid and I couldn’t do anything to make it better.” Her voice cracked and she cleared her throat, determined to push through now that she had started. Her bottom lip trembled, but she pushed on. “I was so scared that I couldn’t even lie convincingly to him. He had never had any semblance of normal - he hadn’t made it far enough in his training to start assimilating with non-facility people. He had never been outside the building. He had never even seen the stars…” her voice broke again and she whispered, “so I broke us out.”

Her face fell and she drew a shaky breath. Tears filled her eyes and she tried to continue but couldn’t find the words. She wiped her tears on her shoulder and tried to gather herself.

“Skye,” Jack whispered, pushing away from Fitz. He hurried to her and wrapped her in a hug. He shifted to her side and held her tight. Silent tears slipped down her cheeks, triggering his own.

“It was raining,” she continued finally. Her voice was soft and trembled with the agony of her words. “Only a few stars were visible. I was so disappointed - the stars weren’t what I remembered.” She exhaled slowly and drew in a long, shuddering breath. Steve and Bucky both pushed forward from their spots on the couch, but didn’t go to her. It was important that this come from her. “I wanted to give him more - all I had ever wanted was to give him more...but he was content. He was amazed by the trees, by the crickets, by the fresh air. He had never seen them before and I realized I should have-” She hiccuped and took a few deep breaths, trying to hold it together. Her face fell and her shoulders shook; she couldn’t fight this. Even now, her grief over his death was still fresh in her mind. Steve, Bucky, and Steven all joined Jack at Skye’s side. They wrapped her in a hug for a long minute, shielding her from everyone for a few moments so she could cry, before letting her push them away. They didn’t go far - choosing to settle on the floor by her feet. This had to come from her, but it didn’t mean they couldn’t be there for her. Jack remained at her side. “Henry called it his happy place; he said it was perfect, to be with me and to be out... All I could do was-” She blinked and fat tears rolled down her cheeks. She couldn’t force herself to describe his last moments. Her face collapsed in sorrow and her words were hard to understand through her tears but she murmured, “Henry died and I was just so... _angry_. He was all I had - all I had ever had - and they _took_ him from me,” her voice cracked and she turned into Jack’s chest. “I’m sorry I didn’t tell you, Jack Jack. I’m so sorry. I _couldn’t_ at the time and then I couldn’t bear the thought of telling the whole group and then...”

“It’s okay,” Jack murmured, comforting her like she had comforted him over the years. “Now I know why you flipped when I called you mom.”

“You look so much like he did,” she admitted. Her mouth was downcast and she pushed a long breath out through her frown.

“So you got a bag full of clothes and shoes and broke us out?” Jack asked, rubbing circles on her back.

“I wasn’t going to let them take any more children. I couldn’t help Gamma and I didn’t know about Alpha or Beta, but I was old enough to do something about you. I was angry enough to not consider the consequences. They had already taken Henry; they had taken everything of consequence from me - there wasn’t anything that they could do to me that was worse than that.”

“Why didn’t you tell us you were like us when you were giving us blood?”

“I didn’t tell you who I was because they had forbidden me from helping Gamma, but they didn’t extend that to Delta. I didn’t want to risk it. I was okay with deceiving you as long as it meant I could make you better.”

“What do you mean, you didn’t consider the consequences?” Clint asked, holding Tasha close. She had silent tears on her cheeks, but everyone was dutifully ignoring them.

“I cared about Delta, but you weren’t important to me - not like Henry was. I barely knew you when I broke you out,” Skye explained, glancing at Jack. He nodded his understanding. She wasn’t being mean - she was being truthful. He didn’t know her either; she was just his angel. “The consequences came as I fell in love with each and every one of you. I didn’t even _consider_ , not for a second, that they would come after us. By the time I realized, it was too late to go back. We were committed. I felt so guilty. I didn’t offer Delta a choice. I just took them and made them deal with the consequences.”

“We would have gone with you anyway,” Jack chuckled sadly. “No one would have chosen to stay.”

“The retrieval team kept saying you took something from them,” Tony mused, stroking his chin hair. Pepper was buried in his side, hiding her face.

“They don’t know he died,” she replied. “For a while, I think they thought Jack was Henry. They came after him especially hard.”

“When did they stop believing that?” Clint asked.

“I don’t know. Jack never fought like Henry did. Jack has always leaned towards defensive strategies, but Henry didn’t. I trained him to take down his target and move on. There is no point wasting time and energy on an enemy. The scientists would have seen that difference right away, but it could have been explained away. I think they knew for sure a few years after we broke out. Jack had found himself pretty early, but he couldn’t express himself at the facility. The more freedom he had, the more...liberties...he took,” Skye giggled, pinching Jack’s cheek lightly.

“You’re just mad that I’m the queen,” Jack teased back. His tone was teasing but his expression was pure sorrow - for Henry and for his mom.

“Are you mad at me? I didn’t technically lie, but I omitted a lot and I talked my way around a lot of your questions.”

“I get why you didn’t want to talk about it,” Jack replied. “You always saw us as your kids - as people you needed to protect. Telling us all that, even as we got older, would have upset us. I’m glad I know now. I’m glad you trust me enough to tell me.”

“It wasn’t that I didn’t trust you - it was _never_ a matter of trust,” she informed him firmly, gripping his face between her hands. “I couldn’t tell you all of that because if you got taken it was better that you didn’t know.”

“I love you,” Jack replied simply. He smiled a little and she took the offering gratefully.

“Ugh, it’s so sappy!” She moaned loudly, throwing back her head. She chuckled wetly and pulled Jack into a hug. He might know the truth now - he wasn’t her first love, but he was still damn important to her - and he accepted her past without judgement. It was more than she could have hoped for. Now she just needed to know where everyone else stood.

“Okay, wait,” Clint said loudly, throwing up his hands to stop the conversation. “You left us. You left us to spend time with 47. You said _he said_ you needed to tell us your secrets so you knew if you were freaking out for a reason or not.”

“Yeah,” Tasha frowned. “You said you spoke with him.”

“Yeah,” Skye winced, still not looking at them. “I was still growin up with him...I was still a kid. He sort of became the voice in my head. Plus...I think I kind of passed out when I hit the cabin and it all kind of happened in my head…”

“Wait...that makes Henry our brother!” Steven gasped, turning to look at Jack. “Oh, Mom, I can’t wait to tell the other kids that 47 is _my brother_.”

“Maybe we should confirm that before you start telling people,” Bruce replied softly. He had seen Skye’s reaction when she learned Steven and Jack were her kids.

“Mom?”

“Yeah, baby?”

“You said you were gonna tell 4- Henry all about me,” Steven said bluntly. “Does that mean I can go meet him sometime? I mean...not like _meet_ him...but introduce myself to him? You said there was a cabin.”

“Yeah, I’ll take you to him sometime.” Skye smiled. Honestly, there was no angry shouting (not that that still couldn’t happen) so she would agree to just about anything right now.

“Me too, right?” Jack asked softly, propping his chin on her shoulder. She grinned at him and nodded.

“Sure, Jack Jack, you can come too.”

“If you let Fitz come, we could probably figure out a way to extract a DNA sample without disturbing him,” Jack offered. “I mean, I’m assuming you buried him there, if that’s where you ran. We can do this, if you want to find out if he’s biologically yours. If not, don’t worry about it. I’m just throwing it out there.”

“You just want to know if he’s your brother,” Skye teased.

“Uh, yeah,” Steven replied.

“Skylar,” Tony said firmly, “Why haven’t you looked at us?”

“Idunno,” she mumbled.

“Skylar Elizabeth, look at me,” Tony demanded. She sighed and slowly raised her eyes to his. “Why?”

“Cause she doesn’t want to see our reaction,” Clint replied for her. He quirked a small smile her way and asked, “so, are you freaking out for a reason or not?”

She glanced around the room, taking in each expression. There was sorrow, disgust, disbelief, and love - but no anger. She ducked her head to hide her relieved smile and replied, “not.”

“We knew you were keeping secrets,” Tasha reminded her. “We knew that from day one; how can we be mad at you for that?”

“Since they know about Fury, can we tell them about headquarters?” Steve grinned, switching the subject. They had made their point and they didn’t need to dwell on it.

“Is that where you went?” Tasha asked, frowning. “Why?”

“Steven?” Skye offered, extending her hand for him to explain. He bounced up and down on Steve’s lap and grinned.

“Agent Ward took me back to headquarters. He didn’t want to - so don’t be too mean to him okay?”

“No promises,” Tony growled. “What was he thinking, stealing my nephew like that?”

“Everyone is scared of Skye,” Steven giggled. He had read the tension in the room and decided that it was his job to fix that. “They didn’t know too much about her. Just that she was Steve’s girlfriend and that Agent Ward was afraid of her. When they walked into the room where the agents were keeping me... oooh, you should have seen her face. Uncle Tony, she was so mad.”

“I can imagine,” Tasha muttered angrily.

“Director Fury stepped up and said _I don’t care who you think you are, you don’t get to treat my agents like that,_ and then Skye said, _I know you don’t care about me Icky Nicky_ and then she punched him,” Steven was speaking a mile a minute, mimicking her stance and her punch, even making sound effects to accompany the story. “He went flying back and hit the floor and he was all like _please, don’t do that again. I’m a fragile little man baby and I’ll break!_ ”

“That didn’t happen!” Steve laughed.

“Steve, don’t interrupt, it’s rude.” Steven chastised. Bucky snorted and elbowed Steve. Steven grinned and turned back to the others, “okay, so he didn’t say that - but Skye did punch him and he went flying back. He figured out she was Mary Sue - Mom, I like your name better now, you’re not going to change it back, right?”

“No, I’m not changing it back, baby,” she grinned.

“Good. So the director kept trying to call her Mary Sue and she kept cutting him off and then she said _I do have a right to my son, so you can back the fuck up_.” Steven mimicked her fierce expression and jabbed his finger at an imaginary director in front of him.

“Language,” Steve murmured sternly.

“I didn’t say it!” Steven gasped. “Skye did!”

“Sister, let’s hack headquarters. I need this video. Now,” Tony grinned, waving her over. She peeled away from Jack and planted herself next to him. He smiled affectionately at her when she took the tablet from him and pressed a kiss to her head. “I love you, sister.”

“Hulgh,” Bucky retched loudly. Pepper grinned from beside Tony and shook her head at Bucky.

“You guys aren’t mad?” She asked softly, glancing around the room. Bruce just smiled and shook his head.

“We always knew you had secrets - especially about your past,” Tasha replied.

“I didn’t expect it to be that bad,” Clint admitted bluntly, “but it makes sense why you wouldn’t want to talk about it.”

“I was mad,” Tony sighed, “and I’m not saying I shouldn’t have been. It would have been so much easier to help you if we had known, but it helps explain why you’re so skittish about relationships and staying put.”

“I’m sorry. I should have explained,” Skye replied to the room. “But honestly? I didn’t know how. At first, I didn’t trust you guys...liked you, loved you? Absolutely. But trust is hard to come by. Then, when I did trust you, I didn’t know how to bring it up. I didn’t know about all of this, not until my folder.”

“Shield put her in the orphanage when she was an infant,” Tony explained, handing Skye her folder back. She smiled and passed it on to Clint and Tasha; everyone else had read it. It was easier to hand a file off than it was to describe her childhood. “There’s a file that details how a team was sent out to retrieve a child from a ‘known hostile facility.’ Skye was that child.”

“Centipede had you when you were an infant?” Jack asked.

“It seems that way,” Skye shrugged. “I mean, I don’t know anything about my parents. No offense, Tony, but I don’t see Howard siring a baby to be put through experiments.”

“As much as I didn’t get along with him, I think I agree with you,” Tony sighed. Bucky froze on the floor with his eyes wide open. Steven frowned over at him but didn’t say anything.

“Explains why they wanted you back so bad,” Tasha commented. “If Shield had to keep you moving with foster placements then Centipede had to be actively searching for you.”

“I think…” Bucky whispered softly.

“Okay, so we need to find out where you came from,” Tony put out there, like it was a simple fix. “We know about your paternal influence. Let’s find out about your maternal. Can I put you through a genetic database?”

“I think I know what happened to Howard,” Bucky tried again, whisper soft.

“What?” Steve and Skye asked at the same time. No one else seemed to hear Bucky’s admission. Bucky winced like he hadn’t meant to say that outloud.

“I think I know what happened to Howard,” Bucky repeated. His expression said more than words could have in that moment.

“What. The. Fuck.” Tony growled. “I know you were this super assassin under mind control but my Dad was your friend. You killed him?”

“That’s the thing. He was my target. Howard and Maria,” Bucky replied, licking his lips anxiously. Skye tried to pull away from Tony, but he held her firmly against his side. Steve caught her worried expression and pulled Bucky into his side.

“What did the Soldier do?” Steve asked, making sure to emphasize that it was the Asset doing the deed - not Bucky.

“They were my targets,” Bucky repeated. “But my machine had been broken for a while and the soldier didn’t have as tight of a grip over me. I was supposed to retrieve something from the trunk of his car and make his death seem like an accident...but I saw his face and I...Tony, I couldn’t kill him. He was the man that made Steve strong. He made the Howling Commandos all sorts of gear and...Tony, he _was_ my friend. When I saw him that was all I could think about.”

“And you still fucking killed him!” Tony growled. “That doesn’t make this better!” He turned to see Skye’s reaction and was horrified to see her reacting with sympathy to the man that had killed their father. His anger and his grief made his next words piercingly strong. “You’re siding with him? He may have given you his genetic information, but he was _my dad_. Fuck, Skye. I can’t fucking do this. I can’t do you and your shit and then _him_ and _his shit_. Fuck. I’ve got my own shit, Skye.”

“He was my friend,” Bucky frowned. Skye was holding Tony tight to her, letting him cry against her even as he struggled to free himself, refusing to let him leave until Bucky had spoken his piece. “Tony, he was my mission, but you have to understand-”

“I don’t want to understand!” Tony yelled. “Howard wasn’t fucking perfect but he was MINE! He was mine and you took him!”

God, could she agree with that statement. She knew what it felt like to have someone important to you ripped away. She knew why Tony was so mad, but she could also see that Bucky wasn’t finished. He needed to say whatever was on his mind.

“I didn’t,” Bucky rebutted softly.

“Whatever, the fucking Winter Soldier took him - but that was still you. Get the fuck out of my Tower. Get out. Get fucking out!” Tony yelled, ignoring Skye trying to talk him down. He turned towards her and growled, “You’re going to choose him over me?”

“I’m not choosing anyone!” Skye cried. “Tony, you need to let him explain. Please, two minutes. Just let him explain.”

“You have thirty seconds and then Jarvis is going to block you from this Tower. You can go live with the fucking kids. I’ve let you stay because you’re clearly important to Skye, but I don’t want you here!” Tony spit at Bucky. “Get the fuck out.”

“They told me I had to kill him - to kill anyone with him. I was supposed to get a case from the trunk of his car,” Bucky whispered shakily.

“They told you to that, but what did you actually do?” Skye asked.

“I was goin’ to kill him. I had to…” Bucky replied, staring at Skye steadfastly. She nodded, encouraging him to continue. “But when the car crashed and I saw him...I couldn’t. I didn’t know why. Bucky was in enough control to stop the Soldier, but I didn’t know why I did what I did…” Bucky straightened his shoulders and looked at Tony. “The crash caused enough damage; they were out of it. I took what I needed to from them, but I didn’t kill them. They didn’t know anything - the crash caused damage. They didn’t remember anything...so I dropped them off at a home for people with...disabilities?”

“They hit their heads,” Skye gasped. “Amnesia. Tony, they don’t remember!”

“They’re alive,” Bucky nodded. “At least, they were. They’ll be older now, obviously, and I can’t promise they’ll remember you...but they’re alive and I’ll do anything I can to help you find them.”

“Dude,” Clint sighed loudly. “Tonight has been a night for revelations.”

“I’m taking him down,” Steve told Skye softly. She nodded and watched Steve strong arm Bucky up and then towards the elevator. Clint and Tasha cleared out as well, waving the folder subtly to let her know they were holding on to it for the night. She nodded and waved them off. There was an awkward beat of silence, then Fitz laughed nervously and tugged Jack up.

“Let’s get your little brother to bed, yeah?”

“Um...yeah.” Jack agreed slowly. Skye nodded her agreement when he looked over at her, so he scooped Steven up and dropped him over his shoulder. Zeus barked and attacked his feet, growling ferociously. Fitz laughed and picked the puppy up, following the new Starks into the stairwell. Pepper winced and looked over at Skye, seeking her advice.

“Come on Tony,” Skye murmured, “let’s get you to bed. We’ve got to get those kids in the morning.”

“Do you really think they’re alive?”

“I don’t know, Tony,” she admitted. “It’s been years since that night. I think Bucky is telling you the truth though.”

“Choose me,” Tony cried. “I know you have this weird, bond-y thing with Bucky, but tonight I need you to choose me. Please.”

“So long as Pepper isn’t weirded out sharing a bed with both of us,” Skye agreed, smiling over at Pepper.

“Please don’t make me deal with him alone,” Pepper replied. Her tone was serious but her expression wasn’t. Tony, with his face in Skye’s shoulder, couldn’t see that. He sat up with a huff and only backed down when he saw they were both grinning at him.

“That was mean,” he pouted.

“You never found that video from Shield today,” Pepper smiled, running her thumb down his jaw. “I think both of us would feel better if we saw Skye punching Fury.”

“Just warning you now, there were a lot of agents between Steven and Steve and I. They didn’t attack us, okay?” Skye warned, kissing his temple. “And then bed. Today has been like...four days in one and tomorrow is going to be another day like this.”

“Those kids better be okay,” Tony frowned.

“I told Nicky we would be there at 8am to pick them up so there shouldn’t be any issues.”

“There better not.”

“There won’t.”

“Better not.”

“Oh hey, here’s me and Steve,” Skye interjected, shoving the tablet into his hands.

“Damn, you look pissed,” Tony laughed, taking the distraction from his own issue eagerly.

“I was. We were. I had just found out he was my son and they took him. I think Steve was _trying_ to be professional...but I just really didn’t fucking care. ”

“That’s my girl,” Tony grinned, ducking her chin. “Wait, why are you talking into your watch?”

Skye reached over and paused the video. “Jarvis, sound off,” Skye smiled, winking at Pepper. She was also wearing one of the special watches.

“Hello, Sir,” Jarvis replied in a small voice from Skye’s watch.

“And the other one in the room,” Skye said, fighting a grin.

“I’m over here as well, Sir,” Jarvis sounded from Pepper’s watch.

“What the fuck,” Tony gasped, looking between them. “Why?”

“I like to meddle,” Skye shrugged.

“It makes me feel safer,” Pepper smiled. “Skye has been teaching me how to pick locks and escape from different kinds of restraints.”

“I love you,” Tony grinned, pulling Pepper into a kiss. “Sister, I keep loving you more every day. You’re doing that for Pepper?”

“Eh, she’s more fun to hang out with than you are,” Skye teased. Pepper laughed and shoved Skye’s arm.

“Don’t be mean.”

“I’m not being mean. I’m telling the truth!” Skye laughed back.

“I want one,” Tony informed her. “I want a watch. Make me one - or give me the specs and I’ll make one.”

“Jack and Fitz are making some for the whole team,” Skye smiled. “Steven and Pepper had priority.”

“Hmm, what about me?”

“Hey, we’ve been training without your suit. You’re not as useless as you used to be.”

“Ouch, Skye.”

“Watch the video,” she laughed, unpausing it.

 


	92. Jarvis, activate perimeter protocol

 

“I’m glad you’re still awake, Sir.” Jarvis chimed softly, nearly an hour later. Pepper was asleep next to Tony in bed, but Tony and Skye were still going over things. “Director Fury is calling for Skye.”

“I don’t want to talk to him,” Skye dismissed easily.

“Ms. Stark, I think you might want to take this call,” Jarvis argued.

“Is something wrong with the kids, J?” Skye asked softly.

“I’ve lost GPS signal on the children,” Jarvis replied. “I still have their vitals. Their last readings showed they were under stress.”

“Fuck. Tony, can we go to your lab? Let’s not wake Pepper. She’s got to function tomorrow.”

“Of course,” Tony agreed, elbowing her out of bed.

“J, tell him I need a minute and we’ll call him back.”

“Yes, Ms. Stark.”

“Would it be weird if I get us drinks while you get yourself ready?”

“How about coffee?” Skye grinned. “We might be needed.”

“That’s why I want a drink,” Tony sighed.

“If we’re needed, I’m going to need you to fly,” Skye replied easily.

“Whoo-” Tony exhaled, rubbing his face. He had had a very long day. It had started with an all night search that resulted in finding Steven’s building. Then that building blew up and took with it answers that were critical to Steven’s past. Sure, they had gotten some stuff from their servers before it went up in flames but he wasn’t sure how much they had actually gotten. His sister had spooked and run off - not that he blamed her. He would probably react similarly if he found out he had children and they were being used for that research project. Shield had taken his nephew - his honest to goodness nephew. He’d learned all about Skye’s past, even though he suspected there were truckloads of information that had been omitted. Oh, and to top it all off, Bucky had killed his parents - except he didn’t kill them. He just bashed their brains in and stuffed them in an assisted living building. “Jarvis, is Jason here yet? If not, how long until he gets here?”

“Jason will be in the building in approximately an hour,” Jarvis replied.

“Shit, that’s too long. I need coffee now.”

“Jarvis, if we go to the kitchen, can you connect this call with Nicky?”

“Yes, Ms. Stark.”

“Great. Do that. But, J? Don’t call me Ms. Stark while he’s around.”

“I understand.”

“Lovely. Give me five to find clothes…” Skye sighed, glancing down at her tank top.

“Steven is awake and is incoming with your hacking hoodie,” Jarvis replied. “And no, Ms. Skye, I didn’t wake him. He wasn’t privy to this conversation.”

“How does he do that?” Tony sighed, pulling his own hacking hoodie on. He took Skye’s hand and tugged her from the room, “Come on, we can meet him in the kitchen.”

“I’m not sure,” Skye replied. “It’s probably because he’s my kid. When people are important to me, I’m always more aware of them than I should be.”

“Like how you knew Bucky was being attacked in that alley?”

“Yeah,” she smiled. “I can’t explain it. I haven’t a clue.”

“Phone call,” Tony smirked, tugging her into the elevator. “It’s probably important.”

“Hi, Mom,” Steven smiled shyly, standing outside the elevator when they got off. He held out her hoodie and she grinned.

“Hi, baby. Why aren’t you asleep?”

“Couldn’t,” he shrugged. She pulled her head through the hoodie and he giggled a little at how her hair came out.

“Hmm, well, I’ve got to take this call with Nicky, but then I bet Tony and I can fix that.”

“Deal.” Steven smiled. “Can I stay up here with you? Or would you rather I didn’t listen to the call?”

“I don’t know what the call is about,” Skye winced. “You can stay, but maybe we can find you some cartoons or something so you’re not listening 100%?”

“I brought Harry Potter?” Steven replied, wiggling his book. “Does that work?”

“That works,” Skye smiled. “Gimme a hug, then let me take this call.”

“If you insist,” Steven shrugged, fighting a smile. He held his arms out to Skye, letting her pick him up for a hug. “I love you, mom.”

“I love _you_ , baby.”

“Go take your call,” he smiled, kissing her cheek. “I’m going to hold you to cuddles afterwards.”

“Anything for you,” she whispered. She smiled and set him down. “Scoot, sir.”

“I’m scooting!”

“Jarvis, connect the call,” Skye called out, walking towards Tony, who was frowning at the coffee machine. A screen lowered from the ceiling and Director Fury’s face filled the screen.

“Ma- Damn. I’m sorry. Skye. Sorry to wake you,” Director Fury sighed, rubbing his face. “I’m going to forget to call you Skye. I’m warning you now and I apologize.”

“Tony knows about Mary Sue,” Skye replied, accepting a cup of coffee from him. She smiled and took a sip. She frowned at Fury, “I mean, I want you to call me Skye, but I get that this must be hard for you. Also, I was awake, so don’t worry about that.”

“I thought you were dead,” Fury replied.

“I thought the same about you,” she shrugged. “Let’s talk about that another time. Why are you calling now?”

“The kids have been taken,” Fury informed her, cutting to the heart of the matter.

“They were taken or you sent them away?” Skye shot back, giving him an indescribable look.

“Both,” Fury sighed, rubbing his head. “They were on the move when you were here earlier, but I had the bus come back. Somewhere between them turning around and now, they’ve dropped off the grid.”

“And you’re sure you’re not just hiding them somewhere?” Tony asked, giving Fury an angry look over Skye’s shoulder.

“I was going to,” Fury replied. “But that was before I knew about M-damn. Skye.”

“Send us what you have,” Skye frowned. “I’ll take care of this.”

“Let me help-”

“You’ve done enough,” Tony interrupted. He shut the call off and turned to look at Skye. “Take your coffee. It’s lab time.”

“They’re gone?” Steven asked, standing on the couch. “Skye, they can’t be gone.”

“We’re gonna get them back,” she replied. Tony grabbed her coffee and she grabbed the boy and a blanket, and the three of them headed to Tony’s lab.

  
  


“There,” Jack smirked. He reached for a high five without looking and Fitz smacked his hand without looking up from his own computer.

“You got them back on?” Skye asked, grinning at her oldest son. He nodded and she squealed and wrapped him up in a hug. “You two are so fucking smart and I adore you both!”

“Both?” Fitz asked, surprised. Skye peeled herself off Jack and threw herself at him.

“Very, very much,” she agreed, accidentally tackling him to the floor.

“Don’t break him,” Jack laughed.

“Jarvis, when are Spidey, Merida, and Cap supposed to do that mission for Shield?” Tony asked, grinning at the pair on the floor.

“They are to report in three hours,” Jarvis replied.

“How urgent is it that they’re there?”

“I would suggest calling Director Fury and asking him.”

“I’ll do it,” Skye offered when he made a face. “Jarvis, pull up the call, please.”

“Skye. You found them?” Fury asked immediately. “Already?”

“Yes,” Skye replied. “Steve, Clint, and Tasha are supposed to go on a mission for you today.”

“I can find other specialists.”

“Will someone innocent suffer because they’re not on the mission?” Skye asked, glancing over at Steven’s sleeping form. He had fallen asleep shortly after Jack and Fitz joined them in the lab and promised they'd fix the GPS issue. 

“No more than those kids will suffer because of who they’re with. You have the Avengers at your full disposal. What else do you need?”

“Why are you helping?” Tony asked, shoving into frame next to Skye. Fury trained his good eye on her.

“Made a promise once. I’ve got to keep those kids safe. That’s what I was trying to do. I just didn’t know I was protecting them from you.”

“Can I steal Coulson’s team? We’ve worked together…”

“Done,” Fury nodded. “Agent Fitz, I know you’re already there. Make yourself useful.”

“He is.” Skye defended quickly, with a reassuring grin towards the suddenly anxious man. “More than you know, Nicky. I’ll let you know if we need anything else.”

“Please do.”

“Skye out.”

“Fucking St-” Fury grumbled, getting cut off when the call shut off.

“If he only knew,” Tony laughed. “You going to tell him?”

“Eventually,” she smirked. “I really wanna see his reaction in person though. Jarvis, can you get the team? Have them get their gear and meet us in the kitchen.”

“Oh, Jason should be here!” Tony chirped, looking excited. “Can we stall for ten minutes so he can make us some coffee to go?”

“As long as you make up the time lost in the jet,” Skye smiled.

“Mr. Barnes is wondering if you need him,” Jarvis chimed in.

“Status update?” Skye asked, ignoring Tony’s frown.

“Anxious, tired, and disoriented but functional.”

“Put him on Steven duty,” Skye replied, picking up the boy. “We’ll meet him in the kitchen, if he wants to come for an update. Jack, Fitz, you’re going to stay too. I need you here in case something happens with the comms.”

“Twist my arm,” Jack agreed eagerly. He wasn’t looking forward to meeting anyone from the facility that had managed to avoid them for this long. “We’ll go up to the kitchen with you.”

 

0-0-0-0-0

 

“You sure it’s a good thing he’s here?” Steve asked quietly. Skye glanced up from the screen in front of her and frowned.

“Stop talkin’ about me,” Bucky grumbled. “I don’t care if I get recognized. You’re not goin’ up against those fuckers without me.”

“It’s just that-” Steve tried to explain, but Bucky cut him off again.

“ _She’s_ not leavin’ my sight,” Bucky interjected firmly, jabbing a finger at Skye. “Last time she left me and they were still around, she almost got dead. That’s not happenin’ again. Not on my watch.”

“No one is getting dead today,” Clint muttered, counting his arrows. He set his quiver aside and picked up a rifle. He glanced out the front window, looking at the faint, gray glow of the early morning. The sky was overcast; a certain feeling of gloom permeated the team when they had stepped out into the cool air to get on the jet. Bucky adjusted in his combat gear - with his metal arm covered his Winter Soldier gear had just looked like a stupid attempt at showing off one super ripped arm - so Steve had lent him some gear from his own stash. Since he wore the Captain America suit more often than not, so the material was a little stiff. Bucky tugged at his collar and glanced over at Steve. He smiled nervously and patted Steve’s shoulder.

“No one’s gettin’ dead, Stevie.”

“Unless it’s one of them,” Tasha added, strapping weapons onto her body. She turned to Skye, “I really wish you would let us teach you how to shoot. I would feel a lot better.”

“I don’t like guns,” Skye replied lightly.

“But it would be better to have the skill and not use it than to not have the skill and need it,” Clint chimed in.

“We can use Icers,” Steve offered. “Then you don’t have to kill anyone.”

“She’s not afraid of killin’ someone,” Bucky snorted.

“Drop it,” Skye sighed.

“No, this is expensive,” Steve replied in a terrible Scottish accent.

“Guys!” Fitz groaned over the intercom. “I can’t believe Trip told you. You’re going to hold this over my head, Steve?”

“It’s not hard,” Steve teased. “You’re so short.”

“You’re five minutes out,” Jack cut in, sounding like he was grinning. “Game time, guys. Please be safe.”

“Get those kids back,” Fitz added.

“We will,” Skye replied.

“Yeah, or that house was a waste,” Tony chimed in finally slipping out of the cockpit. He was still trying to figure out how he felt about Bucky, so he had asked for a little space. As it was, he was carefully avoiding Bucky. “Clint, wanna take over so I can gear up?”

“Sure thing, boss,” Clint smirked sarcastically. Skye giggled and smacked him as he walked past. Tony activated his suit and she rolled her neck and slipped into focus. “They know we’re coming,” Clint called back a moment later. “They’re stopping...Holy shit. Guys they’ve got reinforcements.”

“How many?”

“Um...hard to tell. They’re fucking pouring out from everywhere. I’m estimating...thirty?”

“And you were goin’ to leave me behind,” Bucky growled.

“Buck, there’s a hatch to the top of the jet. They shouldn’t be able to see you,” Steve offered, handing off an Icer sniper rifle. “The weather will help camouflage you. Pick off as many as you can. When your position is compromised, join us on the ground.”

“You got it,” Bucky nodded. He looked over at Skye and gave her a stern look. “Do something stupid and I’ll aim for you.”

“That’s rude,” Skye scoffed.

“It’s the truth,” Bucky replied, then started climbing for the hatch. The jet touched down a minute later and he slipped out. The back hatch opened and Tony flew out, scouting the area before sending back his assessment to the team.

“Clint was right. There’s a lot of the fuckers,” Tony growled. “Be careful coming out. Visibility is poor but improving. Some of them are using the kids as shields.”

“Not for long, they’re not.” Bucky replied. The sound of his gun could be heard echoing through the comms until Jack adjusted the settings. Skye pushed past the rest of the team and hurried out. A few kids cried out when they recognized her.

“{Hit the ground!}” Skye called out loudly. The kids that could hit the ground hard and icers went off around them. Clint and Tasha were flanking her and had icers raised and firing with pin-prick accuracy. Someone screamed and Skye surged forward to engage with the man that was making the girl scream. With three well placed moves, the man was down and the girl ran. Skye caught movement in the bus and headed towards it. As she strode toward the bus, she yelled, “{If you can, get to the jet. Help each other.}”

“{It’s a trap!}” An older boy told Skye, stepping in front of her. “{They’re waiting for you.}”

“{Good, I’m going to kick their asses.}” Skye replied in a growl, pushing him aside.

“{I can’t let you do that,}” the boy argued, holding her back. She looked back at him with an incredulous expression and he tightened his grip around her wrist. A swell of his group members joined him, forming a circle around Skye.

“{You can’t go. It’s a trap,}” another teen repeated firmly.

“{You can’t sacrifice yourself for us,}” a third teen added.

“{If they want you then that’s every reason we need to not let you go,}” a fourth nodded.

“{You better listen to them,}” Bucky yelled in the mashup, popping up from the top of the jet. The teens turned with shocked expressions and Skye took advantage of their distraction. “{Skylar Elizabeth!}” Bucky shouted, running for her. She was already racing for the bus.

“{It’s a trap!}” The first teen shouted to Bucky.

“{I heard,}” Bucky replied, tapping his ear. The teens split to let him pass.

“{He brought 47 to get us?}”

“Get off my kids,” Skye growled from within the bus. Bucky cursed and headed for the back. He ripped the rear door off with his covered metal arm and launched himself into the bus.

“Someone needs to come grab these kids,” Bucky yelled. Steve and Clint finished with the men in front of them and headed for the bus. Steve climbed in and soon crying kids were being passed off to Clint. The older kids were already outside the bus, being used as shields. The younger kids, the kids from Steven’s group, were the ones on the bus. The older kids directed them towards the jet, carrying some of the smallest or most emotional kids.

“Shit!!” Steve cursed. The bus rocked and a bench was launched out a window. Clint ducked, shielding his head against the flying glass. “Tony! Bus, now!”

“Get out!” Bucky yelled, panicking. Steve flew out the window that had just been shattered. He hit the ground hard and rolled onto his back to look at the bus with horror. Bucky screamed, “Skye!”

 

And then every window in the bus exploded outwards.

 

0-0-0-0-0

 

“Did we get It?” A bloody man asked from the ground.

“{47 was in there, too,}” A teen whispered.

“Did we get It?” The man asked again. May reached over and punched the man, sending him sprawling back on the road unconscious. Coulson’s team had shown up shortly after they left the jet. Distracted as they were by the bus, Skye and Bucky had missed their arrival. Between the two teams, there were roughly fifty men restrained on the ground.

“Tony? Tell me they’re okay,” Jack whispered over the comms.

“I’m scanning,” Tony replied. Steve and Clint were sitting next to each other on the ground where they had been blown by the blast. Steve had his head between his hands, just staring at the wreckage. With the windows blown out, the roof collapsed inwards. The metal had twisted from the top down.

“What kind of blast was that?” Clint asked softly. “There was no fire. No heat.”

“I don’t know. Didn’t get a good look at the device before Bucky threw me out of the bus.”

“{He shouldn’t have brought him. We killed 47,}” The teen swallowed hard. He was just staring at the bus. A few of the kids wandered towards the bus, moving robotically. “{We killed them both.}”

“{I’m not 47,}” Bucky groaned from the wreckage. He spoke loud enough that the teens standing nearby could hear him.

“{And you didn’t kill anyone,}” Skye added, coughing. “Tony, if you could get the roof off the middle part of the bus, I would love you forever.”

“You guys okay?” Steve asked, peering into the wreckage. He couldn’t see them, but he could hear them.

“Get us out so I can kill her,” Bucky growled.

“Eh, Tony, any chances you can just get me out?” Skye asked lightly, then starting laughing. “Ouch, Bucky. I wouldn’t leave you in here.” She paused and then added softly, “not for very long at least. Just long enough to get a head start.”

“You’re lucky I can move about three inches right now,” Bucky growled, though there was a grin in his voice.

“Tony, I’m looking at your scans,” Fitz chimed in cheerfully. “I _think_ you can peel back this section here and they should be accessible.”

“Got it,” Tony agreed. Fitz must have shown him something on his helmet screen. “Cap, you’re going to need to stand back.”

“They’re okay?” Coulson asked when Steve went to stand by him. There was a loud crunch as Tony peeled back the roof of the bus. Bucky muttered something that Steve missed, but Skye laughed in response.

“We gotta get you some of our comms,” Steve grinned. “They’re joking with each other, so it’s not too bad.”

“Tony, you’re going to want to get moving. There’s a weather front heading our way. Looks like the rain will be in your area in less than an hour.”

“We’ll be long gone by then,” Tony replied.

“I hope so,” one of the teens murmured, crossing his arms. The air temperature was dropping.

“You can go wait on the Bus,” Coulson offered, nodding back towards his plane. A few of the kids took advantage of the offer, but most lurked around the bus waiting for Skye to come out.

“Hello my little sardines,” Tony laughed, hovering over the bus. “Jack, you see this?”

“Stealing the images as we speak,” Jack laughed back. “Team, sending the image to your phones.”

“Ha. They really are sardines,” Clint chuckled, handing his phone to May. Bucky was the only one visible, curled over Skye. Skye was represented by one eyeball and a fan of hair beneath her. Beneath Bucky, the only other thing visible was her knees.

“The picture isn’t goin’ anywhere,” Bucky shouted from the wreckage. “Get me the fuck out!”

“You, on top, you’re going to have to come first,” Tony called down, extending a metal hand.

“That’s what she said,” Jack giggled over the comms. There was a groan from Bucky, a whimper from Skye, and the grating of metal as Bucky shifted so he could be lifted out. Tony set him on the ground and went back for Skye.

“{I don’t believe that you’re not 47,}” the teen told Bucky, cocking his head at him. “{You know the mash up.}”

“{I’m not him,}” Bucky shrugged.

“How long as Bucky known the gibberish?” Trip asked Clint, watching the interaction with interest.

“Yeah, that’s on our ever growing list of things we don’t know the answer to,” Clint admitted, rubbing his face.

“{Prove it,}” the teen challenged. Bucky glanced around and sighed when he realized he was surrounded by the kids. He looked over at Steve for help, but his attention was still on the bus. Skye wasn’t out yet.

“{He can’t,}” another teen sighed, taking Bucky’s metal arm in hand. The covering had been damaged and metal showed through in places. “{His tattoo would have been lost when he lost his arm.}”

"Quite the list, huh?" Trip smirked, rocking on the balls of his feet. He liked working with the Avengers. There was never a dull moment.

"You have no fucking idea. Reminds me - Steven and Jack will probably have some news to share with the team."

"About Skye being Steven's mom?" Trip asked, raising an eyebrow. "I mean, rumors are flying around headquarters. Didn't realize it was true."

"Yeah, she's his mom...but she's also Jack's mom. That's the part we don't understand. She's only eight years older than Jack. And then there's-" Clint pressed his lips together and took a slow breath. "We shouldn't be talking about this. This isn't my story to tell. Point is, shit's been real weird lately."

"Yeah? Anyone in the Tower need new drywall every other day?" Trip asked. "Cause I'm not sure what Coulson's doing to his office, but it's required a lot of maintenance lately."

"We'll look into it." 

“Uh, Clint...wanna grab a first aid kit?” Tony called out, still hovering over the bus.

“What’s wrong?” Steve frowned, getting closer still. “Skye, talk to me.”

“I’m okay,” Skye replied softly. Steve could hear her breathing through the comm; she was breathing slowly and deliberately. She was hurt.

“Skye,” Steve growled.

“I mean it,” she laughed. She hissed and her next words were laced with pain. “I’m just a little...impaled?”

“Where?”

“Cap, move. Let’s get her out and you can get all protective,” Clint murmured, pushing him aside. Clint had a large kit over his shoulder and a board to transport Skye on.

“I’m not _all protective_ ,” Steve argued. “I would ask the same questions if it was your stupid ass in there.”

“It’s not my ass you’re worried about,” Clint smirked. Steve shoved him and laughed a little, taking the barb for what it was - a distraction.

“Skye, if I can get you a torch, can you cut yourself out?” Tony asked. “I can’t get close enough, not without shifting more stuff on top of you.”

“Not gonna happen,” Skye replied breathily. “It’s coming up from underneath me. Even if it wasn’t in my middle, I couldn’t do it.”

“I can do it,” a small boy offered. He blushed bright red when Steve and Clint turned to look at him. They hadn’t heard him approach. Bucky was still arguing with the other kids and Steve realized Jack must have restricted the conversation to just their comms.

“That might work,” Jack agreed. “He’s small enough to get underneath. Even if he can’t cut the piece free, he could give us a better look at what’s underneath. The metal is making it hard to get a good scan. We could get her out from the bottom; might be better than trying to lift her out.”

“If he’s under, I could fall on him,” Skye argued.

“{You’re not that big,}” the boy retorted with surprising steel in his voice. “{I’m doing this and you can’t stop me.}”

“{Oh, damn.}” Jack snorted. His voice got serious and he added, “{Mom, you’re losing blood. Tony is taking vitals on you. Your blood pressure is dropping and you’re losing body heat. The weather isn’t helping anything. This is our best choice. Don’t argue.}”

“Steve, go to the jet. I’ll talk you through what you need to grab,” Fitz chimed in. “We need to hurry.”

“Is it that bad?” Steve asked softly, running back to the jet anyway.

“Not right now it’s not,” Fitz replied. “The metal is in a bad spot though. There’s too much metal around her and we can’t tell exactly what got damaged within her…”

Bucky’s head whipped up and he seemed to realize that Skye still wasn’t out. He frowned and looked between Steve’s retreating back and the tangle of metal. He put his finger to his ear and said something quietly, then frowned harder.

“Somebody better reconnect my comms!” Bucky shouted, unsure who was responsible for his radio silence.

“Jack, you better patch Bucky back in or he’s going to do something stupid,” Steve grunted, pulling things from the jet. “Fitz, I hope you can talk someone through this because I’m going to be useless.”

“Take an extra comm,” Jack replied. “We’ll need to be able to talk to the boy anyway. And find out his number.”

“Tony, task one for the house? Getting name books so the kids can all pick a name,” Skye chirped softly.

“Give me some of that,” Bucky growled, taking things from Steve. “What the fuck is happenin’ and why wasn’t I aware?”

“Skye’s …”

“Still in the bus, yeah. Why?”

“Don’t be mad, Bucky,” Skye said softly. “You wouldn’t have left if you knew and you were kind of crushing me.”

“Are you hurt or are you just stuck?”

“Little hurt, lot stuck,” Skye coughed. She hissed and whispered, “shit.”

“Little hurt my ass,” Bucky sighed. He went to a panel in the jet and removed a bag of blood.

“You have that here?” Steve asked.

“You think we were going on a mission like this without some medical backup?” Bucky scoffed.

“It would have been worse if you weren’t there Bucky,” she replied. “I know you shielded me from a lot of the blast. This isn’t your fault.”

“Okay, got everything, let’s go.”

“What’s the plan?” Clint asked.

“Here kid,” Steve smiled, handing off a paper with the comm stuck to it. “Peel it off, stick it in your ear. You’ll be able to hear us.”

“Tony, I know you can’t get to Skye, but can you pass this down?” Bucky asked, holding the blood and small transfusion kit up. “The sooner she starts, the better.”

“I want access to this, Skylar,” Tony growled. “We shouldn’t have to wait for Bucky to retrieve it from your fucking hiding spots.”

“Then you shouldn’t have cut off my comms,” Bucky retorted.

“Here?” The boy asked, checking before pressing the comm down. “Can you hear me?”

“{Hi,}” Skye said softly. The boy looked surprised but recovered quickly. “{What’s your number? Or did you pick a name yet?}”

“{I’m 1002,}” he replied. “{But I was Francis before...}”

“{Alright, Francis,}” Jack chimed in, “{let’s build you a tool, yeah?}”

“{Walk me through it? I’m good with my hands.}”

“Comm silence,” Fitz said softly. “They need to focus.”

“{Okay, so first you need to…}”

 

“{This is going to be able to cut her out?}” Francis asked, glancing at the tool in his hand. They had created a makeshift laser cutter that would be able to slice through the metal without any sawing - leaving the structure around her relatively stable. The rain was starting to fall, though it was still a light drizzle. The sky had darkened more though, making it feel more like early evening than mid-morning.

“{That’s the idea,}” Jack replied. “Steve, go stand behind Francis so I can steal your feed. Great, thanks. {Francis, to your right there is a panel that has the bus number on it. Cut a nice big hole out of it so you can get in and both of you back out.}”

“Jack, cut Steve’s comm,” Tony said softly a minute later when Skye cried out. “I’ll tell you when to reconnect it.”

“Don’t you dare!” Steve yelled. He waited then cursed long and hard when all he got back was silence in his ear.

“Go check on the kids,” Bucky said softly. “They’re worried.”

“Go with him,” Clint told Bucky. “You’ll know if something goes wrong here, but you understand the kids.”

“They speak english fine,” Bucky retorted.

“Go,” Clint replied, shoving him lightly.

 

“She’s out,” Bucky told Steve, pulling him back to the bus.

“Hold on, Tony’s scanning her,” Clint warned, holding them both back. Skye was on the board, on the ground. Her face was pale and she was dirty, but aside from the blood stain on the left side of her torso, she looked relatively unharmed. She quirked a smile at them as they approached and shook her head at the worry on their faces. Francis was covered in grease and blood droplets and was bleeding from a cut on his arm, but was looking rather proud of himself. He was holding the bag of blood that was still connected to her arm. Coulson had taken the other kids and the team that had taken them on the Bus and had left already - promising to keep the kids on the Bus until someone from the Tower came to grab them.

“{Come here, kid,}” Bucky smiled, waving him over to the first aid kit.

“{I’m okay,}” he shrugged. “{It’s just little. This isn’t all mine. Skye dripped on me a little.}”

“{Then it’ll only take a little work,}” Bucky retorted easily. Francis grinned and came over, extending his arm to him. “{We’ll wipe this blood off you too. Just because it’s not yours doesn’t mean you don’t look like hell.}”

“{I don’t look like hell,}” Francis smiled. “{I look tough.}”

“{It’s getting deep in here,}” Skye muttered, smirking at their easy banter.

“There’s healing around the metal,” Tony told everyone over the comms. “We need to pull it now before she heals up around it.”

“Steve, we’re on patch up duty,” Clint told him, handing him thick pads of gauze to stop the blood flow when the piece was removed. “You want front or back?”

“He wants the back,” Skye teased. Tony stepped out of his suit, leaving just his helmet on for the scans.

“Everyone ready?” Tony asked, gripping the metal. He started pulling but almost immediately stopped. “Nope, nope, nope,” Tony sighed. “Bucky, she must have been upright when she got hit. There’s too much in the way now to just pull it back out; the edges are snagging internally. Can you hold her up? Might shift some things back.”

“Um...someone is trying to get into the Tower.” Jack admitted shakily. “Shit, they’re everywhere. Tony...they’re gonna blast their way in.”

“Steven,” Steve gasped. “Jack, tell me Steven is with you.”

“We’re finding him now,” Fitz huffed, sounding like he was running.

“Jarvis, activate perimeter protocol,” Tony called out.

“Jarvis isn’t cooperating,” Jack yelled.

There was a loud explosion through the comms and someone was screaming.

“Get this out of me,” Skye growled. “We need to go, now.”

“This is going to hurt,” Tony apologized, helping Bucky lift her upright. She gasped and wobbled on her feet, but Bucky’s strong arms kept her up.

“Do it,” She nodded, setting her jaw. Tony shook his head but grabbed the metal and yanked it out in one fluid movement. Clint and Steve immediately took his place, padding her torso with the gauze. Tasha wrapped bandaging around her middle, keeping the gauze in place, and then they were moving.

 

“Give me more blood,” Skye growled, shifting on the board. The plane was racing back to the Tower, but everyone was wondering how much would be left when they got there. Clint was hovering over Skye, making sure her bandaging was still secure after moving her.

“You’re not comin’ with us,” Bucky denied. “You have enough to heal.”

“ _My kids_ are in danger and I’m not going to fucking sit here and do nothing,” Skye informed him angrily. “Blood. Now.”

“You’ll heal faster with more blood?” Steve asked, raising an eyebrow.

“Yes,” she replied simply.

“That’s just bein’ wasteful,” Bucky shot back. “You need to heal the right way and trust us to do this.”

“Steve, there’s a panel to the right of that hook there. I want three bags.”

“You haven’t lost four bags of blood,” Bucky argued.

“Steve. They’re my kids,” Skye begged. “Please. You can’t make me sit this out. I’m not letting you make me sit this one out.”

“I’m not promising you can go,” Steve replied honestly. “Let’s do the blood and we’ll assess your wound when we get there.”

“Deal,” Skye agreed. “Three, Steve.”

 

 


	93. What language was that?

 

“I’m not happy about this,” Steve sighed. Skye had fallen asleep on the way back and her body had greedily sucked the blood bags dry. Clint muttered something about mentioning that to Bruce - there was no way someone should be able to receive three bags of blood in less than twenty minutes.

Now though, Skye was propped up on her elbows watching Clint. Clint, as acting medic, had removed the gauze and was appalled and shocked to realize that the hole in her torso was gone. The new flesh was red and sensitive but seemed well formed. Bucky ran a finger over the new skin and growled. He stepped away and turned his back to her. Steve looked up from her wound and sighed at her expression. “But I also know better than to think you’re going to listen to me.” He glanced over at Bucky and asked Skye in a soft whisper, “is he okay?”

“Yeah. He’s just worried. He doesn’t like to see me hurt and he thinks I should sit this out. I get his worry. I do. I would feel the same way if we were reversed, but I’m okay. I can’t not be a part of this.”

“Aw, my baby,” Tony moaned as the Tower came into view. The bottom floors of the Tower were blown apart.

“Shit, look at that damage,” Clint frowned.

“I hope your foundation is solid,” Tasha added.

“It’s going to take more than that to take my Tower down.”

“My boys are in there,” Skye whimpered. She shook off her worries and turned to Francis. “You’re going to stay in the jet, okay? You’ll be in complete lockdown, so don’t worry. No one can get you.”

“Okay,” Francis agreed easily. The worry was clear on his face though.

“Um...we forgot something very important,” Tasha called from up front by Tony.

“What’s that?” Skye asked.

“Bruce was in the Tower…” She called back.

“And the Hulk just threw someone from the Tower,” Tony added cheerfully.

“A _bad_ someone, right?” Bucky asked, gaping.

“Of course,” Tony smirked.

“How high up were they?” Steve asked.

“Hard to say for sure,” Tony shrugged. “Somewhere in the sixties.”

“Jesus, I hope he was dead first,” Steve sighed, pulling his cowl back on.

“I’m putting the jet on autopilot for landing,” Tony informed the team.

“Is that smart? Didn’t they say Jarvis wasn’t working?” Clint asked.

“It’s not Jarvis,” Tony sighed. “It’s a separate program. It’ll be fine. Unless you want to take over and join the party late?”

“Nope, I’m good with this,” Clint replied hastily.

“That’s what I thought. I’m heading out now. I’m going to see if I can scan for our boys,” Tony informed them, clumping to the back hatch. He opened it and took off.

“Okay, top down approach people,” Steve called out as the jet went in for landing. “We clear each floor before moving to the next. We can’t afford to miss anyone. Tony - stay on the outside for now. Let us know when they start bolting.”

“The storm is worse here and it looks like the worst is still coming. Be careful on the roof when you get out. There are agents on the ground,” Tony informed them, sounding surprised. “Shield got here fast.”

“When we find Jack and Fitz, we’ll have them patch us in to their comms.”

“It’s go time,” Bucky murmured as the hatch started to open. He looked over at Skye, taking in the hole in her tactical suit, and shook his head. “You stay by me and you don’t get hurt this time. I mean it.”

“I know,” she nodded, stretching up on her tiptoes to press a kiss to his cheek. “I’ll be careful, but I am getting my boys back. All of them.”

“Uh, Hulk is pissed,” Tony grimaced. “Looks like he’s headed up. Tasha - you usually have the best luck with him.”

“I’ll help if I need to,” Skye told her as they raced for the doors. Tony was right; the storm was worse here. The wind whipped around their heads and cold rain hit their faces. The doors were chained shut and Steve cursed. Bucky used his metal arm and ripped the door right off its hinges. Clint smirked and went in first.

Fifteen floors later, they had yet to encounter anyone. The next floor down was littered with rubble. There were bodies scattered everywhere. Including Jack and Fitz’s.

“Jack!” Skye yelped, jumping rubble to get to him.

“Don’t worry, I got ‘em all,” Jack mumbled without opening his eyes.

“Where’s Steven?”

“Didn’t find ‘im before we were attacked,” Jack admitted.

“Fitz is alive,” Tasha smiled.

“Oh good. I think I might be dead though,” Jack groaned.

“You’re so dramatic,” Skye smiled. “I need to go find your brother. You gonna be okay if I leave you here?”

“Yea,” Jack groaned, “but if you leave me and Fitz in the infirmary, that’d be great.”

“Done,” Steve nodded. “I’ve got Jack.”

“I’ve got Fitz,” Bucky jumped in. “Let’s go.”

“The agents are telling me some of the men here already left,” Tony told them over the comms. “They’ve been trying to track them.”

“Do they have Steven?” Skye growled.

“Unclear.”

“Fuck clearing each floor,” Skye announced. “Let’s go quickly and loudly. If Steven is hiding in the Tower, he’ll come out when he hears us. If we make it to the bottom and we haven’t found him, then we’re taking over that tracking attempt.”

“I’m going to start scanning the city,” Tony replied.

“He’s got a watch,” Skye offered, running from the room.

“Skye, wait for us!” Bucky yelled.

“Hurry, let’s drop them off,” Steve told Bucky. “We’ll catch up to her.”

“Tasha, I hear the Hulk,” Clint murmured. “You’re up. I’m sneaking around him and I’ll try to find Skye.”

 

 

“Whoa, whoa, whoa, don’t shoot!” Skye yelled, extending her hands to show they were empty.

“It’s that woman from headquarters,” An agent called out, causing nearly a dozen gun barrels to lower. "We weren't aware you'd be here."

"Why wouldn't I be here?" Skye asked, frowning.

"Didn't think you actually were with Rogers-"

“You’ve cleared the garage?” Skye interrupted.

“It’s clear,” The agent nodded. He looked over her shoulder and nodded a greeting. “Rogers.”

“Tasha is getting Jarvis back up,” Steve told Skye, walking up to her and putting his hand on her back.

“He’s not here,” Skye told Steve. He dismissed the agents before turning his attention back to her. She appeared to be looking at the wrecked sports cars and destroyed wall. Her lip quivered and she blinked quickly. “All of this is my fault.”

“This is all just stuff,” Steve told her, taking her face in his hands firmly. “No one is dead. We can fix all of this. Later. Right now, doll, I need you to focus.”

“I don’t see Steven, but I’ve found some of the men,” Tony told them over the comms.

“Give us a location,” Steve said quickly. Skye’s mouth twitched up and he kissed her forehead. “We’ve got our boy to get back, which means I need you to kick some ass for me.”

“Yes, Captain,” she smirked. Tony gave them an intersection and they took off towards it.

 

0-0-0-0-0

 

“I’ve got eyes,” Steve shouted happily. “He’s okay.”

“We’ve just got to get there,” Bucky muttered, fighting his way through a squad of men. “Why are there so many of them?”

“Because they knew I would come after him,” Skye replied, taking on her own men. “Shit, Steve. Bucky. The man that has Steven has a knife.”

“You should have stayed!” The man shouted angrily, brandishing the knife towards Steven. His eyes were wide and scared. He was pinned in a way that he couldn’t get out of - besides he had been fighting tooth and nail since he had been pulled from the Tower and he was tired. “We were trying to help! We wouldn’t have to do this if you just fucking stayed.”

“Take me!” Skye offered, raising her hands in the air to show she was done fighting. Bucky growled when he heard her offer herself up, but couldn’t get to her to stop her. There were too many men between them. They had been effectively separated from each other. “You can have me. Let him go.”

“See, that’s the problem,” Another man replied, speaking only to Skye. He was closer and his voice was soft. “Everytime we get you, you find a way to escape us. This ends here. Now. We’re gonna kill your son. We’re gonna kill your bodyguard and boyfriend over there. We’re gonna kill your team. We’re gonna kill all those agents - and you’re gonna watch.” He chuckled lowly and added, “and _then_ , when you have nothing left, we’ll take what we want.”

“What do you want?” Skye asked softly. She didn’t like the tone of his voice.

“We want you, of course.” The man smiled and made a gesture over his shoulder.

“Steven!!” Skye shouted, seeing something she missed during her conversation with the man in front of her - the man holding Steven was raising the knife. His intent was clear. She was helpless to get to him in time.

Steve and Bucky were racing towards him, both having taken down the men in their way while Skye tried negotiating. In a split second that lasted an eternity, Skye saw the blade getting shoved into Steven's chest. She registered the shock and pain on his face as his jaw fell open and he instinctively reached up to hold the knife. She saw Steve's face fall and Bucky's contort in anger. She saw the dozen men in front of her and obliterated them with a surge of rage.

She didn't realize that the screaming was coming from her until Bucky ran towards her with a panicked expression. Skye dragged in a heavy breath and her knees collapsed. Bucky dragged her to her feet and deposited her by Steven. There was a flash of lightening and a sheet of rain raced down the street towards them.

“I'm okay.” Steven gasped, struggling to take a breath. Air was rattling around his chest cavity and escaping through the hole in his ribs. His eyes were wide with fear, but he attempted a smile. The blood on his teeth did little to reassure the three adults around him.

“You're okay,” Steve repeated, nodding firmly. Steve stroked his wet hair back gently and wiped some of the frothy blood from the corner of his mouth. Steve forced a smile, trying to hide his tears. “We've got you. You're okay. I know it's scary, but we're all right here. _You are not alone._ ” He looked up at Bucky and quietly asked, “Magic blood?”

Bucky was already pulling a small transfusion kit from a pocket on his uniform. He handed Steve the kit, indicating with his chin that he should start hooking it up to Skye, then moved to help stabilize the boy.

“Magic blood,” Steve nodded, scooting over a little so she had more space. “Hear that Steven? Magic blood is going to fix you right up, okay?”

“Mom,” Steven whispered, struggling to keep his eyes open. Skye offered Steve her arm as she crawled over Steven, straddling his torso with her knees. He was shifting uncomfortably, but the movement was making blood pour out of his wound more quickly than before; she pinned his hips between her knees. His shirt was now more red than blue. She pushed her face down towards his, resting her forehead on his. “Love you,” Steven coughed, expelling blood into Skye's face. Bucky couldn't help but wince at the blood sprayed across Skye's face in fine beads. He had done that, once - to his kid. His girl. Memory blossomed in his mind, taking in Skye’s position over the boy.

“We can fix this,” Bucky murmured, shocked.

“I love you,” Skye whispered to Steven, completely ignoring the blood on her face. She smirked a little and kissed his forehead, murmuring in the mashup, “{Shut up so I can make this better, yeah? I'm kinda on a schedule here.}”

“{Sorry.}” Steven breathed, even though there was hardly any air behind his words. His lips were turning blue as he struggled to draw in another breath. “{Steve.}”

“{He knows. He loves you. Bucky loves you. Jack and Fitz love you. Tony and Pepper love you. Clint and Tasha love you...}” Skye reassured the boy, even though it broke her heart. He was scared enough. He didn't need to see her break down.

She ran her fingers through his hair, swallowing hard at the blood pooling beneath him. Her body was protecting him from most of the rain, but the blood was fanning out in an ever widening arc as it mixed with the rain water. They couldn't remove the knife – not here. He would bleed out - he _was_ bleeding out. She didn't know what to do. Bucky pushed her hands away, ripping Steven’s shirt down the middle so he could wrap the knife in gauze and tape it into place. They couldn't remove the blade, but he could keep it from moving and making things worse. Thunder rumbled angrily and a few seconds later the sky flashed again. The sky looked as angry as she felt.

“Skye, your arm...” Steve winced, trying to cover the needle in her arm so she couldn't see it.

“It’s fine. Tape it down. Start his end of the transfusion.”

“Skye.” Steve whispered, heartbreakingly quiet. Her tone was short and spoke volumes about the situation Steven was in.

“Start it _now_ , Steve.”

“We can fix this,” Bucky repeated. He moved to kneel behind Steven, holding the boy’s head between his hands.

“I need this arm. The blood can fix this,” Skye leaned down and pressed her forehead to Steven's, offering him a gentle smile and a kiss to the tip of his nose. “I can fix this,” Skye repeated, “I've got you, baby.”

Steven's eyes lazily rolled over to Steve's, silently saying what his mouth couldn't.

“{ **We can fix this** ,}” Bucky told Skye. He reached forward and took her hands, placing her thumbs between Steven’s eyebrows. He forced her thumbs up his forehead and down his hairline, leaving faint smears of red from the blood on her hands. “{ **Do you trust me?** }”

She nodded and continued rubbing her thumbs up his forehead and then down along his hairline. Bucky started murmuring and she smiled.

“{ **We can fix this** ,}” She agreed. She murmured along with him, somehow knowing the words that she had never heard before. She let Bucky interrupt two cycles as he taped the needle to her forearm. Lightning zig-zagged across the sky and flashed brightly. The magic blood started flowing immediately, straight into Steven's bloodstream, even as his chest stopped rising and he stared up unblinkingly at Steve.

Steve sobbed and lurched back, cradling his head in agony. Bucky reached around her and drew the blade from Steven's chest, removing that burden from her shoulders. It wouldn't matter now. In fact, this would probably work better if the blade wasn't there. He quickly pressed gauze over the wound, pressing hard to stop the trickle of blood that was seeping out. The magic blood wouldn't do any good if it ran right back out of his body.

He laid his hand over Skye's, giving her the strength to finish. It hadn’t truly processed for either of them. They were still working to save Steven. They refused to admit defeat - they refused to believe he was dead.

Her lips quivered as she met Bucky's eye, then leaned down to press her forehead to Steven's forehead. She could fix this. She took a second to close his eyelids before resuming the cycles with her thumbs. With her hair forming a dark, wet curtain around their faces Skye started to whisper slowly and haltingly. She was faintly aware of Steve's strangled shout of grief, the sound of explosions blocks away, the subtle roar of Tony’s rocket boosters, but she forced it all away. She didn't know how, but she could fix this. The words were flowing from her mouth effortlessly now and she could feel a change beneath her fingertips. A deep masculine voice joined hers and she knew without looking that it was Bucky.

 

Her voice grew stronger as she infused her entire will into the words.

 

They were powerful and meaningless at the same time.

 

Her understanding of what they meant passed the second the word left her mouth.

 

0-0-0-0-0

 

“What are they doing?” Clint asked, limping up behind Steve. He was down to three arrows and had a bullet lodged in his thigh, but he didn't feel it – at least, he didn't feel it yet. Steve was swaying on his feet, his attention entirely on Skye and Bucky's actions. She was hovering over Steven's body, rubbing her thumbs in intricate patterns against his forehead, working in the space on either side of her own face, and Bucky was kneeling above Steven's head, cradling his small head with his hands. Skye was hidden behind her hair, but Bucky’s face was deeply focused as he leaned forwards towards them both. They were speaking in a language that he didn't know. He had no idea what they were doing, but they seemed to be on the same page at least.

“Steve!” Tony shouted, landing his suit a few feet away. “Shit! Is that Steven?”

Steve nodded mutely, his eyes locked on the trio on the ground. Clint tugged Steve's arm up and over his shoulders, supporting some of his weight. Steve was swaying like pre-serum Steve post-run.

“Is he...?” Tony asked softly. He could see the transfusion line running between Skye and Steven, so he knew the boy was hurt. He just didn't want to ask how badly; the puddle of blood under the boy and Steve's tear streaked face answered that question anyway. Steve choked on a sob that ripped through his chest, but shrugged and shook his head at the same time. “Who did it?” Tony growled. The anger that flashed through his veins was faster than his grief. Steve waved vaguely towards a decapitated man laying twenty feet away and Tony growled again. “What the fuck are they doing?”

“I don't know,” Steve replied, shaking his head. “He said they could fix him.”

“Fucking gobble-dee-goop isn't going to bring our boy back!” Tony shouted angrily. Skye continued like she couldn't hear Tony's shouting, but Bucky's eyes shot up to glare at Tony – not even pausing with his alien words. Steve's own anger coursed through him and he pulled away from Clint.

“He's getting the magic blood.” Steve told Tony, crossing his arms angrily. He planted himself firmly between Tony and the trio.

“His heart isn't beating. It's not circulating. He needs medical attention!”

“Her medicine is better than yours!” Steve snarled back. “This is his best chance. His only chance. You better shut up right now because if you break their concentration...”

“I don't care!” Tony interrupted. “He needs to get back to Bruce. He's my nephew. I'm not losing him.”

“He's her _son_ ,” Steve bit out. “If she thinks he has a better chance with this...”

“Stop it!” Clint shouted, shoving between them angrily. “You're both going to break their concentration...whatever the fuck they're doing. We're all worried and angry and _crushed_...but you need to stop fighting. Please. Stop fighting. Don't give up yet.” Tony and Steve clenched their fists but couldn't argue with his logic. Clint sighed a little and turned to Tony, “Can you hook Steven up to an AED without interrupting Skye?”

“She would have to stop while we shock him,” Tony muttered, looking the problem over.

“For how long?” Clint pressed.

“A few seconds,” Tony replied instantly. He could see where Clint was going with this.

“She stopped so Bucky could tape her IV down,” Steve added. “She could stop for a few seconds.”

“Tony, go get one, I'll try to convince Skye,” Clint nodded.

“We can give you the time,” Bucky told him. Skye was still muttering over Steven, looking like the world around didn't exist. She had a one track mind right now. Her words were unusually deep and she was shaking, but her hair was hiding her face and they couldn't see if she was crying. “Get a med kit, too. Need to cover the wound better. Hurry.”

“I'm going,” Tony nodded.

“Don't. I've got one,” Tasha shouted, running at them full speed carrying a portable AED. Silent tears ran down her face - she had heard everything through the comms, but was too far away to help. Her nephew was dead. Her godchild was gone.

“Let's hook him up,” Steve nodded. He had something to do. That was how he worked best.

Clint took the AED and dug the scissors out, nudging Skye to give him room to work. She arched her back, letting him work under her as she continued her muttering and tracing. Clint cut the shirt completely free from his body and dried the skin underneath. Tasha was holding an umbrella over them, preventing him from getting wet again. Steve hurried to patch up the wound in his chest, realizing with disgust that such a devastating wound could take up so little space. The incision was only about four inches long. It hadn’t had time to bruise and with the blood cleared away it could have been a deep scratch. Clint attached the pads to Steven's chest, working around Steve's hands and below Skye's torso. 

“We can’t shock him in this puddle,” Clint murmured, looking at the rain accumulating around them. “We’ll all get fried.”

“We’ll have to make do,” Steve replied, looking around for anything that was still dry. “I’ll push the button. You get back as far as you can.”

“What is she doing?” Tasha asked Tony. He was still in the suit, watching for another wave of attackers. He couldn't help Steven right now; too many hands in the pot and all that, but he could watch his family's back.

“No idea.” Tony shrugged. “She told Steve she could fix him. Guess this is how she's going to do it.”

“Skye, doll, we're ready,” Steve said softly, running his hands up her arms to her shoulders. “You need to move, just for a second.”

Skye didn't move, just continued her chanting. Steve frowned and glanced up at Bucky, seeking his advice. Bucky understood whatever was going on here. Bucky’s eyes flicked up to Steve’s and he frowned back.

“{ **Finish the cycle then move**.}” Bucky told Skye, his voice stern and uncompromising. Skye growled but nodded, pulling back to press kisses onto Steven's forehead, cheeks, and nose. Steve dragged her off her son, cradling her in his arms when she turned and hid her face in his shoulder. Steve was worried - Bucky and Skye kept talking to each other in that language. A language that he was sure he had never heard before - a language he didn’t think he would be able to repeat. The sounds coming out of their mouths were deep, especially when they spoke in tandem. Some of the segments were so foreign that Steve didn’t think his mouth would be able to form them.

“Clear?” Clint asked, readying the machine. Steve stood, carrying Skye away from Steven, even though she protested the action.

“Clear.” Bucky nodded. Clint hit the button and Steven's chest jolted.

“Bruce is almost here,” Tony told them softly.

“Hit him again,” Bucky growled, pulling two fingers off the boy's neck.

“Clear.” Clint nodded. Steven's chest jolted a second time, then Skye was scrambling away from Steve. She pulled herself over her son, pressing kisses along the lines that her thumbs had been tracing.

“Bucky?” Steve asked softly. His friend pressed the two fingers back to the boy's neck, then raised his eyes to Steve's slowly, a wince on his face. Bruce showed up right at that moment. “Doll, let me grab him. We need to get him back to the lab.”

Skye rasped something out in the same alien language as the chanting, shaking her head violently to reinforce her point. Bucky replied in the same guttural language. Skye lifted her head defiantly and snarled something back. Bucky lifted his hands in defeat and looked back at Steve.

“She needs to maintain contact.”

“It's fine,” Bruce interrupted, pushing through the small crowd. He looked tired and distinctly ruffled from his recent transformation. “Skye, can you carry him? We need to get back and get his heart beating. The blood needs to circulate.”

Skye's expression was blank and scarily serious at the same time. She nodded and lifted her son into her arms, then took off for the vehicle with Bruce. Bucky caught up with her steps later, lifting both of them into his arms. Skye's whole body was shaking, but he didn't know if it was exhaustion, crying, or cold.

“What language was that?” Steve asked Bucky as they allowed Bruce to close them into the back of the van. Skye settled Steven on the floor, then pulled away from her son, keeping hold of his arm the entire time. She slid to the front of the van, transferring her hold to Steven's head. Bucky was there in her place, giving the boy chest compressions to spread the magic blood. Skye resumed the chant, hovering over his head as she traced the lines. After a few minutes, Steve saw her waver and hurried to sit behind her. She drooped against Steve's chest, tiredly muttering over her son; after another minute, both men heard her breathing shift as she fell unconscious.

“What do you mean?” Bucky frowned. He breathed into Steven’s mouth, but then looked at Skye with concern. Steve secured her hand to Steven's cheek by covering it with his own, then pressed his free hand to her neck.

“She's okay. Unconscious. And I mean, what language was that?” Steve repeated. He didn't know how to make the question any more clear than that.

“What language?” Bucky asked, confused.

“The one you were just speaking in with Skye,” Clint asked from the driver's seat. He was driving like a bat out of hell and Bruce was doing breathing exercises.

“We weren't?”

“Bucky, no secrets.”

“I honestly don't know what you're talkin’ about,” Bucky frowned. Steve froze to look at his friend. He looked completely serious and confused, counting out the compressions then reaching down to give the boy one breath and then another.

“Bucky, you weren't speaking English. You weren't speaking any language I've ever heard before, mash up included.”

“Stevie, did you get hurt too?” He asked, frowning. He reached over to check him for head injuries, but Steve slapped his hand away with a growl. Bucky ignored his tone and went back to doing compressions.

“I'm not hurt. What did you just do to Steven?”

“We're fixin’ it,” Bucky said slowly. He could see that Steve was confused, but he wasn't sure about what. It was perfectly obvious what they had done.

“Bucky, you were speaking in 'gobble-dee-goop' – Tony's words, not mine.” Clint offered as he drove straight through the security checkpoint at the Tower. Bruce had called ahead and what remained of the gates were open. Bucky lifted Skye into his arms, then Steve placed the boy back into Skye's arms at Bucky's insistence. They hurried with her to the elevator.

“Straight to my lab,” Bruce said needlessly. Jarvis was already taking them there. Tony and Tasha met them as they got off the elevator, frowning at Skye's unconscious form and Steven's body.

“Lab, now.” Bruce repeated, shoving people out of the way.

 

0-0-0-0-0

 

“It worked,” A man in black spoke into his phone.

“ _It worked?_ ” Another male voice on the other end of the call asked.

“I’m watching It right now. You were right. Killing 1027 sparked something.”

“ _Good_ ,” the distant voice sighed. “ _We were cutting it close. It was a good idea to lead them to that facility. 01 must have needed a stronger bond to remember._ ”

“Speaking of bonds,” the first man grinned, “you’re never going to believe who else is here.”

“ _Who?_ ”

“The Soldier. They’re both over 1027.”

“ _That_ **_is_ ** _an interesting development,_ ” the voice mused. He paused and finally sighed. _“We’ve got three months until they’re here - we can’t lose It now. The bomb on the bus worked; we’re already tracking Its movements. Confirm whether 1027 lives or dies and then report back. We’ll let them bond until it's time. It will obey our demands._ ”

“And if It doesn’t?” the first man asked softly. "What if It isn't ready?"

“ _It has to be. We can’t fail. They’ve threatened Earth. All we have to do is give It to them._ ”

 


	94. Orders Declined

 

“He doesn't know,” Steve said softly, even though the wall between them prevented Bucky from overhearing. He was standing guard at the base of Steven's bed.

Skye was all but naked, wearing only her underwear and a sports bra – giving Steve a nasty flashback to finding her. Steven was in his underwear, laying on her chest, his back to her front. Her arms were wrapped around him, keeping him close even in this state. Bruce had had to cut their wet clothes from their bodies to warm them up and to hook them up to the monitors. Steve had had to hold Bucky back when he objected to her indecency. Her wound from earlier was more pink than red now, but at the moment it seemed like she had stalled in her own healing. Heart monitors showed their matched breathing and heart beats. Skye’s face was still splattered with blood; they hadn’t worried about wiping it clean at the time. They just needed Steven’s heart beating. Looking at her now though, he wished they had taken the time to clean her up.

Jack and Fitz were on the opposite end of the room, both of them hooked up to bags of blood that Jack had retrieved and set up before passing back out. Skye and Steven were still hooked up to each other, but Skye had woken briefly and told Bucky something in the odd language, so he had created a closed system between them, pumping her blood into Steven and his blood into her. Bruce had objected to the set up; Steven had lost too much blood and there wasn't enough in Skye to share between the two of them.

Bucky had vehemently objected to Bruce separating them and was now standing guard to make sure it didn't happen. But this wasn't Steve's Bucky, or even Skye's Bucky. This was the soldier. The asset. He informed them of his orders without prompting. _Protect it._

“Doesn't know what?” Bruce asked, taking a pack of frozen peas off his eye. Bucky had landed only one punch before Steve could tackle him and shout that they wouldn't separate Skye from Steven. He had instantly fallen into a resting position, putting himself between Bruce and his charges.

“The language. He seemed sincerely confused when I asked him about it.”

“Yeah, that was weird,” Clint nodded from the table. Bruce had just finished taking care of his injuries, even giving him some magic blood to help fix the damage that he had created by ignoring his wounds. Clint’s thigh was bandaged and elevated, but he was grinning like he was drunk. “Dude, this stuff is _legit_.”

“Legit?” Tasha asked, sitting next to him on the stool. Tony was pacing behind her, his suit standing by in the corner in case Bucky flipped out again.

“I feel _amazing_.” Clint nodded. “It's fixing everything. I can see why Skye is so afraid of people finding out about it.”

“But the language,” Tony continued.

“What was it?” Bruce asked. He had missed the entire thing.

“That's the point.” Tony replied, still pacing. “We don't know. Jarvis doesn't know. It's not like Skye blocked it, like she's done with the mash up sometimes. He doesn't _know_. He knows everything.”

“He doesn't know _everything_ ,” Bruce sighed. “He knows what we know. He's just a little better with the details.”

“Jarvis recorded her doing...whatever shit she did,” Tony stumbled over the words. He didn't know what happened so he didn't know how to make it into words. “He noticed a spike of energy and thought we might be interested. I guess he tried to tell me when I was yelling at Steve.”

“What do you mean, _energy spike_?” Bruce asked, turning towards Tony. He was in full scientist mode now.

“I mean energy spike,” Tony shrugged. “Jarvis, play us the recording.”

The recording started as Tony flew over Steven’s body. Steve had his hands in his hair and Clint’s face was long. There was shouting between the men, but Jarvis tuned them out and focused on what Skye and Bucky were doing. The screen changed to what looked like heat mode and the three on the ground were swallowed in light green light. Bucky looked up with an angry glare and the light faded from everything but his hands, which were deep green. Skye’s light was white, but her hands and head were bright white. The light around Steven faded into a lighter shade of green, but as Bucky refocused his attention, the green light grew again. Skye and Bucky were both muttering the same thing, though it was too low for Jarvis to pick up.

“Bucky’s energy was green. Dark green,” Bruce muttered, rewinding the clip to play it again.

“Skye’s light was white,” Tasha frowned.

“When they worked together, their energy blended.” Tony nodded. “That’s why the glow around Steven was light green.”

“What are they saying?” Tasha asked, leaning forward as she listened intently.

“Jarvis didn’t pick it up,” Tony replied.

“Steven had his watch on,” Steve replied absently, still watching the trio in the other room. “Maybe Jarvis could have picked it up from there.”

“I have his watch,” Bruce offered, waving the small object around.

“I’ll hook it up,” Tasha offered.

“What color are they now?” Steve asked, sitting down on a stool. He wasn’t sure his legs were going to hold him up.

“I don’t know,” Tony replied.

“Find out,” Steve ground out impatiently. Tony looked like he wanted to say something about the tone, but he forced himself to remember what Steve had been through that day. Skye had been caught in an explosion and gotten impaled with jagged metal. His home had been attacked. His kid had been taken and murdered in front of him. Yeah, even Tony Stark could admit Steve had had a pretty bad fucking day. Because of that, Tony bit his tongue and pulled the Iron Man helmet on.

“Bruce, don’t come in,” Tony warned.

“Oh, don’t worry. I’m not going back in there until Bucky is himself again.” Bruce scoffed, pointing to his face. Clint snorted his amusement and then giggled when he got a dirty look for it.

“I’ll go with you,” Steve offered. “I think the full suit will just set him off, but I can keep him off you if something happens.”

“Thanks, Capsicle,” Tony nodded. The two men entered the room and Bucky immediately swiveled his head towards them.

“We’re just checking in,” Steve placated, stopping several feet from Bucky. “Can I see them?”

“What is he doing?” Bucky asked, nodding towards Tony. His words were heavily accented and staccato - nothing at all like he normally sounded. His accent wasn’t the same - somewhere between The Asset and something else.

“Just a scan,” Steve replied. He extended his hands to show they were empty and asked again, “Can I see them? Please. I need to know they’re okay.”

After a minute, Tony left the room and Bucky relaxed marginally. He glanced back at his charges and back to Steve. “You hurt them, you die.”

Steve’s mouth twitched up at the needless threat. “I promise I won’t hurt them.”

He kept his hands raised as he stepped around Bucky. Steven was laying on top of Skye. He knew it was coincidence, but his hand was splayed out on his leg making it look like he was reaching for Steve. He glanced at Bucky as he reached for his hand, but Bucky had turned his back on him. Steve smiled; Bucky didn’t see him as a threat. He took Steven’s cool hand and pressed it between his own warm ones. He couldn’t see the wound on Steven’s chest because Skye’s hand was over it. Steve shifted his boy’s small hand into his left hand and reached for Skye’s arm. He hesitated and shifted her arm slightly. Neither of them stirred, just continued their slow breathing.

Bucky’s eyes flicked over to him but didn’t say anything, so he took her hand in his and lifted it from his wound. The skin around the stab wound was bruised now - mottled blue, purple, green, and yellow. Pink scar tissue was forming over the place where Steven’s life had been taken and Steve let out a shaky breath. He didn’t realize how scared he was until he saw he was healing. Yes, they had gotten his heart going again and he was breathing on his own - but being alive and being _well_ were not the same thing. He put Steven’s hand back on his lap and brushed Skye’s damp hair back. He cupped her face and leaned in.

“Doll, I have no idea what you did,” he whispered, aware that the team was probably watching. “Bucky doesn’t seem to know and I don’t know if you’re going to know when you wake up, but thank you. I know you didn’t do it for me, but your son is important to me. You’re important to me. You’ve handled the first two of our next trio of bad, so the next one is on me, okay?”

She didn’t respond but he didn’t really expect her to. He quirked a small, sad smile at her and pressed a kiss to her forehead; he needed to clean the blood off her face. He cupped Steven’s face and pressed a kiss to his forehead, too.

“I’ll take one of those,” Jack mumbled from across the room. Steve turned with a smile.

“You’re awake.”

“Skye’s the smart one in their relationship, huh?” Fitz mumbled. Jack laughed lightly and shifted off his bed slowly. He was a little unsteady on his feet, but he crossed the four feet between their beds and crawled in beside Fitz.

“Who’s the smart one in your relationship?” Steve teased, heading their way.

“Fitz,” Jack replied immediately.

“Me,” Fitz replied at the same time. Steve laughed and nodded his agreement. He grasped Jack’s head and placed a deliberately wet kiss on his forehead.

“Ugh, Steve. Do it right,” Jack moaned, wiping his forehead dry. “You have to stay in my good graces, after all.”

“Cause he’s fucking your mother?” Fitz asked softly. Jack moaned loudly and swatted at his boyfriend.

“Don’t encourage him.”

“Hey, it was good. He would have been stupid to pass that up,” Fitz defended, curling up in Jack’s arms. They both breathed deeply, taking comfort in each other’s arms.

Bucky abandoned his post at the end of the bed and placed Skye’s hand back over Steven’s still-healing wound. He frowned when he realized how cool their skin was. Jack caught the movement out of the corner of his eye and frowned when he saw that Steven was on Skye.

“What happened?” Jack gasped. They were barely dressed and IV lines were connecting them. He hadn’t seen Steven before - Steve’s bulk had blocked his view. He was suddenly wide awake. He took in Steve’s haggard appearance and asked softly, “Steve, what happened?”

“They’re okay,” Steve replied. “I mean, I think they’re okay. You need to know that, yeah? They’re okay.”

“What happened?!”

“Steven got stabbed and-”

“He got STABBED?!?!” Jack yelled. “Why are they like that? He’s not dead, is he?” He pushed free from Fitz and struggled to sit up. “Move, move, I need to see-”

“Neither of them is dead,” Steve replied, catching Jack around his middle. He winced and added, against his better judgement, “at least, not any more.”

“Who was dead?” Jack asked, crying. Steve didn’t want to lie. He would be pissed if he wasn’t told the truth, so he afforded the same to Jack.

“Steven,” he replied softly. “He got stabbed between the ribs. Bruce said the knife punctured a lung. He bled out.”

“Take me to them,” Jack sobbed. “Steve, take me to them.”

“We need to be careful with Bucky right now,” Steve warned.

“Fuck Bucky,” Jack growled.

“He’s not Bucky right now,” Steve warned again. Jack fluttered a hand at him in an annoyed manner. He pushed free from Steve and walked right up to Bucky. Bucky frowned and blocked his path, refusing to let him pass.

“ _Cactus_ ,” Jack murmured in Skye’s voice. Bucky frowned harder and shook his head. Jack smacked his cheek and repeated, “ _Cactus_. Dammit, Bucky, _cactus_.”

“Mission incomplete,” he replied firmly. Jack went to smack him again, but the metal arm came up to catch his wrist. There was hardly any of the covering left on his arm and that made Jack pause. He relaxed his angry pose slightly. They had had a terrible day, too.

“I don’t think he’s the Winter Soldier,” Jack whispered to Steve.

“I think it’s the Asset mixed with something else,” Steve agreed.

“Detail orders,” Jack asked, in his own voice. Bucky didn’t respond, so Jack slipped back into Skye’s voice with a soft sigh. “Detail orders.”

“Protect it.”

“Stand down.”

“Orders declined.” Bucky retorted. Jack frowned and looked over at Steve.

“He’s not allowed to decline orders.”

“Priority One: Protect it.” Bucky informed him in a no-nonsense tone. “Priority Two: Receive new orders. Orders _declined_.”

“I don’t think he can stand down until he knows Skye and Steven are better,” Steve told Jack.

“ _Cactus_ , Shiny,” Skye murmured from behind him. Bucky whirled around.

“Repeat orders,” he commanded, staring at her face. Her eyes fluttered open and she smiled sadly.

“ _Cactus_ ,” she murmured. “Gimme my Bucky back.”

Bucky stumbled back, nearly falling, but Steve was there to catch him. Bucky looked scared and confused and reached back to lock his flesh hand around Steve’s neck.

“I’ve got you, jerk.” Steve reassured him, pulling him to his feet. Bucky hadn’t gotten a good hold and Steve could still breathe.

“Bucky, let him go.” Skye said softly. She patted the space next to her and said, “Come here.”

“What happened?” Bucky asked, clutching his head.

“Come here, Bucky,” Skye repeated. He shook his head and winced when his head throbbed. “Now, James Buchanan Barnes.”

“What happened?” Bucky whimpered. His face fell and his chin trembled. “Something bad happened. Something really bad.”

“Come here and I bet Steve will tell us,” Skye replied softly. She winced slightly and Steve realized her head hurt just as bad as Bucky’s did. She was playing it off better, but she didn’t know what had happened either.

“I’ll tell you as soon as you make our girl comfortable,” Steve added, smiling when Bucky raised an eyebrow at him. “Don’t you know? Cuddles make everything better.”

“‘M cold,” Skye murmured, tightening her hold on Steven. That brought Bucky’s attention around. He looked at Steven and then took in the medical set up. His eyes filled and he met Skye’s eye again. Her voice cracked and she whispered, “Please, Bucky.”

With a shaky sob, he crawled onto the bed. There wasn’t much room, but he stuffed himself into the space available. Skye took one arm off Steven and wrapped it around Bucky. He was careful with Steven, but shifted him so he could get closer. Steve exchanged a small, worried smile with Jack when they finally settled. Bucky was on his side - his head on Skye’s shoulder and his legs pushed under Skye’s. She wrapped the arm he was laying on around his shoulders and he dropped his flesh arm over Steven. Tasha tapped Steve’s shoulder and handed him a blanket. He draped the blanket over the trio and stepped back again, ready to explain what had happened but then he noticed they were all asleep again.

“They’re green again,” Tony said softly, stepping into the room with his helmet on. “It was just white before.”

“Shit, Francis is still on the jet,” Tasha grunted.

“Nah, I let him out,” Tony replied. “He’s playing with Zeus.”

“Let them heal,” Steve sighed, pulling a chair over.

 

0-0-0-0-0

 

“I need to talk to Skye,” Fury demanded, standing at the foot of the Bus. Clint, Tasha, Jack, Tony, and Pepper were trying to get up the ramp to the kids.

“You can make an appointment,” Tony replied, trying to push past him. Fury reached out and put a hand on his chest.

“No. I will talk to Skye or you don’t get these kids.”

“Try to stop us,” Tony laughed.

“{Hey, come down the ramp,}” Jack yelled in the mash up. There was a rumble of noise within the plane and then the kids were running down.

“{Is Skye okay? Is 47 okay?}”

“{47?}” Jack asked with a frown.

“{He said he’s not, but he knows the language.}”

“{Bucky,}” Jack laughed. “{No, he’s not 47. I promise.}”

“{But he knows the language.}”

“{Okay, but is Skye okay?}”

“{She’s getting there.}” Jack smiled.

“Stop!” Fury yelled. “Stop with the secret language and just fucking leave. You can have them when I get to talk to Skye!”

“You’re going to keep us here?” The oldest child asked, raising his eyebrow. “You think you can?”

“Of course I can!” Fury growled. The group of kids laughed behind him, making Clint grin.

“That doesn’t bode well, Director,” Clint informed him.

“We haven’t left because Skye asked us not to,” The oldest informed him, stepping forward to speak for the entire group. “We were taking advantage of your limited security while we waited for the project to be completed. Well, it’s completed. We’re not staying another moment longer.”

“Just wait til you see it,” Tony smirked, crossing his arms in a self-satisfied manner.

“Skye told us all about it,” another child grinned.

“How often did you see Skye?” Pepper asked.

“Skye usually visits every couple days,” a younger child answered, smiling fondly. “Skye loves us. Skye takes care of us.”

“How does she slip out so often?” Tony asked Jack softly. Jack shrugged his shoulders. He knew better than to question Skye’s abilities.

“You didn’t even know she was here,” The oldest smirked. “Director of the largest secret agency on Earth, surrounded by spies and secret agents and experimental technology, and you didn’t know about a _girl_ breaking into your headquarters.”

“Skye said we get to pick rooms,” a little girl grinned, squirming in place. “Can we go now? I want to see Skye. I want to pick my room.”

“Let’s go,” Jack smiled, waving the kids forward.

“Bye, Pirate.” The little girl waved. The entire group of kids broke down into giggles and repeated it as they strolled past him. The little girl lifted her hands to Tony, surprising him with her attention, and he flashed Pepper a panicked look. She just smirked and indicated that he should pick the girl up. Grimacing, he did as he was asked; he didn’t hold her like he would have held Steven though - he held her at arm’s length. Jack laughed and snapped a picture on his phone. She leaned in close and breathed in his ear, “Skye said we should say that when we left.”

Tony flinched and rubbed his ear on his shoulder. “That’s nice kid.”

“Skye said you would be uncomfortable with this,” she whispered, leaning in close again. She grinned, revealing two missing front teeth. “She said her baby brother needed to have his boundaries pushed.”

“Consider them pushed,” Tony nodded uncomfortably. “Congratulations.”

“Are you going to take us to Skye?” A teen asked as they strode out. The smallest kids were herded into the center of the group, while the older kids bracketed them on the outside. Clint and Tasha brought up the rear, watching everyone’s backs. Fury watched them leave, unwilling to order agents to retrieve the children. He wouldn’t earn himself any points that way, but he really needed to talk to Skye. There were things she needed to know.

“I’m going to take you to your house,” Tony replied. “Skye will be along later.”

“Is she okay? She wouldn’t miss this,” another teen frowned. “She was more excited about this than we were.”

“Steven had a little incident,” Tony sighed. “He’s getting a little TLC and when he’s better, they’ll both come see you.”

“Who hurt him?” Three teens asked at once.

“Oh, don’t worry. He’s very, very dead,” Tony chuckled humorlessly.

“He’s going to be okay, right?” The little girl with the missing front teeth was clutching Tony’s hand as he strode along quickly. She was half running to keep up with him.

“{Steven is going to be fine,}” Jack interjected, taking the girl’s hand from Tony. Tony shot him a grateful expression and Jack couldn’t help but laugh. “{He’s got some big news. He’s so excited to tell you.}”

“{Good news?}”

“{You think he would be excited to tell us bad news?}” A teen scoffed. The little girl gave a little war cry and launched herself at him; he laughed as he easily fended her off. He slid her around to his back and she clung to him like a backpack.

“{When do we get to see him?}”

“{Depends,}” Jack replied honestly. “{He’s been asleep since yesterday.}”

“{He got magic blood?}”

“{Yeah, he got lots of magic blood. He just needs to sleep it off.}”

“{Lots of blood,}” the teen repeated with a scowl. “{That means it wasn’t a little accident.}”

“{But he’s okay?}” Jack winced. He hadn’t intended to lie - he just didn’t want to worry them needlessly. Yes, Steven had died...but he wasn’t dead any more. (Thank God, he mentally acknowledged. His younger brother was important to him and he wouldn’t have handled his death well.)

“And here’s our ride,” Tony interjected, waving a hand towards his private jet.

“If we were gonna take a plane, why didn’t we just take the one we were on?” One of the teens asked Jack.

“Cause this one can’t be tracked,” Jack smiled.

 

“Took you long enough,” Skye informed the plane, taking over the large screen at the front of the jet. She spoke clearly but softly.

“Hey! You’re awake!” Jack smiled. The kids were all grinning and shouting excitedly at her.

“I can’t talk long,” Skye smiled. “I just wanted to make sure everyone got on board.”

“The director tried to stop us,” Jack informed her. Her smile fell and the little girl was quick to comfort her.

“Don’t worry, he just wanted to talk to you. We left easily.” She grinned and added, “we all called him a pirate when we left.”

“Atta girl,” Skye grinned.

“Is Steven okay?” A teen asked. “Jack said he needed blood.”

“He’s okay,” Skye smiled. The video lurched and Steven’s sleeping face filled the screen. Dark hair was visible on one side of the boy and blonde hair was visible on the opposite side.

“Are you in the middle of a Skye sandwich?” Clint asked.

“Cuddles make everything better,” three voices chimed in. Two of them were sleepy, male voices.

Jack laughed and said, “Hiya Bucky. Steve, you weren’t in bed when we left.”

“The chair wasn’t comfy,” Steve muttered. His eyes fluttered open and flickered up to the tablet Skye was holding. “Aw, no. Are we on a video chat?”

“Ugh, no,” Bucky grumbled, hiding his face in Skye’s shoulder. She was laughing from between them.

“Sorry. I was just showing them Steven was okay, but Clint must have seen you.”

“How are you even fitting on that bed?” Tony asked. Steve’s flush crept up his neck and Tony laughed loudly. “Skye, can you have Jarvis link us into the video in the lab?”

“Sorry, brother,” She smiled. “I’m in need of some fluids, so I’m gonna let you go. Kiddos, as soon as Steven is awake and moving, we’ll come visit, okay? Tony will help you pick rooms and give you a tour. Bonus points if you make him uncomfortable.”

“Skylar!”

“Can I get extra bonus points for being the first one?” The little girl with missing teeth asked, grinning proudly. “I did just like you said!”

“Yeah, thanks for that.” Tony grumbled.

“You get double,” Skye told the girl.

“Yaas!” She screamed. Tony winced and flipped Skye off.

“There will be retribution for this, sis.”

 

0-0-0-0-0

 

“Thanks for not sharing this,” Steve whispered, shifting Skye slightly.

“Hmm, I’m keeping this all for myself,” she giggled.

“I don’t know why this is so comfortable,” Bucky admitted. Steve had lifted Skye into his lap, so he was beneath Skye and Steven. Bucky had tucked his thighs under Steve’s and Skye had her legs over the top of Bucky’s, her feet tucked under his calves. Steven had been adjusted so both Bucky and Steve could drape their arms over him; he hadn’t moved through the shifting and that worried Steve.

“So...today was a day,” Skye remarked conversationally.

“That’s an understatement,” Bucky grunted.

“You have no idea,” Steve replied. “Do neither of you remember what happened?”

“Eh, it’s coming back.” Skye sighed. “I remember Steven getting stabbed and getting him magic blood, but I kind of tuned out what was happening around us. Thanks for watching our backs.”

“Of course,” Steve replied simply.

“You asked me what language we were talkin’ in,” Bucky murmured, glancing up at Steve. “What did you mean by that?”

“I mean, what language were you speaking in.” Steve grunted. “It’s not a hard question.”

“Yeah, but we weren’t-”

“You were.” Steve interrupted. “Jarvis doesn’t know it. It’s not a language that has been documented. You two were saying the same thing, at the same time, in that language. You did something with Skye’s thumbs and then she took over.”

“We were making him better,” Skye whispered. She remembered tracing her thumbs along Steven’s forehead and face, but she couldn’t remember the reason behind the motion. She just knew it would help.

“But how?”

“I don’t know,” Skye shrugged. “It made sense at the time. There was a reason but I couldn’t tell you what it was now.”

“Steven coughed on your face,” Bucky added. “For some reason, that was important. I remember something clickin’ into place…”

“Well, we have some video of it happening,” Steve admitted. “Maybe seeing it will help you remember.”

“Jarvis, do you have access to the video?” Skye asked.

“I do. Would you like me to play it?”

“Yes, please. Make sure we can all see it, please.”

Jarvis lowered a screen and played the footage from Tony’s helmet and linked in the audio from Steven’s watch. Skye cocked her head at the screen, watching as Jarvis switched the feed from the standard feed to the infrared one.

“Tony called it an energy spike,” Steve murmured. “Your light was white. Bucky’s was dark green. When you guys worked together, the light blended and Steven turned light green. Best we can figure, whatever you did created some sort of energy that healed Steven.”

“I remember doing this,” Skye whispered, still watching the screen. She was listening intently to their muttering. “Still don’t remember the logic behind it though. I don’t know what the words mean.”

“We need to figure out how you both knew the language.” Steve nodded. “Even if you don’t know what it means, you both were doing the same thing. There’s got to be a reason for that.”

“My kid…” Bucky murmured. “That was my lightbulb moment. I coughed on her. Just like Steven coughed on Skye.”

“I wasn’t your girl,” Skye argued. “I was born the year she died, right?”

“I mean, we don’t know what year she died. Tasha just said the facility stopped bein’ functional in 62. So she was dead then or before that.”

“So, not me.” Skye clarified.

“No, not you.” Bucky agreed. “The blood cough was the same though.”

“Maybe you were related,” Steve offered.

“I don’t know where she ended up,” Bucky shrugged. “Last thing I remember is her dyin’ and then I was…”

“We don’t even know who my mother was,” Skye sighed. “I think it’s impractical to look for relations if we can’t even figure that piece out.”

 

0-0-0-0-0

 

“I need you to go shower,” Bucky sighed, looking at Skye’s haggard form. “You smell and look like shit.”

“Wow, thanks Bucky,” she snorted.

“It’s been two days. Go. Shower. I’ll stay with him.”

“You convinced her to shower?” Steve smirked, coming around the corner of the lab. He had gone for a run - to burn some nervous energy and scout the city. Shield had cleaned the mess from Centipede’s attack pretty quickly, but there was still structural damage that would take longer to repair.

“Yuck, you stink too,” Bucky nodded. “Take your stinky girlfriend and your stinky self and _go shower_.”

“Come on, doll.” Steve smiled, holding out his hand. “Bucky will let us know if anything happens with Steven.”

“But…”

“You’re goin’ to scare him if he wakes up and sees you lookin’ like that,” Bucky murmured. “I don’t know what he’s goin’ to remember.”

“Okay, yes.” Skye agreed finally. “Just a quick shower though.”

“Two quick showers,” Steve amended.

“Saves water if ya do it together,” Bucky drawled.

“Shup,” Skye laughed. She lifted Steven off her chest and shifted him to the bed. She got up slowly, wincing with the motion. She hadn’t left the bed for longer than quick bathroom breaks, choosing instead to keep Steven close. She bent over and pressed a kiss to Steven’s forehead. “I’ll be right back, baby.”

“Faster we leave, the faster we can get back,” Steve smiled, tugging her from the room. Bucky smiled as they left, shaking his head at Skye’s worried expression as she glanced back.

“Hey, kiddo,” Bucky smiled, scooting his chair closer to Steven’s side. “You know, you can wake up anytime now. We’d sure like to make sure you’re okay.”

Steven didn’t reply and Bucky sighed a little - he knew not to get his hopes up, but it felt like he should be waking up. After a few minutes of excruciating silence, Steven’s hand twitched. Bucky grinned and leaned forward.

“Jarvis, let Skye know he’s wakin’ up,” Bucky said cheerfully.

“Yes, Mr. Barnes.”

“That’s it, kiddo.” Bucky encouraged. “Come on back to us.”

“Bucky?” Steven groaned, reaching out blindly. Bucky grasped the boy’s hand between his and squeezed.

“‘M right here,” Bucky smiled. “How are you feelin’?”

Steven’s  eyes darted quickly around the room and then his chin trembled and his breathing became erratic. “Mom?”

“She’ll be right here,” Bucky reassured him, scooting onto the bed beside his all-but-nephew. He ran his flesh hand over his head in a soothing manner. Steven was anything but soothed though.

“Mom!” Steven shouted with a strangled sob. He rocketed upright and onto Bucky, clinging to him desperately.

“She’s comin’,” Bucky murmured, pulling the boy into his arms. Steven wrapped his arms around him, sobbing into his chest. Bucky rubbed circles on his back, but paused when he noticed what was left on the bed.

“I’m here, baby,” Skye announced, running into the room. Her hair was dripping wet and the clothes she had thrown on were more wet than dry. Steve was steps behind her, still toweling himself off. He had a pair of shorts on and a shirt in hand. Steven lurched for Skye, pushing his hands up in the universal sign of wanting to be lifted. She took him into her arms and let him wrap his legs around her waist. Skye kind of fell onto the bed and curled herself around Steven’s shaking body. She rocked him and murmured softly, over and over, “it’s okay. You’re okay.”

“It fell off,” Bucky said softly, looking surprised. He held up Steven’s spine and showed it to Steve.

“His spine?” Steve asked, taking it in his hands. There were sharp protrusions from the inner curve and he made sure not to touch them. “Bruce is going to love this.”

“Breathe, honey.” Skye murmured. Steven’s breathing was erratic and his face was pale. “Remember our breathing exercises? Breathe with me.”

“Steve?” Steven asked shakily.

“He’s right here,” Skye said softly, glancing over at Steve. He was staring at the spine. “What’s that?”

“His spine fell off,” Steve replied, wiggling it at her. She frowned and shifted Steven so she could see his lower back. It was clear of all scarring. There was no evidence that the spine had ever been there. She grinned up at Steve. “Let’s save this for later.” Steve recommended, setting the spine down.

“Need. Cuddles.” Steven gasped out. Bucky laughed shakily and left the bed to make room. “No,” Steven cried, shaking his head. He reached for Bucky weakly. “Need lots.”

“How about we go to our bed?” Steve asked. “There’s more room.”

“Cuddles,” Steven begged pitifully. Skye scooted to the end of the bed and let Steve pull her to her feet. Steve wrapped his arms around both of them and held them tightly. They could have died. They both could have died. He pressed a kiss to Skye’s wet head and then to Steven’s. His sobbing was no more controlled but his body wasn’t shaking nearly as much. Bucky was watching them from the bed; he was softly smiling but an odd tension also pulled at his features.

“Bed,” Steve said finally, drawing away. “Skye, doll, you’re going to need to put some dry clothes on.”

“Why?” She asked with a frown.

“Because there’s a puddle of water at your feet,” Bucky snorted. “Did you try to dry off at all?”

“My baby woke up,” Skye replied softly, nuzzling her boy’s head.

“Mom,” Steven hummed.

“Yeah, baby?”

“Steve,” he hummed again.

“I’m here buddy.”

“Bucky.”

“Present,” Bucky chirped. “I need some cuddles, you know. Skye’s been hoggin’ you.”

“Cuddles.” Steven agreed. His sobbing was done, but tears were still streaming down his face.

“Let’s go,” Steve agreed, flanking Skye with Bucky.

 

0-0-0-0-0

 

“He’s okay?” Clint asked from the doorway of Steve’s room. Steven was face down on Steve’s chest with Skye and Bucky on either side. Bucky was the only one awake at the moment.

“We’ll see,” Bucky replied. “He woke up freaked out - I don’t know how much of his confusion was due to his hysteria or-”

“He’s still our kid,” Clint interrupted firmly. “Even if there’s damage. Even if he’s not the same. He’s still ours. He’s still my godson.”

“He... _feels_ okay,” Bucky said slowly, considering his words with care. He winced and rubbed his chest. “He feels whole.”

“Is it a good thing that the spine came off?” He asked, rubbing his head. “I feel like it should be a good thing but is it actually?”

“Skye grinned when she saw it,” Bucky shrugged. That was answer enough for both of them.

“I’m gonna nap,” Clint sighed. “Is it okay if I crash on your couch?”

“Want my place?” Bucky asked with a smile. “I need to shower.”

“Nah, I can’t take your place.”

“I wanna see Steve’s face when he was up and you’re cuddled with him,” Bucky smirked.

“You’re an asshole,” Steve grumped softly. Clint grinned because Steve still looked asleep. “Clint, you want some cuddles with your godson?”

“I do,” Clint nodded. “But I think he needs his family right now. I’ll get some quality time when we know he’s better.”

“You’re family, too.”

“You know what I mean,” Clint chuckled. “We’re like...extended family.”

“That is what an uncle is,” Bucky snorted.

“You’re more of an uncle than I am,” Clint retorted.

“Shut. Up.” Skye groaned. “Bucky, I can smell you from here. Go shower. Clint, come cuddle.”

“You’re a filthy hypocrite,” Bucky laughed. “You can’t throw my words back at me.”

“I showered,” Skye replied. “Shoo.”

“Okay, okay,” Bucky laughed, waving Clint into his place.

“This isn’t weird?” Clint asked, crawling up the bed anyway.

“Like you care about weird,” Steve muttered.

“I’m gonna cuddle the shit out of you,” Clint threatened, then proceeded to starfish himself across Steve and Skye. Steven hummed in his sleep and shifted towards Clint. Skye echoed his satisfied hum.

“I hate you,” Steve admitted softly. Steven shifted towards Clint again - prompting a groan from Steve. Clint chuckled when Steven kept scooting until he was on Clint’s chest. “Stealing my kid,” Steve groaned, shaking his head.

“Stealing Skye’s kid,” Clint argued instantly. She froze at his words - at his implications. Steve caught the motion and pulled her closer.

“Relax, doll.” He murmured, pressing a kiss to the top of her head. She pulled herself onto his chest and settled her cheek against him.

“Clint, get closer,” Skye mumbled sleepily. “I need a hand on…”

“Yes momma bear.” Clint rumbled, scooting sideways until he was directly next to Steve. He grinned when Skye draped her arm across Steven’s back. He glanced over at Steve and wiggled his eyebrows, “I like cuddling with you, Stevie.”

“Ugh, no,” Steve moaned. Skye giggled and slipped her free hand into Steve’s shirt. He hissed at the sudden cold, then hurried to wrap his arms around her. Only Skye could get cold in the middle of the cuddle pile.

“No sex,” Clint mumbled, his eyes droop closed already.

“He wouldn’t be moaning _no_ if we were doing that,” Skye muttered back.

“Please, no details,” Bucky sighed, walking back into the room. He was in fresh pajamas and his hair was all over from being towel dried. “‘M comin’ back in for cuddles so let’s keep it PG please.”

“Oh, foursome?” Jack grinned from the doorway. Bucky was still crawling in next to Skye and Steve.

“Fivesome,” Clint yawned. He patted the space next to him and murmured, “Come cuddle and stop talking. I need some fucking sleep.”

“Hmm,” Skye agreed. Steven echoed her with his own hum of contentment. The room quieted as everyone but Bucky fell asleep.

 

 


	95. You were a terror

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was supposed to post last week, but I only posted it as a draft. SORRY! Next chapter up tomorrow.

 

“Go shower,” Skye murmured, not bothering to open her eyes. Steve smirked and took a mental picture of Skye and Steven together. When he didn’t immediately respond, she smiled sleepily and added, “you have the ability to sit idle for about twenty minutes before the pacing starts.”

“Bucky was the sniper, not me,” Steve laughed. He pressed a kiss to the top of Steven’s head and then reached over him to tug Skye into her own kiss. “You know I love you, right?” Steve asked in a low voice. Skye grinned and nodded, cupping his face to extend the kiss.

She pulled away with a sigh. “You really should shower.”

“Yes, ma’am,” he smirked. “Won’t be gone long.”

“Take your time,” she reassured him. “We’re not going anywhere.”

Steve liked the sound of that. He had been dangerously close to losing several important people to him in the last few days. The kids at Shield had been kidnapped and used as cover; Skye had nearly died in a bus explosion; Steven had gotten stabbed, died, and then was revived by some weird energy voodoo that he couldn’t begin to understand, much less explain. Steve rested his head against the bathroom door, taking the moment of solitude to clear his head.

Tony had been right; Steven’s heart wasn’t circulating the magic blood. There was no oxygen getting to important things - like his brain. He was worried instantly about the repercussions of the oxygen deprivation, but his worry skyrocketed when Clint voiced a similar thought to Bucky. _Even if he’s different, he’s still our kid_. Steve refused the entertain the idea of those repercussions and chose to hope the magic blood could fix all sorts of damage. Clint was right: Steven was still his kid. His son. He’d love him all the same, but the guilt associated with taking away any amount of his potential was staggering. This was his fault - it happened on his watch. What kind of parent was he supposed to be? Leaving a seven year old alone in a tower with three men with their attention fully occupied elsewhere. He swallowed hard and pushed away from the door. He was about to strip his shirt off when he heard a small panicked voice.

Steven.

He was talking quickly and the fear was palpable in his tone. Steve inched the door open, watching their interaction. Neither indicated that they had heard him. Steven was talking in the mashup, moving quickly to straddle Skye as she sat up. He pressed his palms to her cheeks and repeated a phrase over and over. She looked like she was trying not to cry, which had Steve stepping out of the bathroom. Skye shifted the boy so he sat a little lower and then reached up to pull his hands from her face. She kissed each palm and pressed them to her chest. Holding them there with one hand, she used her free hand to cup his face. She murmured something back to him in the mashup, repeating it back to him every time he repeated himself.

Finally, Steven repeated himself one last time - his voice watery. Skye smiled and shook her head, then pressed a kiss to his head.  

“I think Steve missed you,” Skye whispered, glancing up at Steve. Steven whimpered and held a hand out for Steve.

“Can you bring Cap with you?” He asked pitifully. Tears streaked his cheeks and he was dangerously close to blowing a snot bubble. 

“Any idea where he is?” Steve asked, reaching for a tissue. Skye smirked and took it from him.

“Couch.”

“Let’s get you cleaned up, huh?” Skye murmured. “Then Steve will be back with Cap.”

“Hurry,” Steven whispered.

“I’ll run,” Steve smiled. He pressed a kiss to his head and raced from the room. Skye giggled at his dramatics, but Steven was silent. He bopped in the elevator, anxious to get back to Steven and have a conversation with him. He needed to know if the magic blood protected his boy like he hoped it did.

 

“He’s awake,” Steve announced loudly, running into the common room. He grabbed the Captain America doll that was shoved between the cushions of the couch and headed back to the elevator.

“Is he okay?”

“When do we get to see him?”

“Should I order some food?”

“Steve?-”

“Skye’s with him now. We’ll be up shortly. Don’t overwhelm him,” Steve warned as the elevator opened for him. “He’s a little thrown by this.”

“Just a little?” Tony scoffed to the closed door.

“He is Skye’s kid,” Clint smiled. “Not much throws her either.”

 

“I found him,” Steve smiled, settling the stuffed doll into Steven’s hands. Steven looked up at him with wet eyes and extended his hand again.

“Thanks,” he said softly, pulling the doll close to his chest. Steve sighed happily and pulled the duo into his side.

“Steven wants a bath,” Skye informed Steve, running her fingers through Steven’s hair absentmindedly.

“But no bubbles,” Bucky said innocently, poking his head around the frame of the door. Steve’s mouth twitched up at that; Steven loved bubbles in his bath. Bucky wandered in and sat by Skye’s other side. Steven shook his head slightly but didn’t argue. Skye smacked Bucky’s shoulder and gave him a look. He frowned and got up off the bed. “I’ll go run some water.”

“Cuddle, Steve?”

“That was a stupid question,” Steve teased lightly, extending his arms. Steven crawled off Skye’s lap with shaky legs and onto Steve. As Steven settled himself, Steve shifted so he was sitting next to Skye against the headboard.

“What happened?” Steven asked softly, holding onto Steve and Skye’s hands.

“What’s the last thing you remember?” Steve asked, glancing at Skye.

“Um,” Steven replied, his voice cracking on the single word. “Leaving the Tower. Seeing you and Mom and Bucky...I felt…” Steven’s voice trailed off and he buried his face in Steve’s chest. The tears were near silent, but they triggered Skye’s anyway.

“You’re okay now,” Steve murmured. “You got some magic blood and-”

“You’re better than okay,” Skye interrupted. “Your spine fell off, baby.”

“Off?” Steven squeaked, reaching back towards his lower back. Smooth skin was the only thing that met his fingers. He pulled his face from Steve’s chest and frowned. “Is that a good thing?”

“It’s a great thing,” Skye smiled.

“Okay,” Steven nodded.

“Are you hungry?” Steve asked. “Tony was wondering if he should order food.”

“Okay,” Steven shrugged.

“What do you want? Anything but strawberry ice cream.”

“You choose,” Steven replied, shrugging again.

“Bath is ready,” Bucky announced from the door. Steven set his doll aside and stretched his arms towards his uncle. Bucky smiled and strode forward.

“See you after your bath?” Steve asked. Steven nodded and Bucky’s smile grew into a grin when the boy wrapped his arms around his neck.

“I’m gonna shower,” Skye smiled, scooting away from Steve. He stopped her with a hand over hers.

“Can I join you?”

“Would you like to?” She asked, smiling.

“No, I just asked because I wanted to stay here,” he snarked. She giggled and tugged him off the bed.

“We gotta hurry,” she told him.

“I just wanna be close to you,” Steve replied, pulling her into a kiss. “Steven was so much worse off, but you got hurt too. Those men could have killed you. Those men could have taken you. I’m not letting either one of you out of my sight for a while.”

“I barely got hurt,” Skye retorted, shedding clothes as she walked.

“No, you got impaled. A few inches in another direction and you would have lost a major organ.”

“It would have healed.”

“Skye, the magic blood can only do so much.” Steve sighed, pulling her into the shower.  

“It would have healed,” Skye repeated firmly, absently rubbing her ribcage with trembling hands. “Trust me. I know.”

“More deleted footage?” Steve frowned.

“Yeah,” Skye agreed. She smirked and shoved Steve out of the water. “I’m gonna keep all this hot water.”

“Nuh uh,” Steve laughed, wrestling his way back under the water. “How am I supposed to get you clean if you don’t let me under the water?”

“You’re going to get me clean?” She teased, raising an eyebrow.

“Don’t worry,” Steve replied in a low voice, “I’ll get you dirty later.”

“Deal.”

“Sir is wondering when you’re going to grace him with your presence,” Jarvis chimed in.

“Tell him we’re having sex,” Skye smirked, then moaned when Steve’s strong fingers massaged the shampoo into her scalp.

“Might be a while,” Steve added.

“You’re terrible,” Jack giggled from outside the bathroom door.

“Go away, Jackson,” Steve called out.

“Quit fucking my mom!”

“This is never going to get old,” Skye laughed. She turned and helped Steve wash.

“This might be better than cuddles,” Steve murmured, pulling her against his chest. “Next time, let’s not be rushed and have your bro- son outside the door.”

“Nothing is better than cuddles,” Skye argued. “But this easily takes second.”

“Mr. Barton is starving to death and would like to know what Steven wants for food.” Jarvis chimed.

“If Steven doesn’t pick, what do you want for food?”

“Something hot.”

“That’s very helpful,” Steve chuckled.

“Chinese food. Egg rolls. Hot and Sour Soup.”

“Do you always know what you’re hungry for?” Steve grinned, reaching around to shut off the water.

“Not always,” Skye replied. Steve tried to reach for a towel but Skye refused to unwrap herself from him. She pressed her cheek to his wet chest and just listened to his heart beat.

“You okay, doll?” Steve asked with a frown. He finally grabbed a towel and wrapped it around her back.

“Just had a bad day...or week…” she murmured.

“It has been a really bad week,” Steve agreed.

“Your kid wants chinese,” Bucky shouted through the door.

“He’s definitely mine,” Skye murmured.

“Yeah he is,” Steve chuckled. “That reminds me, Fury wants to meet with you. As soon as possible.”

“Yeah, yeah.”

“ _Try_ to give him a chance,” Steve murmured, kissing the top of her wet head. “You don’t know what he has to say. He may surprise you.”

“Do you know what he has to say?” She asked, pulling her head back to gauge his reaction. He laughed and shook his head.

“No, I haven’t the faintest idea what he wants - but he isn’t the type to do things without being sure of the consequences. I’m sure that whatever happened between you two has some sort of explanation.”

“Let’s get dressed so we can join the rest of the team,” she dismissed. Steve made a lot of sense, but she was still mad at Nicky.

 

“Gimme my nephew,” Tony demanded the second they stepped off the elevator. Steven was still clinging to Bucky, wearing Captain America pajamas. Steve had his arm around Skye’s shoulders, holding her tight to his side.

“Nope,” Bucky denied, wrapping an arm around Steven’s back.

“You don’t get food until I get my nephew,” Tony argued.

“That’s okay,” Bucky shrugged.

“Skye won’t share.”

“Yes, I will,” Skye snorted.

“Fine, then you don’t get food either. Give me my nephew,” Tony said aggressively.

“Dude, why don’t you ask Steven if he wants you?” Clint asked, kicking his feet up. He smiled at Steven and added, “it’s like he can’t see you when you’re _right there_.”

“Steven, I need a cuddle,” Tony sighed, acknowledging Clint’s point. “You wanna sit with me for a bit?”

“Cuddle later?” Steven asked from Bucky’s neck. Tony deflated a little.

“Yeah, kid. No problem.”

“Bucky can eat?”

“Of course Bucky can still eat,” Tasha jumped in. Bucky smirked at Tony over Steven’s head. Steve smacked Bucky and mouthed _behave_.

“Mom?” Steven asked slowly, pulling out of Bucky’s neck just far enough to make eye contact. He pressed a kiss to his forehead and handed the boy off.

“You’re perfect,” Steven murmured into her neck.

“You’re perfect,” Skye whispered back.

“I feel better with you and Bucky,” Steven admitted.

“Maybe we’ve still got an energy thing going on,” Skye replied. They had had a brief conversation about how he had gotten better, so he knew what she meant about the energy.

“Teach Steve to do the energy thing,” Steven murmured.

“I’ll work on it,” Skye giggled. “I smell soup.”

“Can we eat?”

“Yes, please.”

“I wanna be part of the cool club,” Tony grumbled.

“I wanna eat,” Skye laughed.

“How are you feeling, munchkin?” Tasha asked, rubbing her hand on his back.

“‘M okay,” he mumbled, pulling back enough to look at Tasha.

“You scared us.”

“I scared me, too.” Steven whispered.

“But you’re okay now and that’s what matters.”

“Yeah,” he nodded.

“You’re so serious,” Tony teased, pulling out a chair for Skye. Bucky shoved him away before he could sit next to Skye, making Tony grumble angrily.

“I _died_.”

“But it didn’t stick,” Clint interrupted. “That’s the important part. Now, let’s get some food in that belly of yours so someone else can have some cuddles.”

“You got some already,” Steven replied. He twisted in Skye’s lap and pulled a bowl of soup towards himself.

“What? Clint got cuddles?” Tony screeched. “There’s no fucking way he got cuddles before me.”

“He is the godfather,” Bucky shrugged.

“I get you later, right?” Tony asked, leaning around Bucky.

“Sure.”

“If he doesn’t fall asleep the minute he’s done eatin’,” Bucky murmured, sliding Skye a pair of chopsticks. Skye laughed and shoved him.

“Bucky, leave him alone. You’ve had all this time with Steven but Tony hasn’t.”

“I can’t help that the kid loves me.”

“It’s getting deep in here,” Steve sighed.

 

0-0-0-0-0

 

“It’s not good,” Steven admitted softly, looking at his drawing. Steve was giving him an art lesson - though Skye suspected Steve just wanted the boy close. Steven had been quieter than usual since waking up - and way more clingy. He hadn’t been left alone - he was always in someone’s arms. After dinner the previous night, Steven had been shifted into Tony's arms - where he promptly fell asleep. Tony hadn't minded. In fact, he fought off everyone who tried to take him back. Finally Skye had had to speak bluntly and take her son back so they could head to bed.

“It’s a really good start,” Steve replied with a smile. “I’ve had more time to practice.”

“Cause you’re old?” Bucky asked when Steven didn’t jump at the opportunity to tease Steve.

“Can I just watch you?” Steven asked, setting his drawing pad aside.

“Sure, buddy.”

“Is this okay?” Steven asked, scooting into Steve’s lap. Steve adjusted his arms around him so he could still reach his drawing pad.

“This is perfect,” Steve murmured.

“Sir is requesting Mr. Barnes and Ms. Stark join him in his lab,” Jarvis chimed overhead.

“Ms. _Stark_ , huh?” Bucky smirked, glancing over at Steve. Steve narrowed his eyes and shushed his friend with angry hand gestures. Bucky grinned and let Skye lead them to the elevator.

“Well?” Bucky asked when Tony didn’t immediately start talking. Skye shifted on the balls of her feet. His silence was making her anxious.

“Hopeless case,” Tony told Bucky and Skye, though he was pointing at his sister. They both stiffened at his words. Tony hurried to back track, “That’s what your file from the orphanage labeled you as - a hopeless case.”

“There better be some reason behind you bringin’ that nugget of information up,” Bucky growled.

“In her Shield file - her _real_ file - it documents the reasons,” Tony said softly, waving a remote at a screen. An infant was on the video - black and white and grainy as hell - screaming at the top of its lungs. “Inconsolable.”

“Is that me?” Skye asked softly, stepping forward to get a better look. She didn’t have pictures of herself, of her childhood - just the newspaper clippings from the Brody’s adopting her. The fact that she had a _video_ was more than she could have asked for. Tony nodded and flipped through several videos - essentially showing Skye growing up. As she got older, the more violently she reacted.

“ _Mary Sue is...angry,” A nun told an agent, wincing. “We don’t know why. She woke up screaming; we thought she was hurt - working with kids, you learn to tell the difference between the different types of crying. She appears uninjured, but can’t...or won’t...tell us what’s wrong. She’s always been like this, but it has gotten worse with age. Now she is big enough to cause damage. This time around, we were forced to leave her alone when she started throwing the furniture. Thought you might need to step in, to be honest.”_

_“Did you check into the living conditions at the last foster placement?” The Shield agent, who sounded a lot like Fury, asked._

_“Yes, of course. It wouldn’t have worked out, long term - they’re firm...but when Mary Sue had an episode at their home...well, we had to take her back early.”_

“Look at the dates,” Tony said softly, handing Bucky and Skye tablets. They both frowned as they scrolled down the list.

“Why am I involved with this?” Bucky asked. Half the dates on the list had his name on them.

“Those are days your file has indicated you had a wipe, or a medical procedure without proper anesthesia, or, really, just days when Bucky was more prevalent than the Asset.”

“I had my freak outs on days when Bucky had his freak outs?” Skye whispered, sitting down hard.

“Not just the same days,” Tony denied, shaking his head. “The same _time_ \- as far as I can tell. The nuns weren’t quite as thorough as Bucky’s scientists.”

“I fucked up her childhood with my freak outs?” Bucky asked.

“No, I fucked you up with my freak outs,” Skye denied.

“I think it’s a little of both,” Tony stepped in quickly. “Skye, your freak outs at foster homes...they weren’t all reported. Not to the nuns...but when I looked into medical expenses from your foster parents I found hidden payments for the care of a female child. Something happened at the foster homes, something bad enough that you needed to be seen by a professional. Those times, I think you caused Bucky’s. There’s nothing in his files during those periods that would indicate the freak out were coming from his end. The others he caused for you because of a wipe or whatnot. You’re connected.”

“How?” Skye asked as quiet as a breeze.

“Honestly, I haven’t the faintest.” Tony admitted.

“You’ve always been remarkably in tune with me,” Bucky mused, thinking out loud. “You knew when I was bein’ attacked by the Russians. You know when I’m havin’ my nightmares.”

“I could say the same about you,” Skye murmured. “You always know just what I need.”

“As a child, you wouldn’t know how to deal with those emotions,” Tony added. “Aside from your less than ideal living situation, it makes a lot of sense that you would act out like that.”

“You felt all of that?” Bucky asked in a whisper. He looked appalled and hung his head between his hands.

“It’s not your fault,” Skye whispered, ducking under his arm to get in his space. “Neither of us knew about this. I’m not mad. It’s not your fault.”

“You could have had a normal childhood. Someone would have adopted you if you hadn’t been such an angry child.”

“I caused some of these,” she reminded him. “Even without you, I wouldn’t have had a normal childhood.”

“Yeah, but-”

“Bucky, I caused things for you too.” Skye interrupted quickly. “Some of my freak outs caused yours. That means punishment for you. I couldn’t control that either.”

“I think I need to um...walk?” Bucky murmured, picking his head up to look at Skye. She could see the fear all over his face. Here was another thing he didn’t remember - a _big_ thing he couldn’t remember - and it had to deal with her. She was certain Bucky had never been to her facility. She would have remembered that. She wasn’t old enough to be from further back in his past. Somewhere, _sometime_ , they were important to each other. Neither could rest until they figured out why.

“Take your time,” Skye replied, finally remembering to answer him.

“I won’t go far.”

“Go, Bucky. Whatever you need.”

 

0-0-0-0-0

 

“I need to speak to Skye,” Director Fury told Tony, standing in the common area later that same day. Tony raised an amused eyebrow.

“You’re going to regret saying that,” Tony smirked.

“Why’s that?”

“Because she’s _pissed_ at you.”

“Just get me Skye.”

“Jarvis?” Tony asked. “Wanna see if Skye would like to talk to Icky Nicky?”

There was a pause and then Skye’s voice came over the speakers, “Tony,” she sighed, “Can we steal the conference room?”

“I’ll take him there for you,” Tony smiled. Skye grunted and Tony laughed.

“What’s going on?” Fury asked, scowling at Tony. “You’re never this... _helpful_.”

“Wouldn’t you like to know?” Tony smirked, waving him into the empty conference room. “I’m sure Skye will join you shortly.”

Tony walked away chuckling and Fury headed to the window. He needed to settle himself. This wasn’t going to be an easy conversation. He thought he was ready but then Tony had thrown him for a loop. Fuck. What was he supposed to tell her?

 

0-0-0-0-0

 

“Apparently I’ve put this off for long enough,” Skye quipped, smiling at Steve.

“Want me to go with you?” Steve asked. She looked at Steven, most sleep against Steve’s chest, and smiled softly.

“Nah, he needs you. Besides, I’m going to make this as hard as possible on Nicky. He probably couldn’t handle it from both of us.”

“Okay, true,” Steve smirked. He pushed his lips out for a kiss and she couldn’t help her giggle. “Shh, you’re going to wake him up.”

“He’s not quite asleep,” she whispered back. She grinned and pressed a light kiss to his lips. “I better go see Nicky. Don’t let this one out of your sight.”

“Yeah, right,” Steve scoffed. Steven echoed his scoff and gripped his shirt tighter.

“Hmm,” Skye hummed happily. “I’m outta here boys.”

“Don’t forget to come back,” Steven whispered.

“Oh, baby, I’m not going anywhere,” she reassured him. She pressed a kiss to his head and headed towards the elevator. Once inside, her smile fell and she let her nerves show for just a second. She shook her hands out and bounced back and forth on the balls of her feet. She felt the elevator slow and forced her nerves away. She needed to be calm when she saw Nicky.

“Skye,” Fury nodded as she entered the room.

“Icky Nicky,” she retorted, plopping down in a chair. She kicked her feet up onto the table and pushed the chair back. “I hear we need to talk.”

“You must have questions. I can tell you what I know.”

“I want to know everything,” she growled. Her jaw clenched and she pressed her eyelids together, silently cursing her angry slip. She was supposed to appear indifferent to him. She didn’t care enough to feel anything. She blinked her eyes open slowly and met his eye with a smile.

“You were still working on that,” Fury sighed, sitting down next to Skye. She didn’t move her feet; she needed the space between them.

“Working on what?”

“Hiding your anger. It’s okay to be angry. I was angry for a long time.”

“I don’t know what I’m angry _for_ ,” she replied, crossing her arms. “I got a file full of papers about me...but I don’t understand. I don’t understand _why_.”

“I was with the secondary team, in China.” Fury started, rubbing his scalp with one broad palm. “I was there the night you were found. I held you all the way back to the States. The Director said we had bonded and put me in charge of you. Honestly, though? She was just getting me back; before we left for the mission I had post-it noted her office. She later told me, _the terror in your eyes was worth having to remove all the sticky notes._ ”

“Focus,” Skye snipped.

“You were a cute baby.” Fury glanced up with a little smile. “You were so little. I was afraid I was going to break you. My team laughed at me when I panicked over your tears. I got a crash course in diaper changing and got handed a bottle. Boom. Instant Nanny.” He saw Skye’s sour look and forced himself to continue. “For the first month of your life, you lived with me. I got pulled off all the good missions because caring for you was my first priority. I resented it. I resented you. But then things changed. The people we took you from were coming after you. We had no choice but to put you in the system. I established myself as your social worker, thinking you would be adopted quickly. You could have a real family. I didn’t think you would turn into a long-term op.”

“Why were you, a Shield newbie, given so much power over me?” Skye asked sharply. He was turning sentimental in his old age. Just like the elderly, he was stuck in memory lane. Fuck memory lane. She just wanted the facts.

“It was all Carter’s plan, I just implemented it. I was trusted with you because I had spent so much time alone with you before the threat was at our doorstep. I could have easily killed you, if that was my aim.”

“Thanks?” Skye muttered sarcastically.

“Look, the point is I was trusted with you…. -and you trusted me. No one else  could hold you, not without you screaming your head off. But the second you were back with me, you always calmed right down.”

“Spare me,” she groaned.

“We put you in the orphanage. Carter dropped you off at the door and ran like hell. I showed up bright and early the next morning and introduced myself as your social worker. We were the only two who knew where you were. That’s how we kept you safe. But they never stopped looking; we had to keep you moving or they would have found you.” Fury paused and looked at Skye’s shocked face. “Skye? You with me?”

“Hold on, I’m still stuck on the part where Agent Peggy Carter _ding-dong-ditched_ me at the orphanage.”

“That’s wonderful,” Fury sighed. “That was the important bit to get out of that.”

“Who was looking for me?” Skye asked, forcing back laughter at the thought of Peggy fucking Carter ringing a doorbell and rushing away through the bushes.

“We didn’t have a name for them. Our files referred to them as a _Known Hostile Facility_. But I kept up surveillance on them after we found you there, at least, as best I could on my own, and eventually Centipede emerged.”

“They had me as a baby?” Skye asked. He nodded his confirmation.

“We have no idea where you came from before that. DNA testing wasn’t a thing in the 60s, so there was no database that we could search for your parentage. We all assumed your parents were in that facility, too. Either as hostages or as scientists.”

“Why were they a known hostile facility?” Skye asked. “What did they do before that?”

“It was classified for most of my career,” Fury replied, steepling his fingers. “I didn’t have knowledge of this until I was being prepped for Director.”

“Spit it out.”

“They had been around for a long time. A long, long time. Germany tapped them to help develop a super soldier serum during World War 2. Not quite Hydra, but linked closely enough that it didn’t really matter. After the war ended, they disappeared. The first time they popped back up on our radar was two days before our team breached the facility you were taken from.”

“These assholes worked with Hydra?” Skye frowned.

“That’s what I said. Though it was more of a - they worked _for_ Hydra.”

“Dr. Erskine wasn’t the only one developing a super soldier serum.”

“Nope. He was the only successful one though, relatively speaking.”

“There’s nothing relative about Steve.” Skye growled.

“I didn’t mean Agent Rogers,” Fury growled back. “I meant the other test subjects for all the other scientists trying to get that damn serum right.”

“You knew about them, knew how to monitor them, even after they’d taken me back. Why didn’t you ever take them down?” Skye retorted, her anger bleeding into her tone.

“I wasn’t the director,” Fury replied just as angrily.

“But you are now.”

“That wouldn’t have solved anything.”

“Why? Cause Steve and Tasha couldn’t get you insider information?”

“No!”

“Why then? Why wouldn’t that have solved anything?” Skye shouted. “You left me there! Do you even comprehend how many kids you could have saved if you took them out like you promised you would!?”

“But they weren’t you!” Fury shouted back. Skye’s anger was startled away by his response. He sighed and sat back down in the office chair. “Fuck, Mary Sue. I was just a kid and I fucked up so bad with you.”

“It’s not your fault I had to move around so much,” Skye said softly. They glanced at each other and silently agreed to give the other a chance to speak.

“I was mad when you were living with me,” Fury told her. He waved down her impatient gesture and added, “I’ve got to start at the beginning.”

“Fine, fine.”

“I was mad when you were living with me. I went from being a twenty something bachelor to a single dad overnight. I was tired _all the time_. God, you cried so much. I couldn’t put you down. I couldn’t go out with friends and they sure as hell didn’t want to hang around at my place with a baby. I couldn’t go on missions - people refused to babysit you more than once. Hell, Peggy was the only one besides me that could get you into some semblance of quiet. You were a terror.”

“Sounds about right.”

“But then Peggy and I left you at the orphanage and I realized how empty my life was. I always looked forward to playing your social worker.”

“You were always mad,” Skye contradicted. “I remember.”

“I wasn’t mad at you.”

“I remember. That’s why I never liked you. You were always mad and disappointed. Everytime.”

“You wouldn’t tell me what happened to get you sent back,” Fury replied. “You would be pale and shaking in my backseat, but you would refuse to tell me what happened. I wasn’t mad; I was frustrated.”

“I didn’t tell you because you were already mad at me and I didn’t want to make it worse. You weren’t my favorite person, but you were the most consistent. I didn’t want to push you too far away and get stuck with a new social worker.”

“I wasn’t mad at you,” he repeated. “I was mad at the foster families for hurting you. I was mad at the orphanage for not treating you better. I was mad at Shield for putting you in that place. Fuck, I was mad at everything and everyone - but not you.”

“I wasn’t supposed to be a long term op,” Skye replied, forcing his own words back at him to try and regain control of the conversation.

“Skye, I raised you for a month. I watched you outgrow a car seat and graduate to a booster seat. I watched your disappointment burn away into anger - and then I watched you learn to mask that anger. You weren’t supposed to be a long term op, but you were. You were also my favorite op. And that’s why I fucked everything up.”

“I’m not going to like this, am I?” Skye whispered. Fury just frowned. She shifted and muttered, “shit.”

“The Brodys weren’t the Brodys,” Fury told her bluntly. “They were a cover. The two agents were forcibly retired - a husband-wife team that got injured on the same op. They couldn’t go in the field any more, but they could keep you safe. Peggy didn’t want me to, but I set up their cover. Set up that house. Set up your foster care with them. Peggy didn’t know I had done it until it was too late.”

“I don’t understand,” Skye murmured.

“I let the adoption go through,” Fury sighed. “Peggy didn’t want them adopting you - we just wanted to give you a good family for once. But they fell in love with you and your sass and they convinced me. They knew the risks - I knew the risks - but I let them talk me around.”

“You told me you wouldn’t let them adopt me,” she replied, doubting his words.

“Did I mention you were a terror?” Fury chuckled. “If you thought it was your idea, or if we fought and you won, then you were much more likely to go along with it. I played you. I let that ad run in the newspaper announcing your adoption. I removed you from the constant circulation of the foster care system. It’s my fault the Brodys are dead and it’s my fault that you were taken.”

“Nicky, they were after me,” Skye whispered, biting her lip to fight back tears. She was so mad at him for so long, but she never expected him to feel the same guilt she felt. “If it’s anyone’s fault it’s mine. But I’d prefer to blame the pseudo-hydra assholes.”

“Ms. Skye, I apologize for the interruption, but you’re needed urgently,” Jarvis chimed in. “I have a message for you.”

“Play it,” Skye replied, standing. Fury frowned at the message, but Skye’s face fell and she rushed from the room.

“I’m not leaving!” Fury shouted after her. He waited a beat and then glanced towards the ceiling, “Jarvis?”

“Yes, Director Fury?”

“Who was that? In the message?”

“Steven,” Jarvis replied after a small pause. “Ms. Skye’s son.”

“So, she wasn’t lying?”

“Steven is her biological son,” Jarvis confirmed.

“Great.” Fury muttered sarcastically. “Now, what language was he speaking?”

“That is a great question,” Jarvis remarked before falling silent. Fury grumbled and waited for Skye to come back.

 


	96. Buck F. Nekid

 

“What emergency could possibly have Skye disappearing for this long?” Fury asked, watching Tony char a grilled cheese. Tony grimaced, flipped the sandwich so the burned side was down, and then handed it to Fury.

“None of your business,” Tony replied.

“I think it is my business.”

“What has Skye told you?” Tony asked, whirling towards Fury. “I mean, about what happens around here?”

“Nothing.” Fury replied. “Rumor has it she’s dating Rogers, Steven is her son, my most lethal spies are wrapped around her finger. I know Simmons and Fitz both express interest in coming here in any increment of down time. I know Skye cured those sick kids at Shield.”

“You _know_ that?” Tony scoffed.

“I basically raised her, Stark.” Fury reminded him sternly. “Besides the fact that she never seemed to get hurt, we ran a full blood panel on her when we brought her back from that facility.”

“When she was a baby?” Tony frowned.

“Yeah. I was on the team that brought her back. Peggy was pissed at me and gave me Skye duty.” Fury smirked. “I raised her as long as I could, then I was her social worker.”

“I know,” Tony shrugged. “She didn’t like you. Not sure she does _now_.”

“Point is, Stark, I know her blood is special. The scientists at the time had compared it to Steve’s healing serum.”

“Why? What was similar?” Tony asked, frowning.

“I couldn’t tell you,” Fury replied, taking a tentative bite of the grilled cheese. “Peggy has those files somewhere. Fitzsimmons have volunteered to help search the archives. She wouldn’t have made a digital copy of Skye’s file.”

“Peggy knew Skye?” Tony asked with a smile. Peggy had been in his life too - until his parents disappeared at least. That was something he had in common with his sister.

“Peggy and I were the only ones that could hold Skye, that first month. She lived with me.”

“Is that why you’re bald?” Tony smirked. “Did she make you rip your hair out?”

“Funny, Stark.”

“What did you tell Skye?” Tony asked.

“Nothing that concerns you.”

“Uncle Tony?” Steven asked softly. He was in pajamas and was clutching his Cap plushie. Zeus was standing so close he was practically on Steven’s feet. Zeus growled at Fury, his hackles raised, as he escorted Steven to Tony. The man was grinning as he stooped over to pick up his nephew. Steven immediately curled into his chest, wrapping his arms around his uncle. Tony’s hand paused on Steven’s lower back.

“It fell off,” Steven murmured, guessing the reason why Tony went so still.

“Is that a good thing?” Tony whispered.

“Mom says so.”

“Alright, where is Skye?” Fury sighed. “I can’t leave until I talk to her but she’s run off - to talk with _this_ one.”

“She did.” Steven told him softly.

“And then?”

“And then none of your business,” Tony interrupted.

“Look, just get Skye for me. Please.”

“J?”

“I don’t think this is the best time-” Jarvis replied.

“Tell her I want to talk to her about the man my agents have reported seeing,” Fury interrupted. If she wouldn’t talk to him about herself, maybe he could draw her out with him.

 

 

 

“Are you ready for this?” Skye asked, smothering a giggle. Clint was looking quite pleased with himself from across the table, but Skye wasn’t sure why.

Skye and Bucky had broken onto Clint and Tasha’s floor when they smelled the chocolate in the air. They had calmed Steven and left him with Steve so Skye could try to wrap her head around her childhood. Instead of heading to the gym as planned, the warm brownies successfully diverted her attention.

Clint had walked into his kitchen and caught them red handed - eating his fresh from the oven brownies and discussing their latest dilemma: What to do about Bucky Barnes. They had a little bet going. They knew eventually someone would realize there was an extra man with the team and would start asking questions. They had prepared for the eventuality of it happening by creating a completely new identity for him, but they couldn’t agree on a name. Bucky argued that it was his name and he should get to choose it, but Skye didn’t think he was talking the re-naming seriously and was trying to talk him out of his new name. Finally, Clint solved the problem. Whoever lasted the longest in the meeting would get to pick the name going on Bucky’s brand new identity. Clint stuck comms in their ears and shoved them towards the elevator.

“Whoever breaks last gets to name me,” Bucky muttered, just in case she had forgotten.

“Okay, clarification. Do we count smiles? Or are we going for an actual laugh?” Skye asked, combing through her hair with her fingers.

“The noise,” Bucky replied instantly. “First person to laugh out loud loses.”

“Deal.”

“Get going,” Clint giggled. Once they had left, he wrapped up the remaining brownies and shoved the pan in his secret food stash. Steven absolutely couldn’t find those particular brownies.

 

0-0-0-0-0

 

“What’s this about?” Steve asked, sitting down in the near empty conference room. Fury was alone and standing near the window.

“You’re not Skye,” Fury growled, not turning around.

“She’ll be here,” Steve replied easily. “Jarvis informed me I would want to be privy to this.”

“How convenient for you,” Fury sighed. Steve grinned at his tone, especially when he heard Skye coming off the elevator. His grin fell though when he saw Bucky was with her. His eyes shot wide and he tried to wave them away. Skye ran her tongue over her teeth and shook her head. The pair sat down perpendicular to Steve; Bucky sat between them. Steve hadn’t been paying attention and reached for Skye’s hand, assuming she would have sat next to him. Bucky smirked and squeezed his fingers. Steve grunted and yanked his fingers free.

“Ridiculous Nicholas,” Skye greeted, interrupting anything else Bucky might have said.

“Skye,” he replied, finally turning to face her. His face twisted slightly when he saw his audience. “I see you’re still a fan of the odd crowd.”

“Odd crowd?” Skye asked, raising an eyebrow.

“Care to tell me why The Winter Soldier is sitting next to you?” Fury asked, leaning forward on the table.

“Nicky, it’s summer,” Skye informed him innocently. Her eyes were open comically wide and she blinked slowly. Bucky was fighting a smile, but no one saw it but Skye. The first clue was his slow exhale. The very tip of one eyebrow quirked and she had to bite her lip to hide her own smile. His jaw twitched and finally noticed he had her attention. The seriousness of his eyes gave way to a twinkle and they both had to look away from each other. They couldn’t break. Not now. Not _yet_.

“Mary Sue- fuck. Skye. We both know you’re much too smart to play this dumb,” Fury growled.

“Are you feeling okay?” She asked, pushing her face into a concerned expression. “Nicky, that big ol’ vein on your forehead still pops out when I’m tryin’ to be helpful.”

Steve rubbed his hand over his mouth at their interaction. He desperately fought his smile, but he could suddenly understand why Fury might have been so grumpy with little Skye. She knew exactly where his buttons were and knew the very best ways to push each and every one.

“Skye, maybe you should let him get to the point,” Steve intervened. They would be here all day otherwise. She sighed heavily. Fury turned to Steve and jabbed a finger at him.

“Rogers, you obviously know how to make her listen. Heavens knows I could never figure it out. Talk her round.”

“Okay, well, here’s the thing…” Steve informed Fury, drawing his attention away from Skye. “You don’t _make_ Skye do anything-”   

She looked over at Bucky and was surprised to find him making duck lips at her. Skye looked down at her fingers and fought to keep her shoulders still as they shook with silent laughter. She took a deep breath and held it, flicking her eyes back up to his for a brief second. The corners of his mouth were raising slowly and she could see the concentration on his features; he was still fighting it. His eyes swiveled over to meet hers and the apples of his cheeks bulged.

They were fucked.

What the hell had been in those brownies?

Steve cocked his head at them - finally noticing their distraction. He raised one eyebrow at her and she lost it. The breath that she had been holding in exploded from her mouth as a reckless giggle. Spit shot from her mouth as she tried to keep her lips pressed shut, which inevitably made her blush with embarrassment. She quickly tried to wipe the table clean with her hoodie sleeves. Seeing her embarrassed panic, Bucky caved and they both put their heads on the table as they laughed.

“What the fuck is going on?” Fury asked. “This is not a game. This man is a wanted criminal.”

“No, he’s not,” Steve growled.

“Icky Nicky, you think I would let a wanted criminal into my inner circle?”

“You know what Mary Sue, I think that’s _exactly_ what I think you would do!”

“Mary Sue,” Bucky gasped, clutching his stomach.

“What am I missing?” Fury asked Steve. He looked just as dumbfounded as Fury felt.

“Who do you think this is?” Steve asked, cocking his head at Bucky. Fury paused, already regretting the words he was going to have to say. He was going to sound crazy.

“I think he’s the Winter Soldier.” Fury snapped. He paused and forced himself to admit, “and looking at him now, I’m thinking he looks an awful lot like Bucky Barnes.”

Skye and Bucky roared with laughter and Steve was helpless to stop his own grin from forming. They were up to something. He didn’t know what it was, but if they were laughing like this - especially when Bucky was at risk - it was bound to be good.

“Bucky Barnes died in the 40s,” Skye giggled. “Unless Bucky somehow got some of the super soldier serum and then froze himself in a glacier somewhere, there is no way this is Bucky Barnes.”

“Prove it,” Fury challenged. Skye produced a vial of blood from her front pocket and handed it to him. He frowned but pulled a machine from one of his pockets. He slid the vial into the machine and waited for the results to show. When he sighed and tossed the machine down, Skye and Bucky burst into a fresh round of laughter. “Very funny, Mary Sue.”

“Yeah, I don’t think you’re doing a good job of intimidating her with the use of her orphanage name,” Steve murmured, grinning. He reached over and picked up the machine. On the screen was a string of DNA sequences - and a very helpful breakdown of the results. The parentage was pirate and parrot. Skye had hacked his machine. He covered his mouth and fought his own laughter, but Bucky had tears streaming down his face and Skye was squirming in her chair.

“I’m gonna pee, stop it,” She squeaked. “I’m gonna pee!”

“I totally won,” Bucky whispered to Skye, then stood and offered his hand to Fury. “Maybe I should just introduce myself. That should clear this right up. I’m Buck F. Nekid. Nice to meet you Director. I’ve heard all about you.”

“I think I peed!” Skye squeaked, hiding her face in her hands to muffle her laughter.

“Look, I don’t know what is going on with you three, but-”

“Oh, no.” Steve interrupted, swiveling to face Skye and Bucky. “You guys weren’t on Clint’s floor today were you?”

“Nooooo,” Skye denied, shaking her head. Bucky pinched his lips together and nodded without drawing Skye’s attention.

“Bucky?” Steve asked, raising an eyebrow.

“There may or may not have been brownies,” Bucky admitted, guarding his sides when Skye tried to elbow him. They dissolved into giggles and Steve had to cover his mouth.

“Um, we may want to reconvene at a later time,” Steve told Fury when he had succeeded in smothering his own smile.

“Barton still makes his monthly batch of...relaxation brownies?” Fury sighed, rubbing his forehead.

“Dude, I’m starving,” Skye groaned. “Shiny, I need food.”

“Come on girlie,” Bucky grinned, offering her his hand. She accepted with a curtsey and took his hand. Bucky laughed and hauled her out of her chair and onto his back.

“Steve! Can I have pancakes?” Skye asked over her shoulder as Bucky bounced from the room.

“I think that’s my cue,” Steve grinned. “Jarvis, will you let Steven know there will be pancakes on the main floor?”

“WITH CHOCOLATE CHIPS?” Skye shouted from the hall. “Steve! I need chocolate chips!”

“Oh, and ice cream,” Bucky added loudly.

“Jarvis, invite Clint to the kitchen.” Skye added.

“Damn it,” Fury muttered, following the trio. “Skye, we need to finish this conversation.”

“After snacks!” Skye shouted from the stairwell.

“Like you’ve never had the munchies,” Steve laughed, patting Fury’s back.

“Not since the seventies,” Fury replied.

“Mom?” Steven asked, squirming free from Tony’s lap. They were watching a movie on the couch. Steven ran at Skye and launched himself at her; she hurriedly slipped from Bucky’s back and hauled her son into her arms.

“Hi, baby,” Skye murmured, nuzzling his hair.

“You’re being weird,” Steven remarked.

“Uh huh,” Skye agreed easily, inhaling deeply.

“You want some pancakes?” Steve asked, coming up to kiss the boy’s head.

“With chocolate chips?” Steven asked softly.

“Yeah, you’re Skye’s kid,” Steve laughed, pulling them into his arms.

“Uh huh,” Steven agreed, tugging them both close.

“I thought this was just a show for my agents,” Fury muttered to Tony, watching the trio cuddle.

“Nah. They’re usually worse than this.” Tony smirked. “Cuddles fix everything.”

“Hmm, that’s a Brody sentiment,” Fury sighed. “Of course that’s the thing that would stick with her.”

“They were her first actual family,” Tony replied, shooting him a stern look.

“I was her first actual family,” Fury rebutted.

“I only lived with you a month!” Skye inserted, shoving chocolate chips into Bucky’s mouth. Steve just grinned and pulled Steven from her arms.

“I need my pancake mixer.”

“Quick, Steve...they’re gonna eat all the chocolate chips.” Steven said softly.

“We’re her family now,” Tony told Fury, “In more important ways than living with someone a month can provide.”

“Jesus, that doesn’t even make sense.” Fury sighed.

“Can I tell him, Tony?” Skye grinned, bouncing on the balls of her feet. “Please, I wanna tell him.”

“Hmm, no,” Tony smirked. “I think you’ll like having a plan better.”

“Can we plan something then?”

“Absolutely,” Tony laughed.

“Alright, who wants pancakes?” Steve asked with Steven on his hip. Hands shot into the air and Steven groaned.

“That’s a lot of pancakes.”

 

 

 

“Think she’s out,” Clint grinned, peeking over the couch.

“They’re both out,” Tony smirked, nodding to Bucky.

“Nope, it’s the whole trio,” Steve laughed softly, putting a blanket over the three of them. He found the remote and turned off the movie they had fallen asleep watching. Skye had finally coaxed a giggle out of Steven - his first since his revival - by dancing with him around the common space. She was loud and dramatic and genuinely happy and Steven must have caught her mood. Before falling asleep on Skye’s chest, he had been all smiles. Everyone sighed with relief; Steven was still in there. They just had to coax him back out of his shell.

“This is normal?” Fury asked, shaking his head at the heap on the couch. “This doesn’t bother anyone?”

“Why would it?” Clint shrugged.

“Clint’s only bothered when he’s not included,” Tasha snorted.

“Oh, yeah, cause you’re so much better _Nat_ ,” Clint retorted.

“How are the kids settling in?” Fury sighed, seemingly resigned to wait Skye out.

“Good.” Tony grinned. He added vodka to some orange juice and stole a cold pancake. Clint chuckled when the silence grew pregnant.

“Very descriptive,” Fury sighed.

“Look, Skye doesn’t trust you. That means I don’t trust you. You, sir, are on a _need to know_ basis...and you _don’t_ need to know.” Tony used his finger to stir his drink and then took a sip, never removing his gaze from Fury.

“You’re awfully protective of her.” Fury barked, leaning forward. “Why do you give a shit about Skye and who she trusts?”

“Wouldn’t you like to know?” Tony smirked.

“Guys,” Tasha sighed. “Fury, we want assurances that Shield isn’t going to try and take the kids back.”

“Shield won’t try to take the kids back,” Fury replied.

“No-”

“Nuh uh-”

“Not good enough,” Three male voices called out instantly. Steve and Clint laughed.

“Shield won’t even attempt to take the kids back,” Tony corrected Fury.

“Is this a Skye thing?” Fury sighed, rubbing his face.

“The wording is very important.” Clint nodded.

“Shield has no interest in the children. That being said, if you ever need anything - funds, placements, tutors, equipment, whatever - you have Shield resources.”

“No thanks,” Tony replied. He took a sip of his drink and shook his head.

“Well it’s there-”

“No.”

“Fine.” Fury ground out.

“You know what I want?” Tony asked, leaning closer. “I want a day in Peggy’s favorite base. I want access to her files, when I find them. I want to know everything Shield knows or suspects about Skye, her parentage, and that fucking facility.”

“I’ll consider it.”

“Wait, really?” Clint asked, frowning.

“But I want access, too.” Fury replied.

“That’s between you and Skye,” Tony shrugged.

“What about Steven?” Steve asked. “I want a birth certificate for Steven - listing Skye as his mom. Steven doesn’t get taken. Ever. By anyone.”

“I have it.” Fury muttered. “She just needs to sign it.”

 

0-0-0-0-0

 

“Ugh, he’s still here?” Skye asked softly, rolling her eyes over to Bucky’s. Tony was rambling in the background, probing Fury for answers that the man refused to give.

“Sounds likes it,” Bucky rumbled, shifting Skye in his arms. Steven muttered indistinctly and pulled closer to them.

“Hi sleeping beauty,” Clint grinned, sliding into Skye's side.

“Shh, sleepin',” Bucky grumbled. Steve laughed from behind them.

“Yeah, that’s not gonna work,” Steve grinned, jumping the couch to land beside Bucky. “Skye, once you’re awake, you should go talk with Fury.”

“But I did that ‘ready,” Skye mumbled sleepily.

“You’re gonna want to do it again,” Steve smiled.

“Mmk, gimme five.” Skye agreed. She absently pulled at Clint, tugging him closer. “Cuddles work better when you’re touching.”

“There’s a wrong way to cuddle?” Clint laughed, moving Skye’s legs so he could get closer.

“Only when you’re too far away,” Skye grinned.

“Stop talking,” Steven grumbled.

“Oh, sorry,” Clint teased. “Are we wrecking your beauty sleep?”

“Mom, make him stop,” Steven whined. Skye met Steve’s eye and matched his smirk.

“Clinton Francis,” Skye sighed, warming herself up. Clint slapped his hand over her mouth, preventing her from speaking. Even if her mouth was covered, Skye still shouted around it. She used sign language to get her point across anyway - giggling when Clint started tickling her, while carefully avoiding Steven.

“It’s NOT my fault you ate all my brownies!” Clint told her, letting Steven crawl away from them. Steve smiled and scooped him up, hugging him to his chest.

“It’s not my fault you made magic fucking brownies!” Skye laughed. “Where did you even get-”

“Shh!!” Clint shushed loudly. “Don’t even think about finishing that sentence.”

“We might bust his source,” Bucky laughed softly.

“Okay, dude, why Buck F. Nekid?” Clint asked, lowering his voice so Fury couldn’t hear.

“I won!” Bucky scoffed.

“Yeah, but that’s a terrible name!”

“Why do you think we were fighting?” Skye grinned from the floor. Clint was half on top of her, struggling to pin her while she evaded capture.

“Is this what it’s like all the time here?” Fury asked, crossing his arms. He stood at the back of the couch, watching Clint and Skye’s interaction.

“No, not always,” Tony smirked.

“Yeah, sometimes we’re louder,” Clint grinned.

“Or really quiet when forced into cuddle piles and a movie.” Steve added helpfully.

“Forced?” Skye scoffed. “You all come willingly.”

“Skye, I do need to make it back to base at some point.” Fury sighed. “Can I speak to you for a few more minutes? I don’t need long.”

Skye sighed loudly. Clint smiled at her. “Go on. I’ll save you a spot.”

“A warm spot?” She asked with a pitiful expression on her face. Clint’s smile morphed into a grin.

“That’s a stupid question, stupid.”

“Jerkface,” Skye retorted. “Alright, fine. Let me up.”

“Can we talk in private?” Fury asked when she shuffled over to him.

“Sure, why not?” Skye shrugged. She walked past him and into a smaller conference room. Once the door was closed, she turned and looked at him. Something in his expression had her frowning. “Jarvis, privacy mode, please.”

“Yes, Ms. Skye,” Jarvis replied.

“Alright, I need to get back to my kid, so let’s get this over with.”

“Funny enough, it’s about him.” Fury replied, sliding a folder across the table to her. “He may be your son biologically, but he’s not yours legally - not yet, at least. This paperwork will take care of that.”

“This is it?” Skye asked, pulling out a short stack of papers.

“Dr. Banner confirmed the DNA test results, which eliminates the need for proof. Since Shield is handling the paperwork, we can cut some corners.”

“A birth certificate?”

“It’s in there,” Fury replied. “Clint helped us with a birthday.”

“Clint did?”

“Yeah, he said he had something to show you. Judging by your expression, he hasn’t done that.”

“It’s been a crazy couple of days,” Skye murmured, still flipping through the papers. She looked up and sighed again. “I don’t know what half of this means.”

“Pepper has already reviewed it for you, if that makes you feel better.” Fury responded. “She highlighted the areas you need to sign. She was satisfied with the transfer of custody agreement and the legal rights.”

“Jarvis, has Pepper looked over this paperwork?” Skye asked, shooting Fury a slightly apologetic look. He just shrugged; he didn’t really expect her to take his word for it.

“Yes, Ms. Skye. Ms. Potts is satisfied with the agreement. Sir has signed the same paperwork for the children at the house.”

“Awesome,” Skye smirked, pulling the pen towards her.

“Here’s the thing,” Fury said softly, laying his hand over the pen so she couldn’t sign anything yet. “I need you to understand what this means.”

“I know what this means,” Skye retorted. “It means he’s mine.”

“And that’s what you want?”

“Of course it is,” Skye frowned. “He’s my son.”

“Steve wants to adopt him,” Fury said softly. “If you sign these papers, Steve can’t do that. You would have to sign over rights to Steve. I need you to understand that.”

“We can work it out,” Skye replied, licking her dry lips. “I’m not risking having Steven unclaimed for any longer.”

“No one is coming after Steven.”

“I’m not taking any chances,” she argued. “I’ll sign these now and Steve and I will work something out. I can always file the paperwork later if we need to shift custody.”

“Skye? You’ve always been a mother hen,” Fury pointed out. “You’re really going to be okay giving up your son so Rogers is happy?”

“It’s not like I would never see him,” she shrugged. “Besides, I want Steven happy. He can choose.”

“You’re going to leave something like this up to a child?” Fury frowned.

“It’s his future,” Skye replied. Her lips twitched up and she shrugged, “besides, I don’t have the best track record. I have a tendency to run when things get hard.”

“They won’t like that,” Fury replied, nodding his head towards the kitchen.

“If I need to run, they’re better off without me.” Skye replied. She smirked and cocked her head at Fury. “Didn’t you need to be somewhere?”

“Yeah, yeah.” Fury grumbled.

“Here, take this,” Skye smiled, sliding the completed paperwork back to Fury. He looked at the birth certificate and shook his head a little.

“I can’t believe you’re old enough to have a child,” he muttered, sliding it back to her.

“You have no idea,” Skye muttered back.

 


	97. I want that piece of paper

 

“Are you done now, Mom?” Steven asked, popping his head over the top of the couch. He was sitting with Steve, clinging to his shirt even as he reached for the couch. She smiled at the protective, anxious expression on Steve’s face.

“Yeah, I’m done baby,” Skye murmured. She took her place between Clint and Bucky, giggling while she shoved Clint over.

“Everything is okay?” Steven asked while frowning.

“Yeah, everything is okay. I have something for you though.” Skye smiled nervously.

“Something good?” Steven winced.

“I’m your mother now.” Skye replied, handing the birth certificate over to Steve. Steven glanced up at Steve, then took the paper from his hands.

“You weren’t my mom before?”

“I was your mom,” Skye replied. “I’ve always been your mom - even when you and I didn’t know. But no one knew about us, so _legally_ I didn’t have rights. It’s fixed now. You can’t be taken away from us. You can’t go back.”

“I can’t be taken away?” Steven whispered.

“Never ever,” Steve whispered back with a grin.

“You’re my mom forever?”

“Forever and ever,” Skye grinned. Steven’s frown slowly morphed into a shy smile.

“Forever and ever?”

“That piece of paper says so,” Skye agreed. She seemed to remember something and turned to Clint. “I hear you picked Steven’s birthday.”

“Shit,” Clint winced. “I’m sorry. It’s been a crazy couple days?”

“That it has,” Skye sighed. She smiled and nudged Clint with her elbow. “But now you’ve got my attention. Story please.”

“You know that building that we went to that blew up?” Clint asked, scratching his temple with a wince. Skye frowned as she tried to place a building that blew up.

“She ran out before that,” Steve sighed. He turned towards her and clarified, “Skye, the building we were at when you found those files about the youngest being your kids.”

“Yeah, I didn’t handle that very well…” Skye muttered. Bucky chuckled and nodded his agreement; he offset his humor with a tight hug though.

“After you ran out, Clint found a bomb.” Steve told her.

“It wasn’t so much _a_ bomb as it was a full detonation system. That’s not the point,” Clint sighed. “We only had minutes to get out; I couldn’t find the timer, so we couldn’t have disabled it.”

“It’s okay,” Skye replied when Clint paused. He seemed to be waiting for her response. “I’d kinda like to hear what happened afterwards though.”

“Steve told us that you had run off,” Clint sighed, scrubbing his face with his palm. “Tony said he’d get you and then I found the bombs. Disabling it wasn’t a choice - we didn’t have the time. On my way out, I found this...lab? I don’t know, Skye. It looked like a lab. I took the time to scope it out.”

“And?” Skye pressed after Clint fell silent.

“They had your eggs, Skye.” Clint whispered. “I mean, they had 01’s eggs...but that was you, right? The youngest kids of every group were yours, even though only Jack and Steven are the only ones left now.”

“What does that have to do with Steven’s birthday?”

“They had files of the youngest - the ones that were born there, at least,” Clint admitted. “They were all born within a week of each other, in their respective birth years. So, when Fury asked what Steven’s birthday was...I just told him the day that the fewest children were born.”

“Steven’s file exploded?” Skye asked, dropping her face into her hands.

“I got part of it,” Clint winced.

“Is the wince cause you didn’t get much or because what you got is bad news?” Bucky asked.

“Both.” Clint replied. He looked over at Skye and pulled her hand into his. “Skye, they had lots and lots of eggs. More than one woman should have.”

“I don’t understand,” Skye replied, running her tongue over her teeth. Her mouth was very dry.

“Bruce says a typical female is born with one to two million immature eggs, but as the woman grows some of the eggs die or get damaged. After puberty, a woman doesn’t have those million eggs.”

“Clint, I’m 53. You remember that right?”

“You’re not helpin’,” Bucky jumped in. “I think Clint is tryin’ to tell you that there were way more than a million or two eggs.”

“Yes, exactly. But they were all labeled as yours, Skye. That’s the important part.” Clint agreed. “What if your eggs grow back? What if they’ve been harvesting your eggs over and over since you were first in their care?”

“I don’t think I want to follow that train of thought,” Skye admitted softly. “What if I have more kids out there?”

“What if you _don’t_?” Steve murmured. Every other child of hers, the youngest of the groups, were dead. Steven and Jack were the only ones left.

“And why do they want _your_ eggs specifically?” Clint added.

“If they took your eggs over and over, then that means they grow back,” Bucky pointed out. “Bruce can tell us if anything is growing in your…” He waved vaguely towards his crotch and Skye burst into laughter.

“Nothing is growing in my crotch,” Skye chortled.

“Not even a little baby Steve?” Clint chimed in helpfully. The heavy tension hanging over the room dissipated and Skye relaxed back into Bucky with a smile.

“You’re gonna have a baby?” Steven asked softly, his expression pinched.

“No, buddy, we’re not trying to have a baby,” Steve replied, catching Skye’s eye with a small smirk. Her face was bright red.

“You’re the only baby I need,” Skye agreed, struggling to compose herself.

“But I’m not a baby,” Steven muttered.

“You’re _my_ baby,” Skye disagreed, pushing closer to Bucky so she could run her fingers through her son’s hair.

“What if there was more than one 01?” Tasha asked, joining them belatedly. “Bucky’s got this kid to explain and I don’t think 18 years is enough to grow and harvest that many eggs.”

“18 years?” Clint asked, cocking his head.

“Skye’s 53. She’s been out with Delta for 35 years. That leaves 18 years.”

“Minus the five she spent with Shield,” Steve added. “That chops it down to 13 years.”

“I can’t believe you were with them for 13 years,” Steven admitted softly. He made a low noise in the back of his throat and scrambled over Bucky to climb into Skye’s lap. “{I was only there for two years and it was the longest, worstest time in my whole life, Mom.}”

“{The first year or two is the hardest,}” Skye murmured. “{There are so many changes - to your body, to your life, to the people around you…}”

“{Yeah, but it was normal for me.}”

“{You still don’t remember anything about what happened before you joined your group. They might have wiped that part of your memories - or your brain forgot that time to make it easier for you. Either way, even if you had been raised like that you didn’t remember it. You didn’t _have_ a normal - of any kind.}”

“{It doesn’t have to be normal to suck,}” Bucky chimed in, murmuring in the mashup. “{It’s not a competition. Both of your times there sucked. End of story.}”

“Sir, yes, sir!” Skye saluted, smirking at him. Steve chuckled and slumped back into the couch.

“I have really got to get on learning that language,” Steve laughed.

“I’ll make you flashcards,” Steven offered.

“I’ll practice with you,” Bucky nodded.

“{I’ll _practice_ with you,}” Skye murmured in Gaelic, smirking a little as she saw Steve react. His neck started going red and she could see the blush crawling up his flesh. She pulled her lower lip into her mouth, fighting a laugh, as she watched him struggle to regain his composure.

“Maybe I should learn that language next,” Steven chimed in after a beat.

“Or not,” Bucky frowned, shaking his head rapidly. When Skye asked her question with her eyes, Bucky sighed and threw up his hands. “I’m not fluent, but his house was my second home...for a while, at least.” He winced at Steve; they still hadn’t discussed so many aspects of their past. Sarah’s funeral, being one of them. Steve just smiled and patted Bucky’s hand. “I can’t reply, but I understand more than I should.”

“Damn. Steve, we need a new secret language,” Skye sighed dramatically.

“Or we can just box his ears until he can’t hear us,” Steve offered, elbowing Bucky playfully.

“Hey! Don’t hurt my favorite uncle!” Steven gasped, launching himself between Steve and Bucky.

“Hey! Favorite Uncle? Has hell frozen over?” Clint asked, clutching his chest. Steven froze and turned to look at Clint. Skye carefully hid her amusement as she watched Steven quickly assess the situation and respond to it. His features went angelic smooth and he reassured Clint with ease.

“You can’t be my favorite uncle,” Steven explained softly. “If you have the Godfather title, it wouldn't be fair to also get Favorite Uncle.”

“We gotta watch out for that,” Steve muttered softly. She turned her head to agree with him and found him right next to her. His mouth twitched as he registered her surprise. He leaned closer and whispered, “did you not feel Bucky moving?”

“Of course I did!” Skye scoffed.

“Liar, liar,” Steve grinned. “Pants on fire.”

“Kid, I want to check out a movie,” Bucky said with a grin, holding his arms out for the boy. “Wanna come watch with me?”

“Is there going to be popcorn?” Steven asked.

“Uh, duh,” Bucky sighed.

“Can Cap and Zeus come?”

“Uh, duh.”

“Can Clint come?”

“Ehhh…”

“Bucky!” Steven laughed, pushing him lightly. His smile faded and he whispered, “Please?”

“Aw, hell, kid. You know I was just jokin’, right?” Bucky asked, walking out of the room with Steven in his arms.

“Yeah, but if you feel bad I can pick a good movie and not one of your weird ones,” Steven confessed as they left hearing range. Bucky’s laughter flowed back into the room until the door closed and it was cut off. Clint hesitated for a moment, but hurried to follow Bucky out of the room.

“I think that was Bucky giving us some alone time,” Skye smiled.

“Whaddya say? Wanna _practice_?” Steve replied with a smirk. She didn't reply, just twisted in his arms to press herself against his chest. He intercepted her mouth with his own.

“Thank fuck we’re leaving,” Jack muttered, strolling through the room quickly. “Skye, Coulson’s team is being called out. I’m going with. Video chat later?”

“Be safe. Keep Fitz safe. Call if you need help.” Skye replied. Her face softened and she smiled. “Please, be safe. I love you, baby.”

“Hulgh-” Jack retched, clutching his chest dramatically. He wheezed as he inhaled and slumped against the wall. Steve looked away, trying to hide his shaking shoulders - Skye had dropped a nasty sappy bug on the area.

“Jackson Herbert!” Skye tried to scold, but her voice broke with laughter.

“I got a direct hit from the sappy bug,” Jack informed an imaginary comms unit. He took some shuddering breaths and wheezed, into the imaginary comms unit (of course), “Tell....Mom...I...love....her…” -and then died a slow, agonizing death.

“Steve, I think we need to rerun his DNA test,” Skye muttered, shaking her head.

“Nah, I think the resemblance between you two is evidence enough,” Steve laughed. Skye huffed out a surprised laugh and turned to smack him.

“Bye, Mom!” Jack yelled as he left the room.

“Bye, Jack!” They shouted back. There was a beat of silence and Skye licked her lips.

“So...practice?” Steve asked.

“Practice.” Skye agreed, pulling him from the couch.

 

0-0-0-0-0

 

“Tony?” Bucky asked softly, stepping into his lab. Skye loitered in the stairwell; listening but not intervening. Tony and Bucky hadn’t really spoken since it was revealed that the Winter Soldier had killed Howard and Maria. Bucky was anxious to clear the air between them. Skye didn’t like the strain of their relationship - not when they both expected her to side with them.

“I know you’re important to my sister. I get that you’re Steve’s best friend. I get that you didn’t necessarily have control...so please understand that when I say _fuck off_ I mean it entirely personally.” Tony ground out. He shot Bucky a stern look and turned his back on him.

“Please,” Bucky pleaded. “I just need a minute.”

“ _Fuck. Off_.” Tony growled.

“Tony,” Skye sighed, stepping out of the stairs. “Please, just listen.”

“Fine. You have 60 seconds,” Tony groaned. “Jarvis, start the countdown. 60 seconds, starting now.”

“Tony, you need to listen to him,” Skye said firmly.

“I found Howard.”

“ _Fuck.You._ ” Tony growled.

“I found your dad,” Bucky repeated. His head was down and he was attempting to hide behind his non-existent hair. At Tony’s scoff, he peeked up and winced. “I can take you. They’re still alive. Howard and Maria. I mean, I didn’t know your mom, but Howard was my friend.”

“What am I supposed to do with this?” Tony asked Skye. She took a long look at his expression and waved Bucky from the room. Bucky nodded, but hesitated at the door.

“{Bucky, I’ll come down in a bit. Don’t worry, I’ve got this,}” Skye murmured in the mash up.

“{I’m sorry,}” Bucky replied softly. “{I didn’t know what I was doing.}”

“{Don’t worry, I’ll make sure he understands that,}” Skye smiled. Bucky sounded sure of himself - but she knew how much it tore him up because he truly hadn’t been able to stop what was happening right in front of him - _because_ of him. He ducked his head and nodded his understanding; she couldn’t choose him; not right now. She needed Tony to process the information Bucky just dropped on them. Bucky left the lab, refusing to look back. Tony picked at a cracked nail and refused eye contact.

“Is it true?”

“Yes,” she replied gently.

“Where?”

“Nuh uh, you’re going to have to speak to Bucky to get that.”

“Skye, I’m fucking pissed at him.” Tony told her bluntly.

“No shit, Sherlock,” she replied, rolling her eyes. “Tony, he didn’t have control. Can you imagine something taking over your body and killing Bruce? Cause that’s what this boils down to. Bucky was friends with Howard. Good friends. He told me stories, okay? So don’t discount how he feels about this.”

“You’re discounting how I feel about this,” Tony muttered childishly.

“I’m not,” Skye denied. “You’ve made it very clear how you feel. I just want you to understand how Bucky feels, too.”

“Does it even matter if they’re alive?” Tony asked, clutching at Skye’s shoulders. Surprised by the unexpected hug, she was slow to respond. “They’ve still been gone for so long. I’ve still been alone for so long.”

“We can’t change the past,” Skye murmured, running her fingers through Tony’s hair like she would if she was comforting Steven. “But we can take advantage of the future.”

“I’ve done so much bad…” Tony whispered into her shoulder. She rather liked that they were about the same size. His words connected dots for her, making her smile and shake her head at him.

“Are you afraid they won’t be proud of you?”

“There’s nothing to be proud of!” Tony groaned.

“You took over this company from a selfish asshole,” Skye pointed out. “Sure, the weapons department wasn’t the best idea, but you weren’t fully in control of the company at that point. Besides, you had a wake up call and changed your ways. No one is perfect, but you worked to fix a mistake.”

“I almost _died_ ,” Tony scoffed. “I had to change.”

“No, you didn’t. You could have gotten angry and built bigger weapons. Instead you perfected your Iron Man armor and worked to protect people.”

“Skye, that was me looking out for me.”

“Yeah, at first.” She agreed, pulling him out of her shoulder. She pulled him over to a small couch and sat. “But you looking out for you didn’t send that nuke back through the alien portal over New York.”

“You’re my sister, you’re supposed to think the sun shines out my ass,” Tony scowled.

“Trust me, the sun does not shine out of your ass,” Skye giggled. “But I do love you.”

“You love Bucky, too.”

“Well, yeah...but it’s not a competition. I don’t love him more or love you more. I just...I just _love_ you, okay?”

“I think my brain hears you, but my own little hulk can’t process that,” Tony admitted.

“The point, Tony, is that your parents are alive. No, they probably don’t remember you right now, but if the magic blood can help with Bucky’s programming then it can probably help with their memory issue.”

“You really think so?” Tony asked, raising his eyes hopefully.

“I mean, I’m not going to make promises, but it seems plausible.” Skye shrugged and added, “and if it doesn’t work, at least you can have some time with them before they-”

“Jesus, Skye, just say it.” Tony growled. “At least we can have some time before they die. They’re not getting any younger, after all.”

“They’re going to be so proud of you,” Skye soothed. “You can give them a _home_ again, not a nursing home.”

“Not to mention a grandson,” Tony told her with a wry grin.

“Steven would really like to meet his grandparents,” Skye smiled.

“If Mom doesn’t kick Dad’s ass for having a daughter no one knew about.”

“I was before their time,” Skye reminded him.

“Will you come with me?” Tony asked softly.

“That’s a stupid question,” Skye laughed. “But you need to sit down and have a reasonably civil conversation with Bucky first.”

“Fine.” Tony muttered, crossing his arms. She squealed and hugged him, laughing when he shouted his displeasure.

“I love you brother,” Skye grinned, pressing a kiss to his cheek. “I’m gonna get ready to video chat with Jack. He’s with Coulson again. Be nice to Bucky.”

“It’s a good damn thing I love you,” Tony pouted.

“I love you more!” She shouted over her shoulder as she flounced from the room.

“Really fucking doubt that,” Tony muttered to the closed door. He sighed and got up to fill his tumbler with scotch. “Alright, J. Let the bastard in.”

 

0-0-0-0-0

 

“Mom?” Steven asked softly. Skye was in her office - a space Tony had given to her after Gertrude had been trashed.

“Yeah, baby?” Skye replied, not looking up from her computer. There was just silence, so Skye frowned and looked up. Steve and Steven were in front of her. Steve stood behind Steven, his hands resting on his shoulders. They were dressed in similar outfits – khaki pants and a button up shirt. Steve's was blue and Steven was wearing green. Steven had combed his hair to the side, making the image complete. He was Steve's mini-me. Skye grinned at them and rested her chin on her fist. “What are you two doing?”

“We have a question.” Steven replied, casting a quick look around the stark white walls around them. This was the first time he had been in her office; she didn't use it often.

“You certainly have my attention,” Skye smiled. She looked up at Steve for the first time, noting the nervousness in his features. Must be a pretty big question.

“So, you're my mom.” Steven said slowly, like he was considering his words carefully. He squirmed in place and twisted his fingers together. Skye fought to keep a frown off her face.

“Yeah?”

“But...I was Steve's kid before I was your kid...even though you're my mom.”

“That's true.” Skye agreed.

“Well, we have a paper saying you're my mom, but Steve doesn't have anything like that.”

“But I'd like to.” Steve added, squeezing Steven's shoulders. Skye closed her laptop and stared at them both. She swallowed hard, finally realizing where this was going. “I'd like to adopt him. Legally.”

“You want to adopt my son?” Skye asked softly. She blinked slowly and cocked her head. Of course he wanted Steven. If Steven wanted him back, she would sign over rights. Fury had explained all of this to her. She would have to relinquish rights to Steven in order for Steve to adopt him. They couldn't both have custody of him. She knew this was a possibility - knew that Steven might choose Steve over her - but it hurt nonetheless. Her paper was useless now. It was just a staying block at this point - a legal protection against Steven's removal until everything was sorted. She briefly wondered if Steve knew what he was asking her to do, but pushed away that thought. It didn't matter. Steven mattered. She would do whatever she needed to do to make sure he was taken care of.

“Yes.”

“How do you feel about that, Steven?” Skye asked, even though she knew the answer. He grinned and jumped in place. He’d wanted to be Steve’s kid since day one.

“I want him to. I want that piece of paper.”

“You know a piece of paper doesn't change anything, right?” Skye asked softly. She swallowed hard. He was choosing Steve. Her tongue felt ten times too big and she spoke carefully to make sure they understood her. “He's still going to care about you the same way.”

“But then I can't be taken away.” Steven admitted softly. Skye wanted to scream that he couldn't  be taken from her either but forced it down. She told herself this was a good thing. If she ever needed to run, she wouldn't have to worry about her boy. “The law protects families.”

“Steve?” Skye asked, raising her eyes to his again. He still looked nervous – more nervous than before, if possible. Her throat spasmed and she forced her burning eyes to blink back tears. Her son didn't want her. Steve was getting what he wanted, so why was he looking at her like that?

“There's just one tiny issue,” Steve admitted softly. Yeah, she thought bitterly, you're trying to take my son. He swallowed hard and pulled Steven closer to him like a shield.

“What's the issue?” Skye asked.

“My 40's morals,” Steve told her, ducking his head. Skye couldn't help but laugh and pushed her chair away from her desk. Before she could walk around the table, Steve rambled on. “See, I've had a lot of adjustments to make. Most of them haven't been too hard. But there's one thing I just can't get comfortable with.”

“Spit it out, Steve.” Skye said gently. She just wanted to get this over with. He blushed and nodded.

“I can't have a child out of wedlock,” Steve told her. “It's something I can't compromise on. It's important to me.” Steven was grinning and bouncing in place, watching as Skye froze. “Skye?”

“I don't understand,” Skye admitted softly. Her brain was racing, but she couldn't get the right synapses to fire. She couldn't figure out what he was trying to tell her. It was important, that much was clear, but it escaped her.

“Do it,” Steven muttered, shoving his elbow back into Steve's thigh. Steve took a deep breath and pulled away from Steven. He hurried to Skye's side, grinning and squirming. Steve stepped closer to her, then dropped to one knee holding up a small black box.

 

“Skye? Um...” Steve swallowed hard and looked up into her face. Her dumbfounded expression caught him off guard. “I love you and I love your son. Would you do me the honor of being my wife? Of letting me join your family? Of being Steven's dad?”

“You want me to marry you?” Skye asked. Steve saw a slurry of emotions racing across her face, quick as a flash: shock, disbelief, doubt, and fear.

“I would _love_ to marry you,” Steve agreed, silently vowing to make sure she _never_ had reason to make a face like that again. “I love you, doll. I can’t imagine not having you in my life. I can’t imagine not having Steven in my life. I’m not going to change my mind; I want you. I haven’t been this sure of something since I kept trying to get into the Army. So, doll, will you? Will you marry me?”

“{You don’t have to do this. I’ll sign the papers. If he’s happy, I’ll sign him over.}” Skye whispered in Gaelic. Steve frowned and considered his response. There were tears in her eyes and he gasped when he realized what she was thinking.

“{Doll, I don’t just want you and I don’t just want him. I want both of you. You’re my family. I want Steven, but I also really want _you_.}” Steve replied, trying to force his sincerity into his tone. It was important that she believed him. “{I don’t want you to sign him over. I want to raise him with you.}”

Her eyes watered and her bottom lip trembled. “{You want _me_?}”

Oh, the self-esteem issues were rearing their ugly heads. How could someone so good at so many things have issues like this?

He smiled patiently, still on his knee, and nodded. “Forever. I want you forever.”

“Please put him out of his misery,” Steven said softly, startling a laugh out of both of them. It was such a Clint thing to say. Her face relaxed a tiny bit and Steve realized he needed to lighten the mood. He was proposing for heaven's sake! She shouldn't be crying.

"Skylar Elizabeth Stark, I love you even though you're always cold and you bring strange men into our bed." Steve smiled. Her lip twitched and she risked a peek at him. The tears in her eyes seemed to amplify her amusement. Steve raised an eyebrow and continued, "I love you even though you won't share your chocolate mousse stash. I love that you can't cook to save your life. I love that you are incapable of turning down a challenge. I _love_ how you smack around the men that belittle you. I love that you can't shoot a gun because you're too stubborn to admit they scare you. I love the crazy hair you wake up with when you've forgotten to tie your hair back." He licked his lips and then whispered in Gaelic, "{I love the satisfied expression you sleep with when I'm the reason your hair is crazy.}"

"Steve," she giggled, swatting at him. He smiled and caught her hand. 

“Skylar Elizabeth Stark, will you marry me?” Steve asked again, opening the box. Skye didn't even look at the ring inside; she stood frozen in place, staring at Steve. He licked his lips again and almost missed the expression on her face as she threw herself at him. He stood, easily lifting her to his face for a deep kiss. The shock in Skye's face was fading into giddy disbelief; his own expression mirrored hers. “Is that a yes then?”

“Yes,” Skye giggled.

“Say it, please,” Steve asked softly.

“Yes, I would love to marry you, Steven Grant Rogers,” Skye said simply, her tone only partially teasing.

“Get a room,” Steven muttered, crossing his arms. “Put her down. This is supposed to be about me, guys.”

“Oh, my God. You're such a Stark!” Skye giggled, covering her mouth with her hand. Steve laughed and picked the boy up with one arm, holding both of them close to him..

“Don't worry, I'm going to be changing that really soon,” Steve whispered to him. Steven turned to Skye with a happy grin; Steve bore a proud smirk.

“Oh, my boys,” Skye smiled, shaking her head.

“Forever,” Steven sighed.

 

 

 

Bonus Scene:

"Wait!" Skye hollered a moment later. " _Can't have a child out of wedlock?_ That's the line you go with? You were planning on adopting him before I even got to the Tower!"

"And that's a win for me," Steven smirked, holding his hand out to Steve. Skye frowned as Steve pulled out his wallet and handed Steven twenty dollars. "Told ya she'd call you on it."

"Well..." Steve blushed and looked down. "I just couldn't resist the temptation." He peeked up at her through his eyelashes and smirked at her.

"You're such a troll!" Skye laughed loudly, throwing her head back. She wiped back around to face Steve and jabbed a finger in his direction. "You're setting a terrible example for your son."

"Sorry, doll." Steve grinned.

"You're lucky I love you."

"Hmm, I love you."

"Hulgh. Guys. I'm right here." Steven groaned, trying to put distance between them.

 


	98. Stop with the smirk

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So it's been about a month and I'm so sorry! There was some family stuff and then an unexpected hospital stay. Eek. Don't hate me. I promise I'm not giving up on this story - it has an end, I promise!

 

“Mom?” Steven asked softly, frowning at her.

“Yeah, baby?” Skye replied absently, tugging her boots on.

“Are you leaving?”

“ _We_ are going to go visit your brothers and sisters,” Skye smiled, peeking up through her hair. “And then I might leave you with them for a little while. Tony and I need to search a building.”

“Is it bad?” Steven asked.

“Oh honey, no. You don’t need to worry. I’m just hoping Peggy Carter, the director of Shield before Nicky, has something hidden away about me.”

“I’m sorry you don’t know more about yourself,” Steven offered.

“Let’s find you some clothes so we can visit the house. It’s been too long.”

“Tony helped me do a chat with them,” Steven admitted softly.

“Yeah? How’d you like that?” She asked, pulling on her leather jacket as she stood. It should be much too hot for her to wear it, but she ran cold and it was her favorite jacket.

“It was good,” Steven replied, his tone still somber. Skye frowned and knelt in front of him.

“What’s wrong?”

“Nothing,” Steven shrugged. “I don’t know. I just…”

“Feel different?” Skye offered when he paused.

“Yeah,” he nodded. He twisted his fingers and asked, “do you still love me? I know everyone wants me to be happy again but I’m not _unhappy_ \- I’m just…”

“Baby, I love you. Forever. There isn’t anything you can do to change that.”

“Even if I act bad?”

“When have you ever gotten in trouble for being bad?” Skye asked with a light scoff. “Hell, when is the last time you got in trouble at all?”

“Even if I’m different? If I’m quiet all the time?”

“No matter what.”

“Mom...what if you have to go on a mission and you’re far away and you forget about me-” Steven started crying. Skye pulled him into her chest and lifted him as she stood. He tried to muffle his tears, but her neck was slowly growing wet. She hummed softly and swayed in place, letting him have the space to calm himself down.

“I know you haven’t had a mom before,” Skye said softly, when his tears were quieter, “so I’m just going to explain this to you once. Once, got it?”

“Uh huh,” he nodded. Skye took a deep breath and tightened her hold on him.

“The thing about moms is that we just don’t really care - not about silly things like a few bad choices, a quieter personality, or distance. I could be on Pluto and I would still be your mom.”

“Even if I’m bad?”

“Everyone is bad sometimes.”

“Even if I’m different?” Steven reiterated. His face fell with his anguish and she pulled him closer.

“You’re you - even if that isn’t the same boy that you were two weeks ago. Everything changes. Couple months back you were a kid in a science experiment, now you’ve got a whole entire family and no tests. Things change, baby; I’m still going to love you.”

“But if you’re gone for a long time-”

“I would still love you with every piece of my heart.”

“Every piece? Why is your heart broken?” he sniffled.

“Cause if I was stuck on Pluto, you best believe I’m going to be sad. I would be missing you and thinking about you _every day_.”

“Even if it’s for a hundred years?” He asked pitifully. She wanted to smile at his exaggeration but hid it. It was illogical, but it was what he was worried about right now. She wouldn’t belittle that concern.

“If I was somewhere that I could live that long, I would miss you everyday for a million years.”

“From Pluto?”

“From anywhere,” she corrected lightly. “No matter what. I love you. I couldn’t forget about you if I tried! You’re imprinted on my heart. I will always remember you and I will always love you.”

“I love that you love me,” Steven admitted shyly, pulling his tear streaked face out of her neck. She grinned and wiped his face dry.

“I love that you love me,” she replied.

“Can we go see the other kids?” Steven asked, humming his question into her collar bone. She smiled and pressed a kiss to the top of his head.

“Stupid question,” she sighed loudly. Steven pulled back with a small smile and she giggled. “Yes, kids. Now. You going to be okay if I leave you with them for a little while?”

“Mom, I lived with them for years.”

“Is that stubborn talk for yes?” Skye asked, wrinkling her brow.

“Yes, it means yes,” Steven smiled. “I can help you and Uncle Tony look, if you want help.”

“I’ve been neglecting Tony a little bit,” Skye smiled. “I think we need a brother-sister project.”

“Okay,” Steven smiled back. “But you know I’ll help if you need it, right?”

“Yeah, baby. Thank you.”

 

0-0-0-0-0

 

“Thanks for flying,” Skye smiled.

“Hey, you got me out of some mission prep stuff at headquarters,” Trip grinned, dismissing her thanks easily. “I’m not involved in the mission and I really didn’t want to have to sit through one of those meetings for nothing. I’m not familiar with the base we’re going to.”

“Nicky opened a secret base. Tony is there now, looking through some of Peggy’s files - hopefully.”

“Peggy’s files?”

“Nicky said there might be something hidden away about me,” Skye confessed. It wasn’t supposed to be common knowledge - the whole secret base thing - but she trusted Trip to keep the secret. Trip grunted his understanding and flipped a few switches.

“Skye said you were going to tell her about a kid your grandpa saved in the 40s. Can you tell us about the kid now?” Steven asked, shifting Skye’s fingers. She had a death grip on his hand and it was pinching his bones.

“You wanna hear a story?” Trip asked, twisting in his seat to look back at the boy.

“Please,” Steven nodded.

“I don’t know all of the details,” Trip started, grinning at Skye from the corner of his eye. “Skye, relax. I promise not to crash us.”

“Shh,” She hummed. “Just get us level.” Trip’s grin grew and he winked at Steven.

“So, my grand daddy was part of the Howling Commandos,” Trip told the boy. “Steve told you about the Howling Commandos?”

“Yeah,” Steven replied. “He tells me stories sometimes when I can’t sleep.”

“They were the best of the best.”

“Real bad asses,” Steven agreed, nodding solemnly. Trip laughed and ruffled his hair.

“I can pretty much guarantee Steve wouldn’t approve of that word choice.”

“It’s not _my_ word choice,” Steven retorted smoothly. “It’s Bucky’s.”

“Yeah, that sounds about right,” Trip chuckled. “Don’t rat me out to Steve for letting you talk like that, okay?”

“I would never!” Steven gasped. “Snitches get stitches! And not pretty, straight stitches either!”

“No?”

“No! You get nasty, crooked ones that get infected!” Steven replied, drawing a zig-zag line in the air in front of him.

“We gotta get you out of the Tower more. Clint has had entirely too much time with you,” Skye grinned.

“Nope, that sounds like a Fitz line,” Trip smirked. He set autopilot and swiveled his seat towards the pair. He tapped Steven’s nose and mock whispered, “do you and Fitz have a secret sweet stash?”

“Shh!” Steven glowered, turning his head so Trip could see him but Skye couldn’t make out his expression. Trip threw his head back and laughed loudly.

“Damn, kid.”

“I think there was supposed to be a story here,” Steven retorted. There was just a hint of sass in his tone and Skye couldn’t help but grin at that. She hadn’t lied to him, but her favorite Steven was always going to be a happy Steven.

“Like I was saying,” Trip smiled, “I don’t know all of the details. I’ve heard this story from my grand daddy directly, but I’ve also heard it from other people and there are a few inconsistencies, if you catch my drift.”

“Your family is fudging some details, we got it.” Steven sighed dramatically. He rolled his eyes over at Skye and asked, “Is there grey hair coming in? Cause I think I’ve sat here for so long that the grey hair should be coming in.”

“The good news is that there is never going to be any doubt that you are my son,” Skye grinned, capturing Steven’s face in her hands. She licked her lips and pressed a wet kiss to the tip of his nose. “The bad news is...there is never going to be any doubt that you are my son.”

“Mom! That’s gross! You are not Zeus!”

“Oh, I see,” Skye huffed theatrically. “You love your dog more than me. Psh, whatever...like I care?” She shrugged nonchalantly and turned to look out the window.

“Mom!”

Skye’s shoulders shook and after a long second she burst into super artificial, super dramatic, super loud sobs. Trip exhaled loudly and shook his head at the roof of the quinjet.

“See, this is why you still haven’t heard this story. I swear, an ant has a longer attention span.”

“Ouch, Agent Triplett.” Steven huffed.

“Yeah, ouch. An ant?!” Skye huffed.

“I thought we were kittens?” Steven questioned.

“Okay, so the Commandos,” Trip informed them, choosing to ignore their mock outrage. “It was a few years after Steve...found himself an ice nap…”

“I was there when Bucky yelled at Steve for crashing,” Steven remarked softly.

“You were there?” Trip frowned.

“Bucky got a little mad,” Steven added. “He needed some cuddles to settle back down. Story, please...Mr. Ant.”

“Oh, damn,” Skye smirked.

“Okay, so it was..I don’t know...mid 1940s. The Commandos got this tip from Peggy that there was a Hydra faction that had mounted a full scale attack on some no-name operation in China.”

“Hydra went to China?” Steven asked, his attention immediately caught and held. “Why?”

“That’s what the Commandos wanted to know!” Trip replied. His eyes twinkled and Skye couldn’t help but appreciate having someone like Trip in their lives. His easy going nature was unrivaled. That and his grin had the ability to make one grow on someone’s face...his grin was contagious. Even Steven had caught it and his sass had been almost non-existent since he died. “So, they intercepted the team on their way back to the stronghold in Germany. They followed the team until they reached their destination and decided to infiltrate the small base without backup.”

“Why did they go in?” Steven breathed, enraptured.

“Every morning,” Trip whispered back, his face slipping into a more serious expression for the story, “a group of armed men would leave the base and run a short circuit around the base - over and over. For two hours every day!”

“Training?” Steven asked, cocking his head.

“In a way,” Trip nodded. “The group of men surrounded someone - someone small.”

“Is that why Hydra was in China?” Steven breathed, hanging on Trip’s every word.

“Hydra was in a convoy with heavily tinted glass. The Commandos couldn’t tell who was with them - or what.”

“Okay, so who was running then?”

“A kid,” Trip whispered. “A very small girl. The Commandos guessed she was maybe three?”

“They broke her out, right?!” Steven gasped.

“Shh, let the man tell a story,” Skye smirked, pressing a kiss to Steven’s temple. His face fell and he winced at Trip.

“I’m sorry.”

“Okay, so this little girl falls,” Trip continued, waving off Steven’s apology. “One of the men hit her with the end of his gun, screaming at her in German to get up, but she was inconsolable. I’ve heard it referred to as _the mother of all tantrums_.”

“They just let her-” Steven was outraged but quickly realized he was interrupting again and slapped his hands over his mouth. “Sorry,” he mumbled through his fingers. Trip threw back his head and laughed again.

“Grand daddy was not happy about letting her go, but they were right in front of the main door and there was no way they could avoid the cameras. They needed the element of surprise. They were bad ass,” Trip smirked, “but they were still a small group against a whole base.” Steven nodded, understanding the logic. Trip patted his lap, “Come sit with me. I need to watch the skies. I’ll tell you the story from here.”

“Mom?”

“Go on, baby. I’ll come sit shotgun.”

“Okay!” Steven grinned, slipping out of his seat. He scrambled onto Trip’s lap and shifted until he was comfortable. Skye squeezed Trip’s shoulder as she moved past him. She hadn’t heard Steven so animated in a while. Trip nodded his understanding and smiled warmly. She said it once, but she’d say it again and again: Trip was a blessing.

“So, they just scoop the little girl up and take her back into the base and that’s when the Commandos _knew_ they had to go in. They didn’t know if she was what was taken from China or not, but they knew they couldn’t leave her there.”

“Good.” Steven muttered softly.

“They waited for a couple of hours,” Trip continued, “and then stormed the base. They almost didn’t take it - but they won. Half the base was asleep at the time so they staggered their attacks without thinking about it.”

Silence filled the cockpit and Trip stretched his back with a smirk. Steven grew antsy on his lap, but pinched his lips together so he wouldn’t interrupt. Skye rolled her eyes over to Trip after another beat of silence. Trip laughed and hugged Steven, “sorry. My momma says I never grew up.”

“You have to grow old, but you don’t have to grow up,” Steven replied. “So where was the girl? Was she okay?”

“She was hooked up to an IV and was strapped down to a table. She was still hysterical, even after they pulled her from the base and they were waiting for their ride to come for them. She screamed until her voice was gone. They passed her around the group, trying to find someone that she was comfortable with.” Trip grinned and jostled Steven. “My grand daddy was the one that she calmed down for. He always said she had just cried herself out by the time she got to him, but the other Commandos argued against that.”

“Wait, you knew the other Commandos?” Steven asked. Skye smiled at the hero worship in his voice. Trip smiled proudly and nodded.

“We all got together, couple times a year. We had our own families, but we also had the Commando family and that was precious - especially to the actual Commandos.”

“Can you not call them a Commando family?” Steven asked, twisting to look at Trip a little better. “That makes me think you’re not wearing underwear.”

“And who do we have to thank for that bit of information?” Skye sighed.

“Bucky.”

“Bucky?”

“Yeah, cause somebody on the news was wondering if Steve was commando under his Captain America uniform and Bucky thought that was funny - so then I needed to know what commando was.”

“Of course you did,” Skye laughed.

“What happened next?” Steven asked.

“There was a medic on the jet that came to pick them up. He hooked the little girl up to an IV - she was very dehydrated - and she seemed to do better. My grand daddy took off his uniform so she could lay against his chest. She had started crying again when the medic broke out the needles, but she rubbed her cheek against his shirt and settled. She started talking in some dialect of Chinese; they never found out what it was. They just knew they didn’t understand a word that she said. She didn’t respond to anything they said so they guessed she didn’t understand them. So...they just smiled at her and it seemed to satisfy whatever she was worried about. She put her head back down over my grand daddy’s heart. He said she tapped out the rhythm of his heartbeat against his chest. The ride back to the base was a few hours. Jets weren’t as fast back then,” Trip told Steven. “But she must have been listening to them because during the last few minutes of the trip, she was speaking English.”

“She learned English that fast?” Steven asked, frowning.

Trip shrugged, “The Commandos were adamant that she didn’t know English when she got on the jet, but she did when she got off.”

“That’s crazy,” Steven commented, shaking his head.

“You were fluent in Russian in three weeks,” Skye reminded him.

“Yeah, mom, _weeks_.” Steven replied. “This was just a few hours! Trip, what did she say?”

“She asked who they were affiliated with and then thanked them for getting her out.”

“A three year old did that?”

“Yeah, that’s why they still talked about her - even when they were old,” Trip replied. “I guess it kind of freaked them out a little when a little girl spoke to them like an adult. She asked if they knew the verification codes, but started clamming up with they admitted they didn’t. My grand daddy explained to her what their jobs were - what they were trying to do for the world. She turned on this mega watt smile and my grand daddy swears that is why she was taken. She was a superhero. He said she melted his heart into a big ol’ puddle of goo.”

“That’s all she said?”

“Hmm,” Trip hummed, racking his brain. “She asked what it was called, what she was doing with my grand daddy.”

“She never had a cuddle?” Steven asked softly.

“Nope. It was her very first one.” Trip smiled and tapped Steven’s nose. “She declared it the very best one and said he had magic hugs that could fix broken hearts. I think he took it to heart, to tell you the truth. There were always lots of hugs and cuddles in our family.”

“Cuddles make things better,” Steven agreed.

“That they do,” Trip smiled.

“Trip, whatever happened to that little girl?” Skye asked.

“They got back to base and the girl started freaking out again. She didn’t want to be carried, but she had no shoes and the asphalt was hot. Extra socks were found and they made her make-shift shoes. As I was growing up, this was always the part of the story that I liked the best.”

“Because they made her shoes?” Steven asked, cocking his head.

“No,” Trip smiled. “Because this was always the part in the story when the grown men in my life showed me it was okay to have emotions. They told us grandkids all about her - this little girl that they didn’t even have a name for. She was a very important part in the fight against Hydra.”

“She was Hydra? Did she turn on them?”

“She wasn’t Hydra,” Trip replied. “But yes, she turned on them. After she had her sock shoes on, she let the Commandos lead her from the jet. Dugan always said the weirdest part about that was that the automatically surrounded her, shielding her with their bodies. They had never taken someone from a jet like that - nor would they again. It was just this odd... _compulsion_ to do it. She took them to an empty office and drew them a picture. The picture, when overlaid on a map, diagramed the exact location of several Hydra bases. The big ones. The ones no one else could find. The thing is though,” Trip laughed, “when she handed that map off, the Commandos thought it was a picture. They smiled and told her that they would stick it in the break room.”

“She got mad, huh?” Steven grinned.

“ _Shouldda been born a red-head_ , Jim always said,” Trip laughed, trying to imitate Jim’s voice. “She snatched the picture back and stormed from the office. Peggy liked to tell this part of the story. This tiny little three year old came storming into an office that, by all rights, she shouldn’t know about, and slammed her picture onto their operations map. Peggy figured it out first. She was giving them locations. The little girl made sure she had their attention and then spouted off upcoming Hydra mission details - including dates, times, and coordinates.”

“No wonder they were freaked out,” Steven sighed. “I don’t know any three year olds, but I know how people act when I say something smart.”

“Okay, so what happened to the girl?” Skye asked, caught up in the story beside herself.   

“No idea,” Trip shrugged. “The Commandos started planning missions and when they got back, she was waiting with a small bag. The little girl gave each of the Commandos a hug and a kiss on the cheek, and then she was gone.”

“That’s crazy.” Steven declared.

“They tried to find her, later. They were curious about where she ended up,” Trip smiled. “They had wanted to find her. Peggy wouldn’t tell them - so they had to drop it. Grand dad implied it would have been bad for the girl if they tracked her down...so they gave her up. They trusted Peggy to have the girl’s best interest in mind.”

“Huh.” Skye hummed.

“Are you going to stay with us at the house?” Steven asked.

“Yep,” Trip nodded. “Gotta take your mom to Tony in a little bit.”

“Can I tell him?” Steven asked, looking over at Skye.

“They’re not all here,” Skye replied, smiling. The occupants of the Tower had all been very supportive of the engagement, but they had agreed to wait until Coulson’s team was all together to tell them at the same time.

“You know Jack already told Fitz.”

“Fine, tell him.” Skye laughed.

“Okay, so Mr. Ant, sir,” Steven grinned, squirming in place with excitement. “We have big news. Also, you’re not supposed to know until your whole team is together but I trust you.”

“Aw, thanks Bitey.” Trip laughed. “What’s the news? I promise I won’t tell anyone.”

“Mom and Steve are going to get married and then I’m not going to be a Stark anymore - I get to be a Rogers!” Steven mostly shouted with excitement.

“Steven Rogers,” Trip hummed. He looked over at Skye and cocked an eyebrow. “Steven Rogers...Junior?”

“That is between him and Steve,” Skye laughed, brushing her hands clean of the issue.

“Do you think you can get me invited to the wedding?” Trip whispered loudly to Steven.

“Meh,” Steven shrugged, “I don’t know. We’re only supposed to have people that are important to us there-” Steven cut off with a sharp squeal when Trip tried to dump him on the floor. “Fine! Fine! You’re invited! You’re invited!” Steven laughed.

“Congratulations, by the way,” Trip told Skye, smiling at her while he pulled Steven upright. “I haven’t known either one of you for long, but it’s clear you make each other happy. I’m happy that you’re happy.”

“Thanks,” Skye smiled, ducking her head. She glanced down at the ring on her finger and tried to hide her blush. She was not good with attention. She had tried to leave the Tower without her ring because she felt like everyone was staring at her when she was wearing it, but Steve’s quickly hidden _horrified_ expression had her racing to slide it into place. Skye sucked her lip into her mouth to hide her smile at Steve’s reaction. He had Jarvis lock down the floor and he sidled up with a red face and a shy smile. She had opened her mouth to explain but he silenced her with his. His last words to her, before they had separated to do their separate missions, were: _don’t forget...you’ve got bridesmaids to find._ Her mouth twitched up and she peeked up at Trip.

“Oh, girl, I know that look. Don’t make me do something crazy!” Trip laughed.

“I’m not going to make you do anything,” Skye shrugged. Trip narrowed his eyes at her and gave Steven some side eye.

“What’s your mother up to?”

“No offense,” Steven told Trip with a pinched expression. “I love you, I do. Really. But Skye is my mom and I’m going to side with her on pretty much everything important.”

“Damn.” Trip muttered.

“Sorry.”

“No you’re not,” Trip sighed. “Fine. I admit defeat. How about I teach you how to land a quinjet?”

“I get to do that?” Steven asked, squirming with excitement again.

“If you get your mom to pass out, I’ll give you five bucks.”

“Dude, I got twenty for winning a bet with Steve.”

“Fine. Twenty.”

“I’m sitting right here,” Skye reminded them dryly.

“Okay, so step one,” Trip smirked, ignoring Skye’s comment. “Take off auto-pilot.”

 

0-0-0-0-0

 

_Hours later..._

Skye paced back and forth in front of a brick wall, anxiously clutching her fingers together. The nasty feeling in her gut just kept growing until she wasn’t sure she didn’t need to puke. Being trapped in a secret base didn’t help anything; she couldn’t help anyone from here. She made a mental note to self: _when Tony says,_ **_huh, wonder what this does_** _, stop him at all costs._ She gave up her pacing and dug her phone out of her pocket. She bopped in place and waited for Steve to answer.

“Steve?” Skye asked, rubbing her hand over her chest. She clutched the phone closer to her ear when he answered.

“Hey, doll.” Steve greeted. She could hear the smile in his voice and almost chickened out. She didn’t want to ruin his good mood.

The knife in her gut twisted and before she could change her mind, blurted out, “Steve, something is wrong.”

“Something like what?” Steve asked, his voice was instantly Captain America serious.

“I don’t know. Look, I’m probably being silly but it doesn’t _feel_ like nothing,” Skye admitted. “I didn’t interrupt anything, did I?”

“Doll, I’m glad you called.” Steve replied. She could feel a little bit of her anxiety slip away; Steve would help her figure this out. “Let’s do a head count, okay? Is Steven with you still?”

“Steven is at the house with the other kids and Trip. They’re fine. It’s not Steven. Clint and Tasha are already on the jet heading back from their mission, so it’s not them. It doesn’t feel like Bucky and it’s not you...right?”

“No, it’s not me. Tony?”

“Tony and I are...stuck-”

“Fuck off, Skye!” Tony sounded in the background. “We just need to find the counter-lever.”

“You don’t just pull levers in secret bases!” Skye hissed back.

“Okay, doll.” Steve murmured, softening his tone to get her attention back. “You and Tony are stuck?”

“It’s an old Shield base. We’re not in danger,” Skye sighed. “We will find the lever and let ourselves out. But the only people I can’t reach are Pepper and Jack. I can’t do anything from here, but would you please check?”

“That’s a stupid question,” Steve smiled. “Doll, I can hear the hitch in your breath. Let Tony look for the lever. Do some Tai Chi. Get your center back. You’re no good to anyone like this. Let me worry about Jack and Pepper. Do you want to do a breathing exercise with me?”

“No, I think I’m okay,” She replied shyly. “Thank you. I love you.”

“I love you. Now, relax. I’m on this. I’ll let you know when it’s sorted.”

The call cut off and she pushed the phone back into her pocket.

“I didn’t think it was that bad,” Tony remarked, watching her slip into her Tai Chi starting stance. “You just said you were uncomfortable.”

“I just…” Skye hesitated and searched for the right words. “It got worse. Like there was this kind of neutral fear that was kind of constant...but then it spiked up all of the sudden and I feel like I can’t breathe-”

“Yeah, I see that,” Tony interrupted. “Do your Tai Chi. I’m assuming that’s what Steve told you to do. Breathe, Skye. I’ll find the lever.”

“Okay,” Skye agreed easily. “Gimme ten and if you still haven’t found it, you let me know.”

“Shh. No talking in Tai Chi,” Tony mock scolded.

 

0-0-0-0-0

 

“Where is Coulson’s team?” Steve asked, storming into Fury’s office. Pepper had been in a meeting, but he had waved to her through the glass. She had smiled and waved back; she was fine. That left one person unaccounted for. Steve jabbed a finger at the mission center and hissed, “they refuse to tell me anything. I have enough clearance to know about all of our missions. Where is the team?”

“You know I can’t tell you that.” Fury replied stonily.

“Jack is with that team,” Steve growled, slapping his palms down on Fury’s desk. He leaned in closer and narrowed his eyes. “Between the fury you’re going to get from the Avengers, me, and _Skye_ I think it’s in your best interest to tell me where he is.”

“Don’t try to intimidate me, Rogers.”

“Fuck off, Fury.” Steve yelled. “Where the hell is that team? Tell me now or I swear I will quit right now.”

“You can’t quit,” Fury retorted stupidly.

“I can do whatever I want,” Steve whispered. He was so angry he could barely speak. “You don’t own me. I have no contract with Shield.”

“You’re Captain America.”

“Yeah and Captain America is telling you to shove it,” Steve ground out. “Captain America can be an Avenger without being a Shield Agent.”

“Skye has been a bad influence on you.” Fury sighed, rubbing his bald head. “You used to be such a good soldier.”

“I’ve never been a good soldier. I’m good at breaking rules and making up my own plays. I’ve just hidden it better than I have today. If Skye is guilty of anything, it’s of making me realize that normal is boring-”

“So why in the world would you want to be normal?” Fury finished. He sighed and thumped his forehead against his desk. He straightened and scribbled a set of coordinates onto a slip of paper. He folded it in half and pinched it between his fingers. “You have to be stealthy. No red, white, and blue uniform. No Shield insignia. I mean it.”

“I can do stealthy,” Steve agreed. He snatched the paper from Fury and stormed out of the office.

“This means you’re not quitting, right?” Fury shouted after him. Steve hesitated at the doorway but then continued without a word.

 

0-0-0-0-0

 

“What the _fuck_?” Clint growled, looking out the quinjet windows. Jack, Fitz, and Ward were surrounded by enemy troops. Fitz and Jack were pale but trying to look brave - Ward just looked resigned, like he knew exactly what was coming.

“Get down there,” Steve said pointlessly. Clint left the quinjet cloaked and landed right behind their trio. The hatch to the quinjet opened and Steve exploded from the opening. He used his unpainted backup shield to block the bullets coming their way and tugged Jack and Fitz into the jet without a word. Ward caught on quickly and dived into the quinjet. Steve shouted up to Clint, “We’re good! Go!”

The doors closed and the jet zoomed away. Ward found a seat and strapped himself in, but Steve just sat on the floor. He was huffing with the thought of how close Jack had been to dying.

Minutes.

If they had only been minutes later, all three would have been dead.

“Uh, dibs on not telling Tony why there are bullet holes in his jet,” Clint shouted cheerfully.

“Fuck that. I’ll tell him. I’m his nephew,” Jack groaned, flopping back on the floor. Fitz laughed nervously and scooted closer to Steve. Jack lasted on the floor for about ten seconds and then came to brace Steve’s other side.

“We were going to die,” Fitz whispered softly. The horror was still clear on his face.

“Where the fuck was your extraction team?” Steve asked, looking to Ward for an answer.

“They didn’t show,” Jack replied softly. “They left us here.”

“We were told there was a plan in place,” Ward added, “but they never checked in. They never answered the comms.”

“Wait, you knew?” Fitz asked, his eyes wide.

“No,” Ward denied, shaking his head. “I was given the same orders you two got - just a little less technical. I hoped they just got held up or had some tech issue or-”

“Skye is going to hack Shield for us and we’re gonna look at those mission plans,” Steve frowned. “If they sent you in without an extraction plan-”

“Thank you for getting us,” Jack added, giving in to his desperation and pressing himself to Steve’s side. “I was so scared and you were there, just like you told me you would always be.”

“I know you’re a little old,” Steve replied, speaking softly to Jack while wrapping his arm around him in a hug, “but you’re not the only son that can be a Rogers...if he wants to be.”

“You would adopt me too?” Jack asked, surprised.

“Just because you’re forty years older than Steven doesn’t make you any less of Skye’s son. Hell, you’re probably more, since she got to mostly raise you. I don’t need an answer now and you’re not going to hurt my feelings if you want to keep Chang or Stark...but I want you to know it’s an option, okay?”

“Okay,” Jack nodded, smiling shyly. “I’ll talk it over with Fitz.”

“For when you ask him to marry you?” Steve whispered into the top of Jack’s head. Jack slapped his hand over Steve’s mouth and shushed him. Steve laughed and let them both burrow into his side for comfort. He wrapped his arms around them both and reassured them, “don’t worry. I’ve got you. You’re safe.”

“Thank you for getting us,” Fitz mumbled into Steve’s black tactical gear.

“We take care of our own,” Steve replied.

Within ten minutes, Jack and Fitz were asleep. Steve was bracketed by the duo and he couldn’t help but smile. His life was unrecognizable. One year ago, he had probably been on a mission, or heading to one, as was his routine. He had no life. He had his team, but they weren’t as close as they were now.

Now Steve was engaged to marry the most beautiful woman he had ever seen.

He had earned the love and trust of his soon-to-be son.

His best friend was alive and mostly well.

Suddenly risking his life day in and day out seemed a little tedious. He had been pulling back; he still went on every Avenger mission, but he had gotten picky about which Shield missions he felt needed the contributions of Captain America. He wasn’t going to lie - it had been nice. He liked having time to talk with Skye. He liked reading with Steven and practicing his mashup flash cards. Steven always giggled when Steve stumbled over some of the words - and while he didn’t like that a seven year old could best him in languages, he sure liked hearing that giggle. He liked cooking with Bucky and catching up on the seemingly endless list of things they had both missed.

He pushed all those thoughts away. He could think about retiring from Shield later. He needed Skye to validate how angry he was; if it turned out there was no extraction plan in place, Steve was going to have words with Fury. Fuck. He was surprised to realize how seriously he was considering this. Steve glanced over at Ward and got his attention.

“What was the mission?” Steve asked softly.

“You don’t know?” Ward asked, raising a surprised eyebrow.

“Would I be asking?” Steve retorted dryly. Ward smiled.

“No, sorry. It’s been a long two days. Simmons packed us all lunch, but we were being tracked by dogs and had to ditch the sandwiches. They were...a strong flavor.”

“What does that have to do with anything?” Steve grinned. Ward sighed heavily and rolled his eyes to the ceiling.

“Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum moaned about the lack of sandwiches,” Ward dead panned. “Just once though - cause technically once they started they didn’t really stop. Jack named his sandwich Jeffrey and gave a ten minute long eulogy while we were hiking in. He ‘spread the ashes’ of his sandwich because he had - quote - _no damn body to bury, Ward!_ ”

“Skye might forgive you a little bit if you tell her that story,” Steve chuckled.

“You’re not mad?” Ward asked. “I took your kid.”

“Duh, I’m mad,” Steve snorted. “But I also know that orders are orders. It wasn’t good that you took him from us, but the experience was probably a little better for Steven because it was someone he knew. Plus, he knew Skye would be pissed. It distracted him.”

“Yeah, he was distracted,” Ward huffed. “Once he got done attacking me, he shifted to threatening me with you and Skye. Pretty sure Bucky was thrown into the mix too, but he was so mad that I couldn’t catch all of his words.”

“Good,” Steve smirked. His son was a fighter. “Okay, but mission. What was so important that you had to take those two into the field?”

“I’m not good enough with technology,” Ward replied. “They had a device - Shield called it an Overkill Device. It could control weapons. Discharge guns in their holsters. Explode the missiles on fighter jets. Activate nukes in their silos.”

“Jesus,” Steve groaned. “Why weren’t the Avengers called in for something like that?”

“I think Fury is a little intimidated by Skye,” Ward admitted. “The more stupid agents have taken to teasing him about Skye’s punch.”

“And they still have a job?” Steve smiled.

“Some of them,” Ward shrugged.

“Did you do it?” Steve asked. “Whatever you were supposed to do with the device?”

“Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum dismantled it,” Fitz grumbled softly, shifting against Steve. “The part that makes it work is in my bag.”

“Stop talking,” Jack yawned. “I’m weak from exhaustion. I’ve had no sustenance since Ward-”

“Oh, fuck off Jack!” Ward interrupted.

“Clint, where are we on the knock out gas?” Steve called out loudly.

“Not quite perfected,” Clint shouted back. He started laughing and closed the door to the cockpit.

“Fuck Off, Clint!” Steve shouted. He sighed and hung his head at the pregnant silence that followed his shout. “Just say it,” he said softly.

“Language, Cap!”

 

0-0-0-0-0

 

“Can you tell me why these men were sent into a mission without an extraction plan?” Steve asked angrily, pushing his way into Fury’s office uninvited.

“Oh, do come in,” Fury replied sarcastically, setting his sandwich aside.

“Two of them aren’t even cleared for field work!” Steve shouted.

“Skye always watches what we do. We can’t keep her out! I knew you guys would go get him!” Fury shouted.

“You don’t send three people on a suicide mission _hoping_ someone would notice the lack of extraction plan!” Steve yelled back. Jack and Fitz were all but cowering behind Steve’s shaking back. Ward was standing straight up, but was also behind Steve. Clint was standing back from them; at first glance it looked like he was separating himself from the angry group, but a closer look revealed his eyes shifting to the door. He was watching their backs.

“Oh, shove off Cap,” Fury retorted. “Everything worked out. Get your head out of your motherfucking-”

Jack snorted softly behind Steve’s back and Steve hung his head. He was still angry - so angry he felt the anger sizzling in his veins - but Jack brought up a good point, even inadvertently. Skye was going to be way more pissed. Steve glanced under his arm to peek at Jack and return his smile. He picked his head up just in time to see Fury connect the dots in his head. The color drained from his face. Steve smirked and pushed away from his desk.

“Don’t worry, Director,” Steve told Fury cheerfully. “I’m sure Skye will come let you know how she feels about sending her son into a war zone with no extraction plan.”

Steve waved Fitz and Jack out of the office, both wearing a smirk that matched Steve’s. Ward hesitated a moment and then offered softly, “I know where there’s a safe house Skye doesn’t know about...if you wanted to use it.”

 

Ten minutes later:

“You know what,” Steve asked, casually strolling back into Fury’s office. “I think we’ll just wait here.”

“Is she coming?” Fury sighed, setting his sandwich aside again.

“Couldn’t say,” Steve shrugged. He glanced back and whistled. Fitz, Jack, and Ward came back into the room, hiding smiles. Fury internally panicked. If _Ward_ was grinning, this wasn’t going to be good. He gave up on his sandwich and shoved it into the garbage. Mentally cursing, he picked up his phone and asked his secretary to hold everything for the next hour.

“Might want to make it two,” Jack whispered loudly. Fury sighed and corrected himself. Here came the shit storm.

 

0-0-0-0-0

 

“Fuck,” Tony cursed, quickly flipping through a dusty file. The lever had been found and the brick wall was open again.

“Find something?” Skye asked, coming over. Her own pile of dusty files she abandoned easily; they were from the start of Shield and the first ten years or so. She needed to find the 60s.

“Maybe,” Tony frowned. “I’m definitely in the right time period.”

“Then what are you cursing over?” She asked, peering over his shoulder.

“Someone is trying to get a hold of us,” Tony muttered, tapping his ear. “I should have put a comm unit in. I’m not getting great reception down here.” He paused and glanced at Skye, “I’ll eat your lima beans for a week if you don’t tell Jack and Fitz.”

“Do I get your dessert, too?” Skye teased.

“Psh, no.” Tony scoffed.

“I’m gonna tell _mooooom_ ,” Skye drawled. She smirked. “Fine. No desserts? I want your alcohol. All of it.”

“Fuck that shit,” Tony laughed. “You can have the freaking desserts.”

“And success,” Skye cheered. “They’re probably just wondering how we’re doing,” she continued. “I feel fine, so it’s not urgent.”

“You’re going to have to explain that to me sometime,” he replied, giving her a long look.

“Couldn’t if I tried,” Skye shrugged. She smirked softly and added, “Jack always thought it was a good thing to be one of my people.”

“Let’s take another hour, then I’m going to need to break for food. We can head topside and call the team back then.”

“Sounds like a plan,” Skye agreed.

“Hey, I found ‘62.” Tony smiled, pulling a sleeve of folders free. He flipped through a few pages and snorted. He covered his mouth quickly. “You wanna know what Shield named you?”  

“You found it?” Skye beamed.

“Yep,” Tony nodded. “And I’m not giving it to you until you guess what Shield named you.”

“Mary Sue Poots?” Skye guessed sarcastically.

“No,” Tony laughed. “That was all the church.”

“Okay, but what was it?”

“Lihwa Wrathe,” Tony giggled. “Get it? Wrathe...which is basically wrath which is a synonym of Fury. He staked his claim all over you.”

“Fuck,” Skye groaned. “Lihwa?”

“Huh huh,” Tony chuckled. “Suddenly Mary Sue Poots doesn’t seem quite as bad.”

“Oh, it’s worse,” Skye agreed. “You know what Lihwa means?”

“Which version? You know there’s about eight meanings for every name.”

“It’s Chinese, Tony. It means _princess_.”

Tony snorted and smacked his hand over his mouth. “Shit. Princess Fury.”

“Fuck you, Tony. This doesn’t leave this room.”

“It’s all over your files!” Tony chortled gleefully. “We can’t just remove a label and call it good. If we redact it, they’ll want to know why and push until they find out. You’re fucked. Oh, Princess Fury, you’re sooooo fuuuuucked,” Tony sing-songed.

“Tony,” Skye pouted, bouncing pitifully in place. “You’re supposed to love me. Haven’t I been through enough? I’ve already had a shitty name, a number, and then only a _first_ name. I don’t think I can take another one.”

“I do love you,” Tony smiled, standing up with the group of files. “But I’m not going to be able to hide this from everyone else. I bet if you ask nicely, the team will be nice about it. Now, come on. I’m starving and we should probably see who was checking in.”

“You brought food?” Skye asked, following Tony out.

“Uh, Skye, you eat like a horse.”

“That’s what I told Steve the first time I met him,” Skye laughed.

“I heard about his bumbling attempt at asking you out,” Tony grinned, strolling from the room.

“I didn’t even know that’s what he was trying to do,” Skye confided. They secured the hidden door to the base and headed towards the jet.

“Doesn’t surprise me,” Tony laughed. He went silent and cocked his head, pressing his phone closer to his head. He pushed a button on the phone and nodded to Skye’s pocket. “Do you have a message? Steve called. It doesn’t make sense.”

“He texted me when he went to go help Jack,” Skye replied, pulling her phone out. “Hmm, I do have a message. Weird.”

Tony opened the quinjet hatch and started pulling food out while she paced outside. She growled at her phone and stormed into the jet. She yanked her laptop out and opened it roughly.

“Skye?”

“Steve and Clint extracted Jack, Fitz, and Ward from a mission that should have had an extraction plan but doesn’t appear to have actually had one. Steve asked that I verify that there wasn’t an extraction plan and then call him back.”

“Okay, but I’m eating.”

“Okay,” Skye laughed. “I’ll eat in a minute. This won’t take long.” Skye set to work, ignoring Tony when he offered her bits of food or a water bottle. Ten minutes later, she pushed back with a snarl. “Can you take me to Shield? Now?”

“What happened?”

“It wasn’t just a mission. It was to the middle of a fucking war zone to take care of a weapon that would destroy the world. War zone, Tony! No extraction plan!”

“J? Did I miss an Avenger alarm?” Tony asked the jet.

“No, there was no alarm.” Jarvis replied through the speakers.

“Steve?” Skye said into her phone. “Yeah, there was no plan. Nothing. We’re in route… Tony - how long until we’re at headquarters?”

“Ten minutes, give or take.”

“Ten minutes, Steve.” Her angry face shifted into a reluctant smile. “You’re ridiculous. I’ll see you soon.”

“He’s hanging around?” Tony asked with a smirk.

“Yes,” she sighed. “Stop with the smirk. I’m not that bad.”

“That’s a fucking lie.”

 


	99. I’ve got no patience, doll.

 

“You sent my fucking son into a war zone?” Skye shouted, pushing his office door open with both hands. Tony strolled in behind her, his hands shoved deep into his pockets. He didn’t bother hiding his smirk; he sat by Steve and watched the scene unfold expectantly. Skye went straight to Jack, checking him over quickly but thoroughly.

“Okay, but look...I didn’t _know_ he was your son-” Fury replied instantly, and then frowned.

“Does it somehow make it better that he could have _just_ been the kid I’ve raised for the last 35 years?” Skye shot back over her shoulder. She tapped Jack’s nose, separating her anger at Fury from her concern for him, and moved on to Fitz.

“Look, you know that’s not what I meant!” Fury shouted, slamming his palm on his desk. “Stop putting words in my mouth!”

“Stop putting people I care about in danger!”

“He agreed to danger when he agreed to Coulson’s command.” Fury retorted.

“He agreed to missions with defined goals and _extraction plans_ ,” Skye snarled back. She turned away from Fitz and smacked her hands on his desk. “You don’t get to take me for granted. You don’t get to assume that I’m going to cover your ass because anything U.S. related on that soil would have compromised decades of truces and treaties. You fucked up Nicky. You fucked up bad.”

“That device warranted-”

“That device warranted Avengers!” Skye shouted. “It warranted a _fucking extraction plan!_ ”

“Mary Sue!” Fury retorted sharply - his tone still held the disapproval she remembered from her childhood. Her long harbored resentment surfaced and she rolled her neck, trying in vain to alleviate the tension growing there. Fury’s face dropped a shade in color and he held his hands up.

“Don’t talk to me like I’m four years old again,” she told him. Her voice was scary soft and yet somehow worked to emphasize her anger. “He’s never working for _you_ ever again. Trust me when I say you really don’t want to test me on that.” Skye turned to the cluster of men behind her and waved them out. She got all the way to the door before she growled her frustration and turned back to shout, “AND WHO THE FUCK NAMES A KID _LIHWA WRATHE_?”

Tony choked on his laughter, but was wise enough not to say anything. Jack and Fitz exchanged shrugs. Ward looked over at Steve but he just shook his head. He was as confused as the others. Fury, though...Fury wasn’t smart enough to keep his mouth shut.

“There is nothing wrong with that name,” he muttered.

“What was that?” Skye asked, looking back at him.

“I said there is nothing wrong with that name!” Fury said a little more confidently.

“You think just because you added an E to the end of _wrath_ that no one would notice what it was a synonym for?”

“He named you after himself?” Fitz asked, looking up with a grin.

“Shut up, Fitz.”

“Oh, my goodness.” Fitz giggled. “He did. He named her after him.”

“Oh, it gets better,” Tony whispered softly.

“How does it get better?” Ward asked, despite the look on Skye’s face telling him not to.

“Lihwa means princess,” Jack contributed with a grin. “Princess Fury. Oh, Mom, you’re royalty.”

“Don’t worry, once you marry Steve you won’t have to-” Tony paused mid-sentence and winced. “Fuck. Skye, I’m sorry.”

“You’re getting married?” Ward asked Steve with wide eyes. He shook his head a little and extended his hand. “Congratulations.”

“This explains a lot,” Fury sighed. “Skye, you gotta ease up on my boy. You’re turning him into you and that’s no way for Captain America to be.”

“No way for Captain America _to be_?” Steve asked incredulously.

“Exactly. You gotta put your foot down, boy. Jesus, you’ve got whip marks all over you.”

“Whip marks?” Steve asked softly, into the sudden hush of the room. Even Skye was silent. Ward caught her eye and nodded down to Steve’s fists. She nodded and shimmied to Steve’s side.

“Yeah,” Fury nodded confidently. “You’re whipped boy.”

“I’m older than you are _son_ ,” Steve ground out.

“I mean, technically,” Fury agreed. “But I’ve lived more life than you.” He paused with his tongue poking his front teeth. He made sure he had Steve’s attention and added, “ _boy_.”

“Oh fuck,” Jack muttered, backing away slowly.

Fury wasn’t done yet, though. “I’ll agree to let you marry a known cyber-terrorist if you agree to a contract with Shield.”

“You really think you get to _let_ me marry Skye?” Steve asked. “The only four people I asked permission for her hand are her family and herself. You have zero say in what either of us do.”

“Skye doesn’t have that much family,” Fury muttered. He refused to be shamed.

Steve glanced down at Skye when she slipped her hand into his. He quirked an eyebrow, calming down despite himself, and grinned at the smirk on her face. She nodded slightly and reached back for Tony. Steve glanced over at Tony and smirked, “Would you like to explain the math, Stark?”

Tony glanced over at Skye with his own smirk. When she grinned and nodded, he wrapped his arm around her shoulders. Fury was so distracted by Tony’s casual contact that he almost missed that he had started talking. “See, the only person that matters was Skye,” Tony explained theatrically. “As long as she was happy, everyone was happy. They make each other happy. Of course she said yes. But the first person that was asked was the person who knew her the longest. Her oldest son, Jack. He was an easy sell,” Tony added in a faux whisper. “He used to have a crush on Stevie Boy here.”

“Move it along,” Jack groaned. “I said: _yes, of course, you stupid git. Stop talking to me and go find her._ The end.”

“Next was her youngest son,” Tony fibbed. The story was in the wrong order, but the facts were all true. “Steven was also an easy sell. He had claimed Steve from day...well, idk. Seven or eight, probably. Anyway, Skye - yes. Jack - yes, Steven - yes-”

“Jesus Stark. I’ve got things to do!” Fury interrupted. Tony sighed and looked over at Skye. She giggled and poked his nose.

“The last person that mattered was her beloved baby brother.” Tony grinned, squeezing her tightly. “He was a harder sell. He’s clearly the brains of the bunch. Got all the good genes, you understand? Alpha wolf. Aroo.”

“Is it you?” Fury asked dryly.

“Damn. I don’t think I was subtle enough,” Tony hummed in mock disappointment. “Mr. Director, Sir, you should know that there are now _two Starks-_ ”

“ _-watching your every move_.” Skye finished.

“Technically, there are four of us,” Jack muttered.

Steve danced between them for a second, adding in a casual tone, “She’ll always be a Stark, but she’s gonna be a Rogers soon. You know, in case you thought your whole permission thing worked.” With that, he flitted back between them to stand casually by Fitz.

“Smooth,” Fitz whispered. Steve elbowed him lightly and was rewarded with a muffled squeak of pain. “Fuck, Steve. That’s your light touch? Wait- that was your light touch right? Dude, did you do it full strength? Cause I’ll be honest, it hurts like a bugger but I’m still standing.”

“It was a light one,” Steve whispered back.

“Oh,” Fitz sighed. Steve ducked to hide his grin and realized Tony and Fury were still discussing Skye being a Stark.

“Just submit a blood sample,” Fury was saying, “Here and now so I know it’s not tampered with.”

“We both know what you’re doing and you’re not going to get either of our blood,” Skye laughed bitterly.

“But definitely not Skye’s,” Tony added. They scoffed and turned to shoo everyone out of the room.

“Rogers, when you’re ready to submit to that contract, you let me know.” Fury called after them.

“Fuck off, Fury!” Skye, Tony, and Jack called back.

Steve hung back and added, “You’re making it easier to say yes every time you ask if I’m serious about retirement.”

  
  


 

 

They all piled into the two jets - Tony, Jack, and Fitz in one and Clint, Steve, and Skye in the other. Ward stayed back to check in with Coulson. Tony headed back to the Tower with Jack and Fitz, stealing them away to help with the new files he had found. The second jet headed towards the Stark House.

“Mom!” Steven shouted, running towards them the second the hatch opened. He launched himself at her and clung to her tightly. He waved to Steve from over Skye’s shoulder; his eyes were the only part of his face that was visible. He mumbled out, “Hi, Steve.”

“Hey, buddy,” Steve smiled, squeezing his finger tips. “How are you? I hear you got to hang out with your brothers and sisters today.”

“‘M better now,” Steven mumbled into Skye’s shoulder.

“He’s been a little clingy,” Trip mouthed behind Steven’s back. Skye glanced up and quirked her lips. She smiled at Trip and nodded her understanding. Trip started smirking and he dropped his arm around Skye’s shoulders. Steven’s only reaction was to burrow closer to her center. “Hey, Steven. Wanna hear a funny story?”

“Is it about the little girl?” He asked from somewhere under Skye’s chin.

“Nope. It’s about the girl that you’re on right now.”

“My mom is _not_ a _girl_. She is a _woman_ and you will be respectful,” Steven said slowly, picking his head up to stare at Trip right in the eyes. Trip’s mouth twitched as he backed away, hands in the air.

“Skye, I apologize for calling you a girl. Of course, you’re a woman.”

“Was that good enough?” Steven asked, frowning at Skye. She worked to compose her face and failed.

“Yeah, baby, that was good enough,” She smiled, pressing a kiss to his forehead. She chuckled softly and pulled him tight for a hug. “What’d you get up to today?”

“Wrestling, football, built an obstacle course...built a blanket fort,” Steven’s head peeked up at that and he had a shy smile on his face. He glanced towards Trip and added, “A really cool blanket fort.”

“And then we watched a movie in it,” Trip finished. “Boom, baby.”

“You guys were busy.” Steve laughed.

“You’re just in time for dinner.” Trip grinned, waggling his eyebrows.

“Is that a good thing or a bad thing?” Clint asked from beside Steve.

“Hopefully a good thing,” Trip laughed. “It smells good. There’s a handful of kids taking cooking lessons with the cook. It is really cool to see.”

“Good,” Skye smiled. “I’m starving.”

“At dinner, can I sit between you and Steve?” Steven whispered to Skye, playing with a strand of her hair.

“Of course you can,” Skye whispered back. She pressed a kiss to his temple and added, “Maybe you should go let Steve know about the arrangement.”

“Okay,” Steven grinned goofily. “Throw me?”

“Yeah, baby!” Skye crowed. She shifted him in her arms and yelled, “Steve! Eyes sharp!”

“Steve!” Steven yelled, mid-air. Steve laughed and snatched him out of the air.

“Oh, hi there.”

“Hi,” Steven grinned, adjusting himself in Steve’s arms so he could get a better grip. He wrapped his arms around Steve's neck and nuzzled in.

“How are you?” Steve smiled, holding the boy even though he didn’t need to; Steven would have kept himself up anyway. 

“Better now,” Steven admitted again. He buried his head in Steve’s neck; he could feel the heat from the boy’s face on his skin and frowned. Why was he embarrassed?

“Hey, what’s wrong? There is nothing wrong with wanting to be with your family,” Steve said softly.

“It doesn’t make you weak?” Steven asked softly.

Steve almost sighed out loud when he figured it out. “No, of course not. Family only makes you stronger.”

“It’s hard to make new relationships with people because we were always taught not to. The older ones take it a little more seriously than us younger ones.”

“They were also under programming,” Steve whispered. “I think they’ve been doing better. It’s going to be a process. It’s not going to happen in a day.”

“Some days it’s hard,” Steven nodded. He fell silent and Steve thought back over the conversation; he still hadn’t resolved the issue about being embarrassed.

“You know my favorite time of day?” Steve asked. Steven shook his head. “My favorite time of day is right when you wake up and you’re still warm and mussy from sleeping, and you just need some snuggles. My favorite time of day is when I come back from a mission and you give me a hug to welcome me back. My favorite time of day is when your mom falls asleep before me and she curls into me in her sleep. My favorite time of day is watching old movies with Bucky and arguing over the words until we end up wrestling on the floor.”

“That’s a lot of favorites,” Steven smiled, biting his lip.

“You know what they all have in common?”

“You?” Steven deadpanned. Steve laughed and bopped his nose.

“Contact. With people that I love. When I’m on a mission, I’m not having a bad time - right? I get to hang out with Clint or Trip-”

“-and kick some bad guy bootie,” Steven interrupted.

“Yeah,” Steve laughed. “And kick some bad guy bootie. The point is, I could be having the absolutely perfect day, but my favorite part would still be getting to hold you, or your mom, or your uncle. Or all of you.”

“Jack is going to be so disappointed,” Steven sighed. He pulled his head back so he could see Steve and told him pointedly, “he was very excited about you working on loving him. Now he doesn’t even make your list?”

“Hey, I just said uncle!”

“Yeah, Steve, but Jack is my _brother_ , not my uncle.”

“Stop being so smart,” Steve laughed. He threw Steven over his shoulder and ran the last few steps to the front doors so he could pull them open for the group.

“Oh, my god. Steve, I can tell you’re not hungry. I call dibs on your portion of dinner,” Skye moaned the moment she walked through the door.

“You can’t decide if I’m hungry or not!” Steve laughed. He walked in the door and froze. He pulled Steven down from his shoulder and gave him a mock serious look. “Is Bucky here? This smells like Mama Roger’s secret spaghetti sauce.”

“Bucky!” Steven shouted over his shoulder, “I get your cookie at dinner!”

“Fudge off!” Bucky shouted back, sounding harassed. “If these little hellions don’t leave the _damn cookies alone_ there won’t be any left for dessert...HEY! Stop it!”

“I think he needs help,” Steven giggled.

“Hmm, maybe,” Skye smirked. She walked into the kitchen and put her fingers into her mouth and whistled sharply. The chaos that was the kitchen immediately froze.

“{I didn’t realize I was raising hellions,}” Skye said softly. Steve puckered his eyebrows and listened intently. Aside from Steven and Bucky’s lessons, he hadn’t had heard the mashup in a while. He wanted to see how much he could pick out on his own.

“{Little hellions,}” Bucky interjected with a dark scowl. There were a grand total of 10 cookies left on the counter - a counter that bore evidence of many other cookies. Skye itched her mouth and grinned into her palm.

“{I want you to be normal kids,}” Skye told them. “{I do. But even “normal” kids don’t act like this. He worked really hard to do something special for you and you ruined it. That was rude and inconsiderate. What do you have to say to Bucky?}”

“{We’re sorry we ate your cookies,}” one mumbled. He straightened and added, “{Dinner isn’t ready yet. Why don’t you get everyone together and we’ll finish up?}”

“{You don’t need to-}” Bucky started to reply.

“{I think that is a great idea,}” Skye interrupted, pulling Bucky from the kitchen. There were already kids trying to be sneaky about collecting the items they needed to make another batch of cookies. “Sup, buttercup?” She asked, checking her hip into his.

“They ate all the cookies,” Bucky told her pitifully. She laughed and pulled him into a hug.

“We can make more cookies,” Skye laughed.

“But I worked hard on _those_ ,” Bucky whined, this time being deliberately ridiculous.

“James Buc-”

“Uh, Buck F. Nekid,” Bucky corrected loudly. “Jeez, woman. It’s like you don’t even know my name.”

“Maybe you should adopt him too,” Steven told Steve. “Then he could be Buck Rogers. That sounds better than Buck F. Neki-” Steven stopped abruptly and turned red. He glanced at Bucky and frowned hard. “Why would you pick that for your name?”

“Daaaaaaaang,” Skye laughed.

“Can I get the kids?” Steven grinned, catching Skye’s humor.

“Uh, duh. You think us old people are going to run all over this house?” Skye scoffed. Steven slipped free and ran down the halls.

“Ca-caw! Ca-caw!” Steven shouted as he went.

“He’s a little crazy, huh?” Bucky asked affectionately.

“He takes after his mother in that,” Steve smirked.

“Hey!” Skye laughed, smacking him.

“He’s different,” Bucky commented softly. “Not _bad_ different. Just...different.”

“He’s quieter.” Steve agreed.

“Part of that is shock,” Skye nodded. “He died and he’s very _aware_ that he died. But besides that, his spine fell off. He hasn’t been getting the serum. That means no side effects. I think this is probably closer to what his personality was supposed to be like.”

“All of that energy was a side effect?” Bucky asked.

“Steven’s group was pretty manic,” Skye smiled. “He’ll probably level out somewhere in between those two energy levels,” she added.

“But where’d the serum end up?” Steve asked. “You puked yours back up, but you had the magic blood.”

“So did he,” Skye murmured.

“Da loop,” Bucky said dumbly, drawing a circle in the air with his finger.

“That’s why you wanted the loop?” Steve frowned.

“Partially,” Skye nodded. “My body could replenish the blood faster if it was in my body so that made the blood transfusion more effective, but it was also to help filter it. I hoped to take anything bad - he never complains but that doesn’t mean things don’t hurt him. When I started feeling the serum, I woke and that’s when I had Bucky set up the loop.”

“She hurled it up all over,” Bucky commented helpfully. Skye elbowed him and they both giggled. Steve smiled at their interaction.

“Bucky’s got fast reflexes,” she denied. “He caught it all in a waste bin.”

“Of course he did,” Steve smiled. He shook his head at them. “You two are like...an onion.”

“An onion?” Bucky asked.

“Yeah. Cause I can keep peeling you guys back layer by layer and find something new every time.” Steve nodded.

“Is this a Shrek reference?” Skye smirked.

“Shrek? What is Shrek? Look, I’m just amused that I’m still surprised to find new dimensions to your relationship.” Steve looked confused.

“Movie night?” Bucky asked, smirking at Skye.

“Movie night.” Skye agreed. She looked at Steve and smiled. “It’s a movie and we’re gonna watch it, okay?”

“Here or the Tower?” Steve smiled.

“Here! Here, here, here,” Steven shouted, running back down the hallway. Kids were streaming into the hall behind him. He launched himself at Steve and grinned at him.

“Here it is,” Steve laughed. “I’m starving. Can we eat?”

“No,” Steven told him, with a sad expression. “You can’t. I’m sorry. Mom called dibs on your portion.”

“You’re siding with her?” Steve gasped, clutching his chest dramatically.

“Well, I mean, she’s my mom. You’re just _some guy_ she’s gonna marry,” Steven shrugged, barely keeping a straight face.

“ _Some guy_?” Steve half shouted, his jaw hanging open in shock. Bucky was laughing, but trying to hide it behind Skye’s head.

Skye couldn’t help but add, “I mean, you can’t adopt him until we get married so…”

“Let’s get married now. Clint? Trip? Either of you ordained?” Steve asked hurriedly.

“I am,” Clint smiled, raising his hand. “But you should know it’s only good for Satanic rituals. We would need to sacrifice a rooster.”

“No, Steve.” Skye laughed, breaking free from Bucky to turn his face towards hers.

“But…”

“No, Steve,” she laughed, kissing him lightly. “No. I don’t think I’m high maintenance but I draw the fucking line at rooster sacrifices.”

“Mom! Language!” Steven gasped. She giggled and fell into Steve. He wrapped his arms around them both and held them tightly to his super-soldier chest.

“No Satanic wedding ceremony, huh?” Steve sighed, feigning disappointment.

“I know you wanna be his dad, but it’s only three months out.” Skye chuckled into his neck.

“It’s too long,” Steve groaned softly. “This is why I wasn’t the sniper. I’ve got no patience, doll. You’re both right here and you’re _mine_ but not in any way that matters to anyone besides us.”

“He already thinks of you as his dad,” Skye smiled. Bucky had cleared the kids from around them, so it was just Steve and Skye in the hall.

“He won’t call me dad though,” Steve sighed. “It’s stupid. I know. I don’t want to rush him into anything-”

“Steve,” Skye laughed, silencing him with her mouth. “He’s saving the first time for something special. You only get to say it first, once.”

“Let’s move the wedding up,” Steve whispered.

“Three months isn’t fast enough for you?” Skye grinned.

“No. I would do it here, now, if I could.”

“You’re that eager to be off the market?”

“I’m that eager to join your family.”

“I think, technically, we’re joining yours,” Skye whispered, caressing his jaw bone.

“Skye, I’m almost a hundred years old. Don’t you think it’s time for me to settle down?” Steve whispered back, fighting a smile. She rolled her eyes.

“If you’ve waited a hundred years, three more months isn’t going to change anything,” She giggled. “Come on. I’m starving. You can convince me to move up the wedding later.”

“Oh yeah?” Steve smirked, twirling her away from him. He caught her fingertips and pulled her closer so he could grasp her entire hand. “How much later?”

“Hmm, tonight? After bedtime?”

“Bedtime,” Steve laughed. “Yeah, I’ll convince you after bedtime.”

“I sure love you,” Skye admitted softly. “After today, I just really love that you’re not letting me dwell on what could have happened. Thank you.”

“I love you, too,” Steve replied, just as softly. “But I really just wanted to get you into bed with me.”

He grinned and tugged her into the kitchen. There was a beat of silence from her and then she was laughing. Everyone was seated at the dinner table - which was really three long tables with bench seating. There were far too many mouths to feed to have a normal dinner table.

“Sorry,” Skye laughed, pulling free from Steve. She sat down between Bucky and Steven, forcing Steve to take Steven’s other side. The boy hummed his satisfaction and peered down the table.

“Can we eat now?” Steven chirped.

“Yes, please.” Skye agreed. “I’m wasting away.”

“So dramatic,” One of the older girls sighed, passing salad bowls down each side of the tables. Skye stopped her with a frown, but after a two second staring contest, they both broke down into giggles. The girl smiled and set an extra breadstick on Skye’s plate. “Thank you for taking such good care of us. I know it’s not just you, but it’s from you and we all just want you to know how much we appreciate it.”

“Food!” Another teen interrupted, saving Skye from having to answer. The pasta was passed around and she tried to quell her blush.

“Don’t be embarrassed that people love you,” Steven told her softly, stealing a large bite of her extra breadstick. She laughed and kissed his forehead.

“You’re so much my son it’s scary sometimes,” she laughed. She took a bite of the same breadstick and set it on his plate.

“Ouch, Mom. Scary?”

“Is this what Steve puts up with from me?”

“Yeah, pretty much,” Steve grinned, leaning around Steven.

“I feel like I should probably apologize, but I won’t.” Skye grinned. She turned towards the kids sitting opposite them and asked, “So, what have you guys been getting up to?”

Everyone wanted a turn to tell Skye about their room, classes, and free time activities. By the time everyone had gotten a chance to share, dinner and dessert were both over and everyone had migrated into the living room. They watched Shrek, with Skye listening to the kids and cuddling with each one that spoke with her. When the movie was over, she had finally gotten through all the kids. Steven giggled at her content expression and tugged a blanket over himself. Some of the kids had wandered off, but others had set up a video game competition. Trip, Clint, Steve, and Bucky were on the brackets, each waiting for their turn to compete. Steven sat on Skye’s lap the entire time, engaged in the conversation but never removing his death grip from some part of her body.

When Clint emerged the winner of the video game contest, he turned to brag to Skye but found her asleep against Steve’s chest. Steven was asleep on her lap. Steve laughed lightly, holding Skye close, while he joked with Bucky. They had both been eliminated fairly early.

“Wanna head back to the Tower or stay the night here?” Clint asked Steve with a smile.

“Tony said we all have rooms here,” Bucky replied.

“Sounds good to me,” Steve agreed.

“Boom, done.” Clint laughed. “Trip, you staying? Steve will make us pancakes in the morning.”

“You gonna cook for me, Stevie?” Trip grinned.

“Only his boyfriends can call him Stevie, Antoine Gabriel Triplett,” Skye interjected sleepily. She was smiling against Steve, but her eyes weren’t open.

“Plural?” Trip laughed. “Damn. Well, Stevie, add another one to your list. You can cook for me in the morning.”

"My fiancé just whored me out," Steve groaned. Bucky laughed and pushed himself off the couch.

"Yeah, congrats by the way," Trip smiled. "Thanks for making me wait to hear about this. Geez. I thought we were friends."

"Aw, come on now. We are friends!" Steve chuckled. "We just thought it'd be easier to tell the entire team at once. Who got to you?"

"Steven convinced Skye on our jet ride here."

“We can show you to your rooms,” a boy offered, waving a couple of his friends closer.  

“Sounds like a plan,” Steve agreed. “Thanks.”

“Well, I mean, thank her,” the boy replied, nodding to Skye. Steve slowly shifted free from Skye's sleepy death grip. “She’s the one that built you guys rooms.”

“Didn’t Tony say something about a strict one person per bedroom policy though?” An older boy asked. Steve, who had been in the process of peeling Steven off Skye, froze and raised a single eyebrow at the boy who had spoken.

“Did he mention how he intended to enforce that?” Steve asked.

“I’d love to see him try,” Bucky laughed. Steven had managed to reattach himself to Skye while Steve was distracted. Bucky pointed to the pair and grinned at Steve. “You’re probably better off just carryin’ both of them together. He’s not leavin’ her.”

“There is no rule like that,” A third teen laughed. “He’s just messing with you.”

“Well, someone isn’t getting pancakes in the morning,” Steve scoffed lightly. He grinned at both teens before bending over to slide his arms around Skye and Steven.

“The chef will have food made before you get up. Don’t worry about getting up early to make us breakfast.”

“Shh,” Skye murmured sleepily. She adjusted her face against Steve's broad chest, then adjusted Steven against herself. In very soft Gaelic, she murmured, “{I just want to sleep. Bed, please.}” She struggled lightly. “{I can walk.}”

“{Relax,}” Steve murmured back in Gaelic. “{We’re going to bed now.}”

“{You’re pukingly, disgustingly sweet together,}” Bucky chimed in, in the mash up. He fake retched. Steve laughed and was going to respond, but Skye beat him to it.

“{Sorry, Mr. Nekid, I’m afraid the one person rule applies to your bedroom only,}” Skye snorted back in the same language. Steve grinned over her head and Bucky couldn't help his proud smile. The mashup wasn't easy to learn but Steve was catching on quickly. Bucky laughed and followed them as they were lead from the room.

“Good thing I’ll be in yours then, huh?”

“No,” Steve groaned. “I need some Skye time. Fuck off, Bucky.”

“He’s goin’ to be there,” Bucky grumbled, nodding towards Steven. “And she’s already asleep. Stevie!”

“He wants to start in his bed,” Skye sighed. “You’re making it very hard to sleep, guys.”

"Ooh, you woke her up, Stevie," Bucky laughed.

"I did not!"

"Hey, Skye, what's my name?" Bucky asked.

"Um...Bucky? Do you want your full name?" Skye asked, frowning sleepily. 

"Nope, that'll do," Bucky smirked. They all knew she was awake now.

“Bucky, I’ll show you to your room,” a girl offered.

“Okay,” Bucky smiled. “Can you give me a second though? I need to kiss Steven good night first.”

“I’ll wait for you here,” she agreed.

“I told him to come crawl in with us if he wakes up,” Skye was telling Steve as he gently tugged Steven free from her chest. He mumbled and tossed in his sleep, but settled when Skye dropped blankets over him and Steve sat next to him. Skye started humming the lullaby, at a slower tempo than usual, while Steve ran his hand over Steven’s hair. Bucky smiled and tugged her up from the bed, pulling her into a slow dance. Skye smiled and sang the words softly while Bucky took over humming the melody. Steve smiled and watched Bucky twirl Skye slowly around the room. She might be awake, but she was still half asleep. Bucky's care confirmed that to him. He wasn’t sure if he understood their relationship, but they were close and made each other happy. That’s all that mattered to him.

Skye reached the end of the song and shifted to hug Bucky. He smiled and kissed her temple. “Lemme go kiss my nephew good night.”

“Yeah, yeah.” Skye grumbled lightly.

“Good night,” Bucky whispered to Steven. He pressed a kiss to his forehead and pulled back a little. “If you’re locked out of their room, you can always come to mine.”

“Very funny,” Steve smirked.

“He’s smilin’, but we both know it’s a good plan B,” Bucky whispered to Steven.

“Good night, Bucky,” Steve said pointedly.

“Good night,” Skye smiled.

“Good night, Солнышко,” Bucky replied, kissing her cheek. “Stevie. See you guys in the mornin’.”

“Come on.” Steve smiled, holding out his hand as the door clicked shut behind Bucky. “Bedtime, doll.”

“Thank fuck,” Skye groaned, sliding her hand into his. “I’ve been waiting for this moment all day.”

“For me to convince you to move up the wedding?” Steve asked, pressing Skye into their room. Their room was only a short distance from Steven's. No one escorted them and Steve was glad. The door wasn’t fully shut before he’d hauled her up and kissed her. She wrapped her legs around his waist and her arms around his neck.

“No, but this is way fucking better,” she whispered into his mouth.

“Doll. Hmm, we ain’t anywhere near ready to fuck yet,” Steve murmured into her ear. His voice was deep and low; she shuddered against him. She felt him grin against her neck and would have melted in place, if he hadn’t distracted her with a truly attention grabbing kiss.

“I think I might be ready,” she informed him softly, tilting his head so she could kiss up his jaw bone to his earlobe. She licked up the length of his ear, then shifted back down quickly and sucked his earlobe into her mouth. He grunted in surprise and squirmed for a moment before pulling her into yet another devastating kiss.

“Hmm, we’ve got terms to discuss first,” Steve replied, regaining control. He kissed down each collarbone and then down her sternum. He was holding her with one hand and unbuttoning her shirt with the other. Her breath hitched when he shifted her against his hard length and held her in both arms so he could extend his mouth to her belly button. “And you should never _think_ you’re ready to fuck. You should be absolutely certain that you can do nothing _less_ than fuck.”

“What are your terms?” Skye gasped, pulling herself up. She threaded her fingers through his hair with one hand while her other arm was wrapped under his arm and over his shoulder, holding him in place.

“For moving the wedding up,” Steve smiled, pulling her to his chest. He nuzzled his face into her neck and licked. Skye keened and shifted her hips over his. “Skye, love, you’ve got to focus. This is important.”

“Steve!” Skye whined. Steve laughed at the sound and she looked embarrassed.

“Terms, Skye. For the wedding.”

“What do you want?” Skye asked. Steve turned and walked them to the bed before replying.

He laid her on the bed and crawled over her, pinning her hips to the mattress in a move that he knew she could evade or escape in a heartbeat. He grinned and propped himself up on his elbows. He flicked her top open and kissed each breast before kissing her. “I want you. Forever. Starting as soon as possible.”

“Fuck, Steve,” Skye grunted, trying to wiggle free of Steve’s hips so she could put her own hips to better use. Steve just laughed lowly and reached beneath her to unsnap her bra.

“Whatcha gonna give me for that?” Steve smirked, tossing her bra and shirt dramatically. She laughed and shook her head.

“What do you want?” She asked. Steve hummed while he suckled each breast, supposedly considering the question. Every inch of her breasts stung slightly from his stubble, but her nipples were a serious issue. He hadn’t touched them and they were screaming for attention.

“I told you. I want you. Forever. Starting as soon as possible.”

“So like...each orgasm brings the wedding up a week?” Skye asked jokingly.

“Yes. That.” Steve agreed eagerly. “3 months is 12 weeks. Let’s see what I can do to the timeline.”

“Steve? I was being sarcastic.”

“I wasn’t.” Steve growled, rolling his hips against hers. His mouth settled over her nipple and she could have cried at the relief it brought.

“Fine. One week eliminated per orgasm,” Skye agreed breathlessly.

“Per _female_ orgasm,” Steve corrected lightly. She tugged his face out of her chest and up to her own face. He smirked and whispered, “Doll, this is still entirely about you. Everything but the timeline.” He jerked his hips reflexively and she thrust back.

“Oh, fuck,” Skye moaned into his mouth.

“Oh, yes,” he smirked. “I can do that, doll. I would _love_ to do that. I kind of _need_ to do that...but you need to agree first.”

“Yes, I agree,” she gasped, shifting her hips so his erection was between them. She rolled her hips lightly, making his breath catch in his throat.

“Say the whole thing,” Steve half pleaded. “I need to know you understand.”

“There are twelve weeks until our planned wedding date. Every orgasm you give me brings the wedding date one week closer. Can I set a limit?” Skye asked softly. “Like...four orgasms a day or something?”

“Four?” Steve half laughed until he saw she was serious.

“That is still putting this wedding as possible in three days,” she murmured. “I need a little time to wrap my head around this.”

“How about unlimited orgasms per day but one one counts towards the twelve per day?” Steve offered. Her eyes shone but then her self-preservation instincts kicked in.

“Unlimited?” She giggled softly. “You’re pretty confident there.”

“Shup,” Steve teased. “12 days is putting us at Monday. I refuse to get married on a Monday. You get a few extra days. We can push it back to Saturday.”

“You’re so generous,” she laughed.

“Let me show you how generous,” Steve murmured.

 


End file.
